WHILE Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s intention in calling for non-Malays to contribute to the Bumiputera Economic Congress might have been to foster inclusivity and national unity, his proposition fails to address the fundamental issue of exclusion that has marred the Bumiputera Economic Congress since its inception.
The Bumiputera Economic Congress, established decades ago, has consistently excluded non-Bumiputeras from its deliberations and initiatives. This exclusionary approach has deepened socio-economic disparities and perpetuated a system of preferential treatment that marginalizes minority communities in Malaysia.
One glaring example of this exclusion occurred during the first Bumiputera Economic Congress, where policies and strategies were crafted predominantly to benefit the Malay community while neglecting the needs and concerns of non-Bumiputera communities. Subsequent congresses followed suit, perpetuating a pattern of marginalisation that continues to this day.
During these congresses, initiatives such as the New Economic Policy (NEP) were formulated, ostensibly to eradicate poverty and reduce wealth disparities among Malaysians. However, the implementation of such policies disproportionately favoured Malays, further marginalising non-Bumiputeras and exacerbating ethnic tensions.
The exclusion of non-Bumiputeras from the Bumiputera Economic Congress has led to a myriad of missed opportunities for collaboration and mutual understanding among Malaysia's diverse ethnic groups. By perpetuating a narrative of Malay supremacy in the economic sphere, these congresses have reinforced ethnic divisions and hindered the nation's progress towards genuine unity and inclusivity.
Mahathir’s policies to be rolled back?
Anwar's call for non-Malay contribution to the Bumiputera Economic Congress without acknowledging this history of exclusion and inequality only serves to underscore his detachment from the realities faced by minority communities. It overlooks the legitimate grievances of non-Bumiputeras who have been sidelined and discriminated against in the name of affirmative action.
Instead of perpetuating the flawed narrative of Malay supremacy, Anwar should advocate for genuine inclusivity and equal opportunities for all Malaysians. This entails dismantling the barriers that prevent non-Bumiputeras from participating fully in the economic development of the nation and ensuring that policies are based on meritocracy rather than ethnicity.
True progress and unity can only be achieved when all segments of society are given equal opportunities to thrive and contribute to the nation's prosperity. Anwar's call for non-Malay contribution to the Bumiputera Economic Congress, without addressing the systemic exclusion and discrimination faced by non-Bumiputeras, falls short of this vision and does little to advance the cause of genuine inclusivity in Malaysia.
Before he became prime minister, PKR president Anwar Ibrahim had stated that he will accelerate the transition from race-based affirmative action economic plans to one that is needs-based when he became the prime minister. We are by now all too familiar with “Bumiputera doublespeak”.
In his keynote address at the 2018 Bumiputera Congress, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had questioned critics of affirmative action policies aimed at helping Bumiputera businessmen and tried to justify his past actions by saying that those labelled as cronies were those who were successful.
There was a touch of irony in the fact that the congress coincided with the 20th anniversary of the dramatic sacking of Anwar Ibrahim as the deputy prime minister on the back of his allegations of cronyism and nepotism against the government of Dr Mahathir. In 1998, Anwar alleged that Mahathir had a penchant for awarding huge state contracts to his cronies.
#1 reform agenda: End race-based policies
In Malaysia, given that it is now almost 30 years since the NEP deadline in 1990, it makes developmental sense to implement a new socially just affirmative action policy based on need or class or sector. The cost and consequences of the racially discriminatory policy in Malaysia have been immense especially since the NEP in 1971.
It has caused a crippling polarisation of Malaysian society and a costly brain drain. Any policy based on “race” is seriously flawed and questionable since every ethnic community has its rich elite and its poorer majority. Every scholar worth his or her salt knew then in the seventies what the outcome of the NEP would be – thus the “corrective” measures have mainly benefited the well-placed Umnoputras.
Separating the control of funds by NEP “trustees” from nominal ownership by Bumiputeras has led to the flouting of public accountability. As a result, without effective checks and balances, Malaysia has been beset by massive scandals like Bank Rakyat, BMF, 1MDB and others since 1971.
More potentially dangerous and insidious is the effect this widespread racial discrimination has had on ethnic relations in this country. Real unity can only be promoted through an affirmative action policy based on need, sector or class, never on race.
Only then will Malaysian voters feel they have voted for a truly new Malaysia. – The Vibes, February 17, 2024
Kua Kia Soong is a former Petaling Jaya MP and director of human rights organisation Suaram
