ECONOMY: SME Corp doing a good job

I refer to the report "Microsoft, SME Corp to transform firms" (NST, Dec 6).

I wish to commend SME Corporation Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Hafsah Hashim and her team for their efforts to improve     services  to  small- and medium-scale enterprises to raise their level to be on a  par with international SMEs and to provide the best platforms and assistance to get them to compete on a global platform.

Microsoft Malaysia managing director Ananth Lazarus said Microsoft would  reinvest  up to RM20.8 million for the first year if the Office 365 software was adopted by 50,000 SMEs.

Being  dependent on the Internet and  information technology, we are sure that the above partnership would be  useful to us.

Our company is one of the beneficiaries of SME Corp's grant  four years ago and  its assistance has helped us gain a good footing  to sell our  products to the international markets, especially in the United States, Europe, China and Japan.

The grant scheme is now defunct and has been replaced by  other programmes, such as business loans  managed by the Malaysian Industrial Development Finance.  SME Corp  has always been pro-active towards improving SME agendas, and it has  introduced many new and interesting solutions and development programmes to help  SMEs to do better.

It always works towards the government's call to get Malaysian SMEs  do business globally rather than just providing services or selling their products in the local market.

They have put in place many SME development programmes, such as the One Referral Centre (http://www.smecorp.gov. my/v4/node/73), a one-stop  centre  for SMEs to get business advice  and information.

Acting as the central coordinating agency, one of SME Corp's functions is to provide and disseminate  information to  SMEs, as well as being a channel for feedback on SME issues.

Advisory services in SME Corp cover business matters as well as programmes available in SME Corp  and other  ministries, agencies, banks, development financial institutions and associations.

The above-mentioned development programmes are useful for all SMEs. 

For those who have  not  tried them, do give them a go.  There are  knowledgeable, helpful and friendly staff to assist you.

I understand there are about 15 ministries and 64 agencies set up by the government to assist SMEs.

I believe  there should be only one coordinating agency for us to deal with.

And if there should be one agency that can carry out such functions well, it would be SME Corp.