Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says the New Economic Policy (NEP) should be viewed through poverty eradication and social restructuring rather than a racial lens.
KUALA LUMPUR: The New Economic Policy (NEP) should be understood in the context of its original objectives of restructuring society and eradicating poverty, rather than being viewed solely through a racial lens, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
Speaking at the Remembering Statesman Tun Abdul Razak: Architect of Nation-Building programme today, Anwar said the policy, introduced under the leadership of the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, was often misunderstood and misinterpreted.
He said the NEP was not intended simply to provide opportunities or privileges to a select group, but to improve the socioeconomic standing of Malays while creating opportunities for capable Malays to participate in entrepreneurship and compete economically.
“The NEP was not simply about giving opportunities to a particular group or creating privileges for a select few.
“Its objective was to restructure society and raise the socioeconomic standing of the Malays, including by creating opportunities for capable Malays to become entrepreneurs and compete economically with other communities,” he said.
Anwar described the policy as a relatively radical initiative at the time, saying its approach was aimed at addressing structural inequalities in society.
He said Tun Razak had also remained committed to eradicating poverty and had never deviated from this objective when introducing the NEP.
“Many young people today may have forgotten that when he introduced the NEP, he never moved away from the objective of eliminating poverty.
“He understood that poverty was not confined to one community. Although the majority of those affected were Malays at the time, the responsibility was to address poverty as a national issue.
“I still remember his (Tun Abdul Razak) speeches and the discussions surrounding them. He stated that ‘poverty does not know skin colour’, though it so happened that the majority of those affected were Malays,” he said.
Anwar said there was a need to continue refining and strengthening the understanding of the NEP to ensure its principles remained relevant to present-day challenges.
He said its fundamental concepts, particularly social restructuring and poverty eradication, remained relevant.
“For me, we need to continue refining and strengthening our understanding of the NEP so that it remains relevant to the demands of the present.
“Unfortunately, in today’s narrative, the policy is sometimes interpreted primarily through the lens of race,” he said.
Anwar also called on the younger generation to understand the ideas and contributions of past statesmen, rather than viewing history merely as a record of past events.
He said remembering figures such as Tun Razak should serve as an opportunity to revisit their struggles and rekindle the spirit that contributed to the country’s development.
“Statesmen such as Tun Abdul Razak were not ordinary figures who simply came and went as part of an episode in history.
“It is our responsibility to keep the flame of their struggles alive and ensure that their contributions continue to be understood by future generations,” he said.
Anwar said Tun Razak’s legacy should be viewed within the broader context of nation-building, noting that leaders of the time worked with the people to build an independent nation despite significant challenges following independence.
He said Tun Razak’s ability to engage with young people and understand their aspirations had also left a lasting impression on those who had the opportunity to work closely with him.
