By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, July 30: The proposed amendments to the Cooperative Act 1993 are expected to be tabled for first reading in the Dewan Rakyat by the end of 2025, with the second and third readings scheduled for March 2026, says Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Datuk Ewon Benedick.
The main focus of the new Act, he stressed, is to liberalise cooperative operations and to strengthen the Malaysia Cooperative Societies Commission (SKM) as the regulatory body.
“What’s the main focus of the new Act? First, to liberalise cooperative operations, and second, to strengthen the Cooperative Commission as a regulatory body. That’s the main objective. There are many new provisions, some retained, others improved,” he said during a press conference after inspecting the implementation of the Projek Tamu Desa at Sungai Apong Market here today (July 30).
Ewon said the engagement process with key stakeholders has been comprehensive.
“Today, I’m also here with officers from the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, including the Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General, legal advisors and the Cooperative Commission of Malaysia, to hold an engagement session with the Sarawak government attended by deputy ministers, assembly members (ADUNs) and Sarawak civil servants. They were briefed on the proposed new Cooperative Act. Sarawak provided feedback and suggestions, which are part of our national engagement efforts,” he said.
Ewon added that the ministry conducted two studies in 2023 and has since engaged cooperatives and state governments nationwide to gather input.
“I hope this engagement will ensure the proposed Act, planned for first reading in Parliament at the end of this year and second and third readings in March next year, is a strong one,” he said.
“We’ve done a lot of engagement. On behalf of the ministry, I thank the Sarawak government and all participants and elected representatives who joined the session this morning.”
Earlier, Ewon noted that the Sarawak government had provided several views and suggestions as part of the Act review process.
“The Sarawak government has provided several views and suggestions. This is part of a series of engagement sessions we are conducting nationwide,” he said.
He expressed hope that the outcomes of these sessions would help in crafting a more comprehensive amendment to the Act to benefit the cooperative movement. — DayakDaily
