KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 25): The Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia (MCCM) is targeting to have one million members within three years of its newly launched master plan, in its effort to encourage Bumiputera entrepreneurs to have a more participative role in the economy.

Currently, MCCM commands a membership of about 6,000 entrepreneurs across Malaysia, and another 100,000 members under the Malay Economic Action Council, which is the umbrella organisation for Malay economic non-government organisations.

In a session with media today, MCCM introduced its president Rizal Faris Mohideen Abdul Kadir, setting a new direction for the organisation to fully embrace the digital economy.

"After taking over the leadership seven months ago, we initiated meetings with the grassroots of entrepreneurs to prepare our 100-day report. From there, we designed a three-year master plan to propel the chamber into a more inclusive approach within the entrepreneur community," said Rizal.

In the master plan, MCCM has constructed 16 initiatives to encourage a bigger participation of Bumiputera entrepreneurs in the business community, especially within the digital platform.

"First and foremost, we will be focusing on awareness programmes to educate entrepreneurs about the digital economy. We are organising a national roadshow to train up to 20,000 entrepreneurs on how to adopt the digital platform," said Rizal.

"For this, we have set up a digital technology committee to monitor the progress of the digital economy and focus on capacity building of Bumiputera entrepreneurs to be able to fit into the space," he said.

Rizal also has the vision to integrate all the chambers of commerce from different races so that they work together to have a clear structure of a national entrepreneur community in the current challenging economic environment.

Established in 1957, the MCCM currently has 15 branches across Malaysia, including Putrajaya.

The initial objective of the organisation was to build a consistent ecosystem to generate thinkers among Bumiputera entrepreneurs to venture into new economies.

"I can guarantee in three years' time, MCCM will be a transformed organisation, a suitable platform for entrepreneurs to migrate into the digital economy," said Rizal.