Explore new areas, SKM tells cooperative movement

KUCHING: The opening of the Co-opbank Pertama’s (CBP) second Kuching branch aligns with CBP’s strategic plan to further expand its business in Sarawak.

Cooperative Commission of Malaysia (SKM) deputy chief executive officer (CEO) Amran Abd Kadir said they have received an application from the Bau Koperasi Penanam Sawit Mampan (KPSM) to construct a rest and recreation (RnR) area and a petrol station at a location along the Pan Borneo Highway.

He assured that this matter will be brought to a meeting at the end of this month or early next month to realise the proposal.

“We see along the Pan Borneo Highway that there is not a single rest and recreation (RNR) area or petrol station.

“But, the application has been accepted for these purposes, and this will be a landmark for Sarawak in the future.

“At the same time, demonstrating that the cooperative movement is not just about banking and credit,” he said at the opening of the CBP Kuching II Branch at Jalan Matang on Saturday (Jan 13).

As such, he urged local cooperatives to venture into other high-performing fields such as agriculture, housing projects, contracting, retail, real estate, and tourism.

He asserted that cooperatives now own numerous hotels and petrol stations across Malaysia.

He emphasised that the cooperative movement should explore new areas and expand its service network by opening banks in every constituency throughout Sarawak.

“The cooperative should play a significant role in improving the socio-economic status of the community.

“I hope CBP continues to compete positively with other commercial banks, providing services and opening branches across Sarawak to prove that the cooperative movement is always relevant,” he stressed.

In this regard, he expressed hope that the opening of the third CBP branch in Sarawak will have a positive impact on the cooperative movement.

“So far, the total registered cooperatives in Sarawak are 1,177. We hope that this new branch can enhance the cooperative movement’s ecosystem by offering financial services not only to cooperatives but also to the entire community,” he added.

CBP aims to open 36 branches nationwide by 2026, in line with its strategic business plan.

During the event, another new CBP branch was simultaneously officiated in Sandakan, Sabah, as the 32nd branch, and the Kuching branch as the 33rd branch in Malaysia.

The opening of the Sandakan branch was officiated by SKM CEO Rusli Jaafar.

Present at the event were Kuching North mayor Hilmy Othman, Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) Chairman Tan Kai and CBP Deputy Chairman Nor Hidayah Omar.