Remove ‘bumi’ obstacle, Najib told
By RK Anand, Free Malaysia Today
KUALA LUMPUR: An Indian business leader has urged the government to relax certain age-old requirements pertaining to the bumiputera in the economic sphere.
Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) president P Sivakumar said the government must do this if it was serious in wanting to spur the Indian community’s economic growth.
“Mere lip service and grand promises are not enough. Miba feels that things must be loosened a little at the Economic Planning Unit, especially its stranglehold over such regulations,” he added.
Sivakumar was responding to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s statement yesterday that Indians were unaware of the potential benefits of the government’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).
The Miba president said there were only a handful of Indians with “Class A to E” licences but the requirement remained that these companies must have a 51% bumiputera composition.
“GLCs (government-linked companies) also make the same demand. To even get a grass cutting contract, there are many roadblocks.
“Najib can claim that the system is now more flexible and anybody can apply but the roadblocks are still there. As and unless these are dismantled, Indians will not go anywhere,” he added.
‘Are we doomed to be spectators?’
Sivakumar also stressed that the system must become more non-Malay friendly.
“We too have constitutional rights. The Malays can have their lion’s share, but with these age-old restrictions in place, are the non-Malays doomed to be spectators?
“Most of the Indians who have made it are sub-cons and not main contractors. When will we become the main players or ‘see the light at the end of the tunnel’ so to speak,” he added.
Sivakumar said while the Indian community was appreciative of some of the government’s efforts, more however had to be done in terms of economic upliftment.
“We acknowledge the distribution of MyKads and birth certificates, the absorption of Indians into the civil service, the disbursement of Tekun loans and not to forget, temples not being demolished.
“But the government cannot say we are unaware of economic opportunities, we are aware of them but we run into many obstacles, and we have to keep reminding the government about this.
“Why should we keep reminding them? The government should know what the situation is and act to rectify the problem,” he added.
The Miba president suggested that the government rope in Indians with Class A licenses to form, what he called an “umbrella concept”, and in return distribute the pie to other Indians.
