It is recognized that Malay traders still do not get the support they deserve from their own communities compared to traders of other races. Putra Business School’s Business Development Manager, Associate Prof Dr Ahmed Razman Abdul Latiff said, the matter had already happened during the previous government until now. “If we look at how (other races) are successful, they have a strong network in terms of family spirit, hometown and community which allows them to be stronger and united than us. This is because we are too divided. “Therefore the government needs to play a role in providing an ‘umbrella’ to Bumiputera traders because we are the majority. “If this majority is not taken care of, then it will indeed be a big problem,” he said. He said this at the 125th series of the Daily Sinar Discourse program titled ‘Where is Malay Business in the Era of Pakatan Harapan (PH)’ at Dewan Karangkraf, here, on Friday. However, Ahmed Razman said, it is unfair to make comparisons about Malay business between the previous government and the current one because the PH government has only been in office for a year and the problems that are occurring are old problems. “Therefore, the issue now is how we can help Bumiputera traders regardless of the era. “If this is not resolved, even if the government changes, this problem will not be solved,” he explained.

Kuala Lumpur: The overnight policy rate (OPR) at the current rate of 3.0 percent, is expected to remain unchanged throughout 2024, according to MIDF Research. The research firm said that Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) is currently seen as focusing on maintaining the momentum of Malaysian economic growth through its monetary policy. The domestic economic outlook is projected to remain cautious and resilient, supported by strong domestic demand. “However, we believe the stabilization of core inflation and the challenging external environment may prompt BNM to maintain the OPR at the current level throughout 2024,” said MIDF Research in a note, yesterday. BUSINESS BNM is expected to maintain the 3 percent OPR throughout 2024 By BERNAMA A view of the sea Kuala Lumpur: The overnight policy rate (OPR) at the current rate of 3.0 percent, is expected to remain unchanged throughout 2024, according to MIDF Research. The research firm said that Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) is currently seen as focusing on maintaining the momentum of Malaysian economic growth through its monetary policy. “The domestic economic outlook is projected to remain cautious and resilient, supported by strong domestic demand. “However, we believe the stabilization of core inflation and the challenging external environment may prompt BNM to maintain the OPR at the current level throughout 2024,” said MIDF Research in a note, yesterday. It said that although foreign trade is expected to recover, the global environment is projected to remain challenging in 2024 due to ongoing geopolitical tensions and a potential decline in global growth. In a separate research note, OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Bhd echoed the sentiment, stating that BNM will maintain the current monetary policy, and expects growth to improve and inflationary pressure to be contained. The bank said BNM remains bullish on domestic growth prospects, expecting an increase in exports, driven by the global technology upcycle and sustained strengthening in the non-electrical and electronic goods sector. Among the factors driving domestic growth are household spending and investment activity, driven by multi-year projects in both the private and public sectors, coupled with catalytic initiatives under the country’s master plan. “Therefore, our gross domestic product growth forecast for 2024 is at 4.2 percent, compared to 3.7 percent in 2023, which is still within BNM’s forecast range of four to five percent,” said the bank.

Business Development Manager of Mamanda Food Solutions, Ms. Zafirah Zulkarnine, stated that they received many inquiries from Central Asian and East Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines and Indonesia. Mamanda, which is a distribution company for Able Mama products from Malaysia, sells products such as biscuits and chocolate milk formula for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in FHA. Mamanda also markets meal packages for mothers who have just given birth. “They (visitors) are interested in our products that have the ‘healthy choice’ symbol, are nutritious and competitive in terms of price. “Because most of the new generation of mothers are those who work, we want to provide products that are convenient for them, nutritious and tasty,” said Cik Zafirah. They joined FHA to expand the network of business partners to sell the product in retail stores, online and pharmacies to make it easier for mothers to buy it. Mamanda is also participating in the Malaysian International Halal Exhibition (Mihas) which is taking place in Kuala Lumpur.