KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has vowed to put an end to national policies that enrich the wealthy while overlooking the needs of underserved communities.
Clarifying that the government is not out to “dismantle” Malay rights or Bumiputera privileges, Anwar pointed to how previous administrations had received condemnation for implementing the New Economic Policy (NEP) in a way that benefited the elites.
“It’s not about dismantling (Malay rights and Bumiputera privileges). The issue is about focusing on what’s important to them.
“The main criticism against the NEP under the former regime was how it used (the policy) to enrich the children and their families. I have to put an end to these excesses,” he said in an interview with US news network CNBC.
Stressing that affirmative action policies should be extended to be more needs-based instead of race-based, the prime minister said that socioeconomic differences between different localities in the nation must be taken into account when developing policies for the people.
“We can’t talk about pure meritocracy, from the rural heartland in Sarawak to the premiere schools in Kuala Lumpur. The same argument applies. When (policies) are considered to be too focused on race, it creates animosity and anxiety.
“Instead, if we focus on the issue of needs and justice as fairness, then we can proceed with affirmative action policies.
“If (the aim) of such policies is to create new entrepreneurs (and) provide good quality education for the have-nots, then it is something, to my mind, not only tolerable but imperative.”
Previously, Anwar said that the quota system for Bumiputera students in education needed to be maintained to balance the number of students from the community in higher education institutes.
He added, however, that having the quota system does not mean that meritocracy is dead, as the government must find a way to provide opportunities for non-Malay and non-Bumiputera students who excel academically. – August 21, 2023