Malay conundrum: few wealthy businessmen, many wealthy politicians

A former minister has taken a swipe at those worried that the number of successful non-Malay businessmen outnumbers that of their Malay counterparts, saying such comparisons are not based on reality.

(FMT) – Salleh Said Keruak contended that although Malaysia has a small number of wealthy Malay businessmen, in reality, there is a larger number of very wealthy Malay politicians.

The larger number of very rich Malay politicians “balances out the situation” and allays concerns about the greater number of rich non-Malays, he said.

“It is a known fact that wealthy Malay politicians prefer to have non-Malay businessmen as their proxies,” he told FMT.

Salleh, a former federal minister and former Sabah chief minister, was asked to comment on the Bumiputera economic congress, where he noticed some Malay quarters expressing such concerns.

Salleh also noted that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had expressed hope that the Bumiputera community could improve their socioeconomic status and build a better foundation to face challenges and opportunities in the future.

Economy minister Rafizi Ramli has said Malaysia must redirect its focus from domestic rivalry between Bumiputeras and non-Bumiputeras to compete together on a global scale.

“But as Elon Musk puts it, we need to understand and break down the problem into its fundamental principles before creating solutions,” said Salleh.