KUALA LUMPUR: Phase 2 (2017-2019) of the Logistics and Trade Facilitation Masterplan, which aims at enhancing domestic growth, is now in motion, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
In a statement after chairing the National Logistics Task Force (NLTF) meeting today, Liow said due to the dynamic development of the logistics and trade facilitation sectors, the Masterplan will be implemented by various ministries and agencies, through an integrated approach, concurrently.
“Going forward, we will implement the remaining Action items of the Masterplan from all three phases concurrently.
“In line with 2017 as the year of delivery, we will be focusing on delivering not only the outputs, but outcomes that will benefit the rakyat and nation, with frontier logistics and trade facilitation that are of high quality,” he said today.
Towards this end, Liow said several ground-breaking initiatives have been started by the federal government, together with the private sector.
The projects, he said, include the proposed development of the Pulau Carey Port-Industrial City Project, the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ), the Regional e-Commerce and Logistics Hub at KLIA Aeropolis, 24-hour Customs facilitation at the borders, and making Sabah the regional logistics hub for the East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).
The NLTF, an inter-ministry task force established to drive and monitor the implementation of the Masterplan, will now see the participation of Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan and Finance Minister II, Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
“I am confident that with the involvement of the two ministers representing key central agencies, namely the Economic Planning Unit and the Ministry, the task force will be further strengthened and more robust in implementing the Masterplan to improve the efficiency of the logistics industry.
“This is critical, as logistics support all sectors of the economy, facilitates trade, reduces costs of doing business and contributes to enhancing productivity and economic growth,” he added.
The first phase of the Masterplan, dubbed “Debottlenecking”, which aims to remove the root causes that have held back the logistics industry, has been completed.