GLCs won’t indulge Bumi agenda, says Azman Mokhtar

(The Malaysian Insider) – The federal government’s committee on government-linked corporations’ performance said today it will not bow to pressure to implement pro-Bumiputera policies that will undermine their own operations.

The Putrajaya Committee on GLC High Performance (PGC) moved to allay fears that recent pressure from Malay hardliners would derail the Najib administration’s commitment to liberalise the economy and put in place merit-based policies.

PGC secretariat chief Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar said today that it had “active and proper” programmes for Bumiputeras, which were part of a national development agenda under the New Economic Model (NEM).

He added that these would be inclusive, and see growth with equity for all communities.

“It is important that these companies are not a burden on themselves or on their shareholders or the public. They should be part of the solution and not the problem.

“Our programmes are not just for Bumiputeras but all local vendors,” said Azman, adding that GLCs were also fair in terms of employment.

Putrajaya has come under heavy pressure recently from Malay hardliners with regards to contracts from the RM50 billion Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit project, and the proposed Pudu Jail redevelopment plan under UDA Holdings, which could be worth up to RM4 billion.

The agency tasked with ensuring Malays have a bigger stake in urban economic activity came under fire recently from right-wingers in Umno and Perkasa as well as Utusan Malaysia for allegedly abandoning the Bumiputera agenda after it chose not to appoint Bumiputera joint-venture turnkey investors for the proposed Bukit Bintang City Centre (BBCC).

Azman, who is also Khazanah Nasional managing director, added that GLCs were strictly merit-based with their contractors even though it was an unpopular policy.

“It is merit-based, you must deliver. Sometimes it is unpopular but we are strict with them,” he told reporters at the GLC Open Day launch today.