New Bumi plan provides stability, Najib tells Apec

(TMI) – The new Bumiputera Economic Empowerment Plan should be viewed as a way to create a stable society, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said yesterday.

He was speaking at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) CEO Summit Dialogue, where Najib addressed the issue of Malaysia’s affirmative action policies.

“The Bumiputera policy should be seen in the context of having a fair and just society because Bumiputeras comprise 67% of the population and that includes both Muslims and non-Muslim Bumiputeras in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said, as quoted by Utusan Malaysia and state news agency Bernama.

“If Bumiputeras were to be left behind or marginalised, it doesn’t lead to long-term stability of the country.”

Najib, who is also the Umno president, stressed that the new policy was different from previous economic policies to help Bumiputeras.

He said the new policy would be implemented in a friendlier manner.

“If it’s implemented in a fairer and market-friendly way, I think it’s going to be good for the country,” he said, adding that non-Bumiputeras could also benefit from the policy as long as the economic plan was properly carried out.

Several Malay economic groups have expressed concerns over the implementation of the new Bumiputera policy. They claimed that previous similar economic plans had failed to uplift the small and medium enterprises while feeding tenders of projects to conglomerates.