The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KLSICCI) has welcomed the decision to reopen the barbers, textiles, and goldsmith sub-sectors after 14 years of being inactive. President Nivas Ragavan expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for this long-awaited announcement, noting that it comes at a crucial time to protect traditional Indian businesses.
During the movement control order, these sub-sectors suffered greatly from closures lasting up to six months, resulting in the closure of many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that could not sustain the operational expenses or recover from the impact of COVID-19.
Ragavan mentioned that the KLSICCI and trade associations had been continuously engaging with the previous and current governments to address the freeze that was imposed in 2009 and subsequently reinforced in 2020 without any consultation with industry players.
In his statement, the president expressed his appreciation to Anwar and the Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar for listening to their concerns and resolving the acute shortage of workers, particularly through the relaxed application and recruitment of new foreign workers for the five main sectors, which will greatly benefit the Indian business community.
Ragavan also highlighted the importance of legalizing undocumented workers and hiring new workers to support the resuscitation of the supply chain system, ensuring a brighter future for the industry players in these sub-sectors.
The president expressed his gratitude towards the late Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, who was the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister, as well as the Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Azman Mohd Yusof, Deputy Secretary-General Datuk Rozial Abudin, and the ministry’s team of officers for their efforts in assessing and evaluating the concerns of the barbers, textiles, and goldsmith sub-sectors.
Furthermore, Ragavan extended his appreciation to Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail for collaborating with the Human Resources Minister and the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister, all of whom played vital roles in easing the challenges faced by the Indian business community.
On Monday, Anwar approved the recruitment of foreign workers for barbershops, textiles, and goldsmiths, with the condition that local youths be trained to fill up vacancies in these sectors.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
