Masidi on what hinders Bumi entrepreneurs

Kota Kinabalu: A lack of creativity and reluctance to change are among the stumbling blocks hindering the progress of Bumiputera entrepreneurs in Sabah, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.

He said entrepreneurs must not be easily satisfied with what they have because the world is changing and presently it is facing the most complicated economic crisis in 80 years. He said in order to progress Bumiputera entrepreneurs need to take initiative to change their style of doing business and get different results.

"Perhaps, a satirical answer to the question 'what is the definition of insanity' is something that we can ponder - insanity is doing the same thing over and over again hoping for a different result each time," he said.

Speaking to launch the State-level Mara Entrepreneurs Award 2008 presentation ceremony at Le Meridien Hotel here Sunday, he said another weakness among Bumiputera entrepreneurs was the lack of creativity.

"If we do things without creativity, then how can we expect to move up another notch? It will be a total loss," he said, adding that while he found these weaknesses among Bumiputera entrepreneurs in Sabah there were also those who had succeeded.

Masidi, however, cautioned that being too creative is also not good for business.

"There are those who are too creative but what is the point when you cannot market the product. As businessmen we must be realistic in that our product is marketable," he said.

Masidi also urged Bumiputera entrepreneurs to refrain from being dependent on others when they know they have the necessary talent to do better.

For instance, he said Sabah has among the best singers in the country but they only like to sing the same old five songs during their performances.

"When you ask they say 'bolehlah cukup makan' (it's okay, enough to get by), but this is something we should address. Why can't we learn new songs or maybe compose our own songs?" he asked.

In this respect, Bumiputera entrepreneurs must have the desire to excel, which should be the platform for them to progress, he said.

Masidi commended Mara for its role in providing assistance to Bumiputera entrepreneurs as well as needy students to develop.

Masidi, who himself had received assistance from Mara to further his studies, hoped those who had received assistance from Mara and succeeded would be able to give back something in return to help the others.

"You cannot enjoy success alone. We are considered successful when we successfully help others around us to succeed," he said.

Meanwhile, Mara Director-General, Datuk Nam Martinin, said for the second Sabah Mara Entrepreneurs Award 2008, a total of 59 nominations, including from Labuan, were received for the seven categories.

The State winners would be judged for the Sabah and Sarawak zone before going for the national level award.

Three awards - Most Successful Entrepreneur, Most Promising Entrepreneur and Most Successful Mara training institution graduate Entrepreneur - were given for each category.

The recipients received a certificate, plaque and RM4,000 cash prize.

The winners in the trading category were Jeffree Michael of General Toys City (Successful), Syahrizal Basri of Syarikat Mega Fashion (Promising), while there were no winners for the former Mara training institution trainee successful entrepreneur.

In the contractor category, the winners were Adhwa Enterprise (Successful), AKB Electrical (Promising) and Kejuruteraan Letrik Limin (Mara graduate), while in manufacturing, Anita Mohamad of Anita Fragrance won the Most Successful Entrepreneur award, Ag Bakar Ag Basir of Alif AB Enterprise won the Most Promising Entrepreneur award while there was no winner for the third award.

For the services category, the winners were Md Razali Jaini of Tech 2 Parts and Services (Successful), Nur Balkis Abdullah of Lembah Impian Beauty and Spa (Promising) and Crispinah Sulisu of CRIS Training Centre (Mara graduate).

Jumbo Warisan Sdn Bhd won the most successful entrepreneur award, Cuzzaina Augustine of PC Farm as the most promising entrepreneur in the agriculture category. There was no winner for the third award.

There was only one recipient in the transportation and furniture factory sectors, Sanorajaya S/B and AN Interior Design Sdn Bhd, respectively.

Source: Daily Express Sabah