PASIR Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim has brought up vital and essential pointers for the forthcoming Bumiputera Economic Congress 2024 (KEB 2024) to review if the Bumiputera privileges under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution actually benefited the group.
He really spoke out his mind for the nation’s prosperity and unity by asking pertinent and questions, whether the affirmative action policy has instead been hijacked and manipulated by a few Bumiputera elites in the peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak to enrich themselves, their families, close friends, and crony capitalists.
His propositions and arguments give guidance, assistance and direction for the forthcoming Bumiputera Economic Congress.
The Article 153 of the Federal Constitution states that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is responsible for safeguarding the “special position” of the Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak.
This includes quotas for education, scholarships, public service positions, as well as licences and permits for businesses but it also to look after “legitimate interests of other communities” in accordance with the Article.
He also mentions that there is no such thing as Bumiputera privileges in the Federal Constitution and does not actually define what is a Bumiputera with clarity, but rather only the Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak.
He said the congress should not only review Bumiputera privileges but also the notion of race-based policies.
He advised that the forthcoming Bumiputera Congress should not be mere rhetoric but rather, be substantive to include Bumiputeras and non-Bumiputeras.
Hassan concluded his statement by saying, “We hope it will be the last Bumiputera Economic Congress. After this, we can organise the next economic congress with a new brand – the Malaysian Citizens Economic Congress. Can this dream be achieved?”
In a nutshell, what Hassan said – that the country requires a fresh trajectory to propel the nation forward – must be taken seriously by all participants of the congress.
While impromptu, he said this with much reflection considering the past, present and the future of the nation – there is no political agenda behind his statement, only sincerity and honesty.
For the past sixty years, the existing trajectories did not work as it should, as all indices both national and international have proven to be unfavourable.
Had all the policies been effective, we wouldn’t have ended up with a RM1.5 tril debt and have to face so much negativity in terms of national unity, crime rate and challenges to the country’s healthcare system, among others.
It is hoped that this Congress will be inclusive, leading to the country’s first Malaysian Citizens Economic Congress as aptly put by YB Hassan Abdul Karim. We need more of these kind of political leaders to prosper the nation that we love.
K.T. Maran is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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