History
The Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SMCCI) was first established in 1956 as the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce (SMCC) by a group of Malay/Muslim businessmen, including the first President of Singapore, Yusof Ishak. [1] [2] Its establishment was initially intended to look after the trading interests of the Malay/Muslim business community, however, its name was later changed to its current name in 1995 to reflect its wider scope. [1]
In 2006, SME Centre @ SMCCI was established as a one-stop centre for local small and medium enterprises (SMEs). [3]
In 2016, The SMCCI celebrated its 60th anniversary and backed the setting up of a global hub along with SPRING Singapore and International Enterprise Singapore which would identify food firms scale up their halal exports. [4]
In 2018, The SMCCI collaborated with Enterprise Singapore and One Kampong Glam Association in a project led by Infocomm Media Development Authority to digitalize businesses within the Kampong Glam vicinity. [5] [6]
Timeline
- 1956 – The SMCC was set up in an effort to uplift the Malay/Muslim enterprises. It started out with only 15 companies, with their first office located at 500 Victoria Street. [1]
- 1988 – The SMCCI's office was relocated to International Plaza. [7]
- 1995 – SMCC was renamed to SMCCI in order to reflect its wider scope
- 1997 – The SMCCI's office was relocated to 72A Bussorah Street. [1]
- 2006 – SME Centre @SMCCI is established. [3]
- 2009 – The SMCCI's office was again relocated to its current address at 15 Jalan Pinang.
- 2018 – The SMCCI collaborated with Enterprise Singapore and One Kampong Glam Association in a project led by Infocomm Media Development Authority to digitalise businesses within the Kampong Glam vicinity. [8]
- 2021 – SMCCI establishes an office at 35 Onan Rd in the heart of Geylang Serai. [9]
List of Past Presidents
- 1956-1960 – Mr Haji Abdul Hamid Allwie [10]
- 1963-1966 – Mr Salleh Basharahil [10]
- 1968-1969 – Mr Zainal Haji Alias [10]
- 1970-1980 – Mr Mohd Ghazali Gaffoor [10]
- 1980-1984, 1988-1992, 1994-1998 – Mr Haji Abdul Jalil Bin Haron [10]
- 1984-1988 – Mr Syed Ali Redha Alsagoff [10]
- 1992-1994 – Mr Jamil Marican [10]
- 1999-2003 – Mr Umar Abdul Hamid [10]
- 2003-2005 – Ms Nooraini Noordin [10]
- 2005-2009 – Dato' Mohd Zain Abdullah [10]
- 2009-2013 – Mr Abdul Rohim Sarip [10]
- 2013-2017 – Mr Zahidi Abdul Rahman
- 2017-2019 – Mr Shamir Rahim
- 2019-2023 – Mr Farid Khan
- 2023-2025 – Mr Abu Bakar Mohd Nor
- 2025-Current – Dr Abdul Malik Hassan [11]
Functions and activities
Since its establishment, SMCCI has played an active role in the facilitation of its members’ trade activities and acts as a point of contact between local and international sellers and consumers. [12]
SMCCI collates information on business opportunities and disseminates it among its members. Like other recognised chambers of commerce, SMCCI is authorised to endorse certificates of origin as needed by exporters. [13]
Today, SMCCI continues to work in representing the interests of the local Malay/Muslim business community and serves as a platform to create opportunities for members through regular business missions, conferences, networking sessions and activities. Now, with its subsidiary, SME Centre@SMCCI, works to strengthen capabilities and encourage local SMEs to adopt technologies and expand their business overseas. [14]
Since 2010, SMCCI has been hosting Malay/Muslim Business Conference for sharing industry knowledge and expertise with the participation of successful Malay/Muslim entrepreneurs. [15] In 2014, Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong and Yaacob Ibrahim, the Minister for Communications and Information attended the event as the Guest of Honor and gave a speech at the conference. [16] [17]
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