PUTRAJAYA, December 19 — Steven Sim Chee Keong officially began his duties today as Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (Kuskop) following the recent Cabinet reshuffle, arriving at the ministry for a symbolic clock-in and holding his first meetings with senior officials.
The Bukit Mertajam MP, who previously served as human resources minister as well as deputy finance and deputy youth and sports minister, said his focus would be firmly on strengthening Malaysian businesses, dismissing suggestions that his new appointment represented any form of “downgrade” or “upgrade” in portfolio.
On his first day, Sim also announced immediate measures to support local enterprises, including a six-month interest-free loan moratorium for flood-affected micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and cooperatives, alongside a RM600 million expansion in MSME financing.
He said the initiatives, covering loans from agencies such as Tekun Nasional, SME Corp, Bank Rakyat and SME Bank, reflect the ministry’s commitment to creating a more business-friendly environment while boosting productivity, access to capital and market opportunities as part of his new “ABCD Strategy” for the ministry.
