KUSKOP Bans Political ‘Cables’ for Business Funds

PASIR GUDANG, July 5 — The era of requiring political backing to secure government enterprise funding is officially over, as the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (KUSKOP) initiates a sweeping institutional overhaul designed to eliminate nepotism and cronyism.

Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong has issued a stern warning against the use of “cables” or insider channels, asserting that state-supported financial packages are an unconditional entitlement for qualifying citizens. He declared that his administration is fully dismantling long-standing practices that rely on political patronage or third-party brokers to push financial applications through the system.

“Now, if you want to borrow money or access business funds, there is no longer any need for a ‘party branch chief’s’ signature, a politician’s endorsement, or ‘cable’ connections. We open it directly to all Malaysians,” Sim stated during a dialogue session today.

The Minister emphasized that allocations will strictly follow objective eligibility metrics, rendering an applicant’s ethnic background, religious beliefs, or ideological alignments entirely irrelevant to the institutional evaluation process.

“As long as the entrepreneur is eligible and meets the requirements, we will approve it, regardless of race, religion, or even the colour of their shirt (political ideology),” he told Bernama.

To support this new direction, KUSKOP is rolling out strategic operational reforms aimed at maximizing ease of business. The key priorities of this administrative shake-up focus on cutting through red tape across all subsidiary agencies, simplifying application protocols, and significantly reducing the time it takes to approve and release capital to business owners.

Addressing persistent concerns regarding processing delays or potential abuses of power within the civil service, Sim expressed confidence in the professional integrity of his ministry’s workforce. However, he promised transparent investigations and severe disciplinary measures if any official is found guilty of misconduct.

The minister concluded by noting that structural reforms cannot succeed without ethical accountability at the top tier of government.

“For me, to ensure this reform succeeds, political leadership itself must be upright, have integrity and uphold good governance principles,” he emphasised.

-NMT