KOTA KINABALU: The idea of cooperatives becoming a federation should be considered as it can help improve their operations and benefits for the members, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic).
This could create a healthy competition with the cooperatives complementing one another, besides unifying them, he said.
He said that cooperatives could also help narrow the budget policy deficit gap and reduce national debt, which has reached about RM1.5 trillion.
“This can be done by generating income for members, increasing gross domestic product, boosting the economy and reducing debts, thus resulting in members contributing directly to the economy,” he said when closing the National Cooperative Month here yesterday.
Ahmad Zahid also urged cooperative members to help strengthen the unity government.
“Let us open a new chapter and have a cooperative that can bring our economy to greater heights,” he said.
It was most important, he said, to rebuild the nation, boost economic growth and create a better future for all Malaysians regardless of race and religion.
Earlier, Ahmad Zahid attended the closing ceremony of the Asia Pacific Cooperative Youth Summit, which was attended by youths from 19 countries in the region.
He said youths were the future of the nation and their ideas, vision and dreams would always be taken into consideration in nation building.
As such, he said the youth should continue to strive for excellence in everything they do and to also work closely with government agencies in bringing cooperatives to greater heights and promoting entrepreneurship.
At a press conference later, Ahmad Zahid was asked about the six-year suspension of Putatan MP Datuk Shahelmey Yahya from Umno.
He said it was not necessary to serve an official letter to inform Shahelmey about the suspension.
“We will do it internally,” said Ahmad Zahid, who is Umno president.
He said Shahelmey, who is Deputy Chief Minister III, would remain an MP for the unity government.
“At the state level, he is also an assemblyman (Tanjung Keramat) representing the unity government,” he said.
On Wednesday, Shahelmey had maintained that he was still an Umno member, adding that he had yet to be officially informed of the suspension apart from a public statement by Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin on the matter.
Shahelmey and several other Sabah Barisan Nasional/Umno assemblymen had given their backing to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor’s Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) state government during the Jan 5 failed political coup by Sabah Barisan and Parti Warisan.
Subsequently, Bung Moktar said that Shahelmey’s membership had been suspended by the supreme council for going against the party’s stand to withdraw its support for the GRS government.
Shahelmey would have had to vacate his Putatan seat in accordance to the federal anti-party hopping law if he had quit Umno immediately after the failed coup.
After Sabah adopted the law in June, he would also need to vacate his state seat if he left the party voluntarily.
However, being sacked by the party would not cause either seat to be vacated.
