MPM lauds move to retain pro-Bumiputera policies

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malay Consultative Council (MPM) has expressed its support for the government’s move to retain pro-Bumiputera economic policies.

In a statement yesterday, MPM secretary-general Datuk Dr Hasan Mad said such policies were needed to uphold the Bumiputera Economic Agenda, as recently underscored by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Hasan said MPM, which was listed as one of Pakatan Harapan’s strategic non-governmental organisation partners, submitted a proposal to reinstate the Bumiputera economic community’s role to spearhead the agenda to Dr Mahathir last month.

“We are waiting for a response for an appointment (with the prime minister) to elaborate on our proposal.

“It is also pertinent to note that during a workshop on economic culture, jointly organised by MPM and Universiti Teknologi Mara on March 24 last year, Tan Sri Abd Aziz Abd Rahman, who is one of our advisory board members, voiced his objection to the previous government’s move to end the implementation of the New Economic Policy (NEP), which was launched in the 1970s,” Hasan said.

He claimed that the Barisan Nasional government did not seek the Conference of Rulers’ agreement prior to ending the implementation of NEP.

“It was compulsory for the government to seek agreement from the Conference of Rulers prior to reaching such a decision.

“(But) it was not done. The decision to simply do away with NEP’s implementation was a violation of the law. The policy can be amended or improved, but not scrapped with such impunity.”

Hasan said following Dr Mahathir’s statement on the need to retain such policies, it would be incumbent on economic institutions responsible for uplifting the Bumiputera agenda, such as Mara, the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation and government-linked companies — to make new plans for the specific economic agenda.

MPM also called for the responsibility of overseeing the matter to be shouldered by Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.