By Anna Farina Abdul Rauf
SHAH ALAM, July 13 — The state government aims to have 50,000 micro, small, and medium entrepreneurs join the Selangor Platform (PLATS) by next year, said Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari.
He is confident that the target is achievable, as registrations have already reached 37,000 participants since the platform's inception in 2020.
"Starting with 133 people in 2020, we now have 37,000 participants by July 2024. This aligns with our target, as we estimate around 40,000 micro vendors or small businesses will join the PLATS programme by 2024," Amirudin said.
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Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari delivers his speech during the Selangor Platform Awards Night's ceremony at the Sunway Resort Hotel in Subang Jaya on July 12, 2024. — Picture by AHMAD ZAKKI JILAN/MEDIA SELANGOR[/caption]
He was speaking at the Selangor Platform Awards Night, organised by Menteri Besar Selangor (Incorporated) or MBI at the Sunway Resort Hotel in Subang Jaya yesterday evening, where he presented the Best Participant Award for U-PLATS Digital.
Selangor State Secretary Datuk Haris Kasim, state executive councillor for youth and entrepreneurship Mohd Najwan Halimi, state executive councillor for Innovation and Islamic affairs Dr Mohammad Fahmi Ngah, and MBI’s chief executive officer Saipolyazan M Yusof also attended the event.
Twelve participants, representing 12 local authorities, were recognised as the best based on their achievements throughout the PLATS Digital programme.
Amirudin said the Subang Jaya City Council registered the highest number of participants with PLATS, followed by the Shah Alam City Council, the Hulu Selangor Municipal Council, and the Kajang Municipal Council.
This positive development aids the state government in further empowering PLATS participants, who have the potential to transition towards digitalisation.
"I also see a ready market in the Klang Valley area. Hulu Selangor being among the highest is a very good indicator, showing that this platform has grown not only for marketing purposes," he said.
Amirudin added, "We are not looking to take over the roles of Grab or FoodPanda; instead, we are collaborating with everyone, and it has become a marketing platform for other products."
PLATS was introduced in 2020 to complement the Selangor Digitalisation Agenda through a digital platform following the Covid-19 outbreak. The initiative aims to support local entrepreneurs by providing them with a digital platform to market their products and services, thus helping them adapt to the changing business landscape in the wake of the pandemic.
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Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari (centre) launches the the Selangor Platform Awards Night at the Sunway Resort Hotel in Subang Jaya on July 12, 2024. — Picture by AHMAD ZAKKI JILAN/MEDIA SELANGOR[/caption]
