KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 30 -- The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) has proposed RM1,900 a month as an "appropriate" minimum wage, warning that a substantially larger increase could put pressure on smaller businesses and drive up consumer prices.

In a statement today, ACCCIM president Datuk Ng Yih Pyng said the proposed RM1,900 rate would represent an 11.8 per cent increase from the current minimum wage of RM1,700.

He said any adjustment should balance higher incomes for workers against the ability of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to absorb rising labour costs.

"An appropriate level of minimum wage is RM1,900 per month, an increase of 11.8 per cent from the current RM1,700," Ng said, ad...