Anwar Ibrahim: Bumiputera privilege must end

Former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim said it was time to end 35 years of Bumiputera privileges, saying that it breeded a culture of corruption.

Via Malaysiakini:

Anwar, who was jailed after a fallout with veteran premier Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, said the affirmative action to indigenous people known as bumiputeras was unfair to Malaysia’s minority Chinese.

"Our economic policy has to change," Anwar told a news conference on a visit to Tokyo.

"In the 70s, there was poverty, not giving opportunities to the bumiputera business sector. This is 2005. We’ve been given enough assistance," he said.

"When a Malaysian Chinese, I mean the bright one, who had excelled in an exam, would ask me, ‘With this excellent result, why am I denied entering the medical colleges?’, how do you respond to this?" Anwar said.

Under a system of affirmative action since 1970, indigenous groups get economic, education and other benefits to narrow the wealth gap with the Chinese minority.

Helping Malays or cronies?

Supporters defend the policy saying that "it is to help Malays, but for me it is to help cronyism," he said.

Corruption remains a festering issue in Malaysia, forcing Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to launch an eradication drive after he succeeded Mahathir, who stepped down from power in 2003 after a 22-year tenure.

Anwar was heir apparent to Mahathir before being sacked in 1998 and jailed on corruption and sodomy charges which he said were cooked up to prevent him challenging Mahathir for the premiership.

Malaysia’s Federal Court overturned the sodomy conviction last September, but the corruption charge was not overturned which led to a ban on him standing for office until April 2008.

It’s very significant that Anwar is trying to be risky to garner support as he was definitely seen as singing the different tune with mass media and Malay rights’ protectors.

I hope someone out there will read this and understand that globalisation is underway, so do our economy policy too?

In case if you can’t remember well, I would like to quote what Jeff said last week.

When China unpegged, we had to followed within the hour, no choice!

(Remember? Dr Zeti had to rush to PWTC and Pak Lah right on cue for the 8pm live TV after China announced it at 7pm on Thursday!)

Aren’t we supposed to think glocal, dear Hisham and Ka Ting?

Or in case if you miss this short political show, this is a personal note by Chua to Khairy at the very end of the show, even when the host was rushing to conclude the event.