Media & Events

MCMC offers free money to small businesses, few takers

20 Jun 2013, The Star

CYBERJAYA: Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has offered a RM50mil grant for 50,000 eligible small and medium-sized businesses to set up websites but less than 7,000 have taken advantage of the grant since it was launched in Jan 2013.

Meant for companies earning not more than RM200,000 a year and with less than 10 employees, the RM1,000 Get Malaysian Business Online (GMBO) grant is aimed at giving local businesses an online presence, boosting their services in the process.

However, a lack of awareness over the grant has led the MCMC to promote it more aggressively.

"We've had advertisements in January and on-the-ground activities since then, but when we talk to people on the street, they say they've never heard about this," saidMCMC secretariat planning & coordination department head Azizan Mohd Afandi.

He admitted that MCMC initially thought the grant was attractive enough to attract interest and commission need not have to promote it aggressively.

Azizan added that the MCMC even organised seminars to highlight GMBO and held 39 public sessions on it, more than once each week.

As of the 1st week of June, the MCMC said that a mere 6,886 businesses had applied for the grant, and that only 1,550 had received the RM1,000.

Announced in Budget 2013, it is offered on a first-come-first-served basis for up to 50,000 businesses, and ends when the limit is reached or on Dec 31 this year.

Azizan said that the grant was meant to help companies grow, adding that social media was not enough.

"Facebook is, no doubt, very powerful as it gives notifications, but MCMC is of the view that a website is important if you want to grow further," he said.

Azizan said that in order to get the grant, applicants needed to create a website with a .my domain first.

All a valid website needed was a company's background, what services they offered and their contact details.

"You don't need a shopping cart or even a payment gateway," he said.

The companies must be registered companies and have a valid bank account for MCMC to directly bank in the money (within 30 working days).

Applicants have to be Malaysians aged between 18 and 65, and can only apply for one company each.

Those found registering with more than one company would be rejected.

However, Azizan said that if a married couple had a company each under their names, both could successfully apply for the grant.

When asked why only 1,550 people had their applications approved, Azizan said that many applicants gave incorrect banking details or had not set up websites.

He said that MCMC staff had to call the applicants several times over the phone in order to set things straight.

"We are now thinking of imposing a two-week window, so if you apply and don't have a ready wesbite within two weeks after applying, then we may reject your application," he said.

To apply for the GMBO grant, visit its website at gmbo.skmm.gov.my. 

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