A SENATOR today said all progressive Malaysians, irrespective of ethnicity or religious background should continue to support what is right and uphold the rule of law in the greater interest of the nation.
Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker expressed support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s call for a comprehensive and inclusive approach to tackle our national economic issues.
"A congress solely for Malays at the expense of the nation would be detrimental when politically powerful personalities abuse their position to force a change or transfer equity or ownership from non-Bumiputera to Bumiputera in the name of the New Economic Policy.
"This had driven many investors away and also caused good businesses to turn bad when the ownership was changed to a ‘politically driven’ set up that is not business-friendly," said the former MCA vice-president.
Ti was responding to an earlier statement by Anwar that the government wanted the Bumiputera Economic Congress 2024 scheduled to take place from February 29 to March 2 to be more inclusive.
Anwar said he wanted the participation of the Chinese and Indian chambers of commerce, particularly the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM).
“I hope ACCCIM is ready to discuss (such issues) because a more inclusive approach means that, in talking about the Bumiputera economy, issues involving small and medium-sized enterprises or the poor among the Indian community will be addressed together,” Anwar had said at the chambers’ Chinese New Year celebration.
The congress is set to be attended by more than 3,000 participants, including those from the Malay, Kadazandusun, Dayak, Iban and Orang Asli communities.
"I commend Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in taking up sensitive religious and racial issues in an objective manner in the greater interest of all Malaysians and towards a more inclusive government," Ti said in a statement yesterday.
"I understand the difficulty faced by the unity government in transforming from a Malay-centric political approach to the middle ground.
"This is especially so at a time when the emotions of the Malays are being hyped up by extremists from Umno, PAS and Bersatu to capture the majority of Malay votes towards GE16, as their votes will determine the winner," added Ti.
Ti also said that the late Datuk Seri Chua Jui Meng, who was Malaysia’s longest serving health minister, had alleged that such political manoeuvrings did occur under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s rule as prime minister.
Ti cited Chua as saying that Multi-Purpose Holdings owned by MCA, a huge conglomerate that could affect East Asian markets, was forced to be sold off at a very low price.
Chua was reported as saying that the company held the Malaysian French Bank, Bandaraya, large tracts of plantations and estates. It also had shipping interests.
“Yet (Tun Dr) Ling Liong Sik who took over as the new MCA president (in 1986) had to sell it off for a mere RM500 million. It was easily worth several times more,” Ti quoted Chua as saying. – The Vibes, February 18, 2024
