The Perak Menteri Besar posing for a group photo with Sahabat AIM Perak.

IPOH, 5 February 2022 -The Perak State Government will set up a special committee to address the problems faced by entrepreneurs or Sahabat Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) who have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Perak Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Saarani Mohamad said the committee comprising various agencies such as the State Economic Planning Unit (UPEN), Perak Entrepreneur Development Secretariat (STeP), Perak State Secretariat Management Services Division and local authorities (PBTs) would hold their first meeting on 17 February.

“Almost all the grievances and problems raised by AIM entrepreneurs are the same and the most important thing raised was that they need a place to hold weekly meetings.

"There are also complaints about the difficulty in obtaining local authority licenses, complexity of filling out certain forms for loans, control over the price of raw materials as most entrepreneurs are involved in the food industry," he said.

He said this in a press conference after the Programme With Sahabat Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia at Laman Seri Ridzuan here.

Also present were State Secretary Dato' Ahmad Suaidi Abdul Rahim, State Financial Officer Dato' Zulazlan Abu Hassan, State Rural Development, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative Committee Chairman Dato' Zainol Fadzi Paharuddin  and State Youth, Sports, Communication and Multimedia Committee Chairman Khairul Shahril Mohamed.

At the ceremony, Dato' Seri Saarani Mohamad also presented the Sahabat AIM Perak Award to 10 recipients, received AIM Perak loan checks totalling RM177 million, besides launching the Perak Entrepreneur Database Information System (Perak SME-D Base).

Source : Corporate, SUK Perak.