BE THE BEST COOPERATOR

THE establishment of the proposed Malaysia Co-operative Commission should enable co-operatives in the country to give better returns to members, as well as safeguard their interests.
Several backbenchers said the commission should also give co-operatives more bite.Debating the Malaysia Co-operatives Societies Commission Bill 2006, Datuk Mohd Said Yusof (BN-Jasin) said co-operatives have strayed from their original objectives and were no longer concerned with protecting members’ interests. Mohd Said said, previously, fishermen’s co-operatives helped members purchase outboard engines and nets at cost price. However, this was no longer the case."The co-operative set up a tour agency. What for? They are supposed to help their members but this is not a priority for them," he said.
"I don’t know of any fishermen from Kinabatangan who want to go to America."He said although it was not illegal for co-operatives to venture into other businesses, priority should always be for the welfare of members."This is why I hope the commission will finally be a harimau yang ada kuku, yang ada gigi (tiger with claws and fangs)," he said.There are more than 5,000 co-operatives in the country, with around 5.2 million members. Datuk Mohamad Shahrum Osman (BN-Lipis) said the decline of co-operatives was due to the constant changes to their boards of directors as well as poor management that forced some co-operatives to auction off their assets.Salahudin Ayub (Pas-Kubang Kerian) expressed hope that the commission would put Malaysian co-operatives on par with co-operatives in Japan."Japanese co-operatives are well run and are major contributors to the economy." Datuk Maadius Tangau (BN-Tuaran) suggested that all members of the co-operatives’ boards of directors, as well as ordinary members, attend a mandatory course to understand the principles and laws related to the co-operative movement.Replying to points raised by members, Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Khaled Nordin said the ministry was aware of weaknesses within the co-operatives."The commission will address all matters with relevant legislation to empower the commission to monitor the administration of co-operatives."

source : http://www.nst.com.my/