More than 1,800 delegates from around the world were welcomed by YBhg. Dato’ Abdul Fattah Abdullah, President of Malaysian sector body ANGKASA, during a gala dinner during the Global Conference and General Assembly of the International Co-operative Alliance which is under way in Malaysia currently.
Speaking at the gala dinner, YB Dato’ Seri Hamzah B. Zainudin, Malaysia’s minister of domestic trade, co-operatives and consumerism said his government would work with ANGKASA – the national apex body for the co-op sector – to ensure the continued growth of the country’s movement, and said he would reform co-op law.
“In Malaysia co-ops are one of the biggest sectors acting as engine for growth for our domestic economy,” he said.
“When it comes to big co-operatives all of us are having an equal say in the company. It doesn’t matter how much money you have in that co-op. You only have one say so the most important thing in a co-operative is leadership.
“Having so many leaders from over 90 countries is something we should be very proud of. We can learn from each other.”
The minister announced he was working on a new legislation for the country’s co-operatives that would be ‘progressive’ and wanted to give more opportunities to co-operatives to compete with any sector in the country.
Malaysia’s 12,000 co-ops have more than seven million members and a combined turnover of RM 34,950.98m (USD $8,126.29m).
Alliance president Monique Leroux told the dinner: “We can never say enough about how much the movement
contributed to a better world.
“There is a wonderful diversity in this room, with women, men, young and not so young people from different countries. We are united in diversity.”
She added that in a complex world divided by economic inequalities the co-operative movement brought the message of peace, tolerance and respect for others.
“In fact, the co-operative movement has always been destined to remain a modern movement, always at the forefront of promising social and economic innovations. This explains why the co-operative movement is benefiting not only its members but all people and why the co-operative movement is bringing positive changes in communities and societies across the world.”
Traditional Malaysian dancers provided entertainment at the gala opening. The event will stress the potential of co-ops to work with other civil society actors to lift people out of poverty, empower local communities and to improve the lives of billions.
The Alliance will hold its general assembly on Friday, which sees the election of the Alliance board and president, with Ms Leroux standing down. The candidates for the presidency are Ariel Guarco from Argentina and Yogeshwar Krishna from Fiji.
Courtesy: ICA Coop News
