THE Works Ministry will not stop issuing licences to new contractors despite the glut at the moment, its Works Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said.

He said the ministry practises the democratic principle of giving opportunities to anyone interested in obtaining a contractor’s license.

“We cannot close the doors on them (new contractors), we have to find a way to deal with the glut of existing contractors because they will face difficulties with the limited jobs on offer.

“One of the methods we may need to take is to ensure that those (contractors) who have been in the G1 category for a long period of time should be promoted to the G2 or G3 category. This will give room to those who are new,” he said in a press conference after the Budget 2024 dialogue session construction industry players here today.

He said the ministry had applied for additional allocation for G1-contractor projects under Budget 2024 to ensure that the group could continue making a living after being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“A few days ago, we met with officials from the Finance Ministry and requested that the allocation for G1 contractors be increased because since Covid-19,many people have lost their jobs.

“The number of G1 contractors in the country is over 60,000 and they need construction work (projects) to generate income, and we are concerned about this situation,” he said. – Bernama, September 14, 2023.