THERE is much ado about nothing about the Bumiputra Economic Congress 2024. It is supposed to be different from the past ones in a sense of its inclusive and all-embracing nature.
Inclusiveness is defined by inviting some business representatives from the non-Malay community. For instance, the invitation was extended to Chinese and Indian chambers of commerce and industry.
But regrettably, these non-Malay business associations have not done much to assist their own respective ethnic communities in facing the discriminatory challenges in the country.
How these representatives are going to promote the symbiosis of Malay and non-Malays in entrepreneurial activities remains to be seen.
At the moment, the inclusion of non-Malay representatives remains at a symbolic level. There have been a number of proposals that need to be broached at the BEC.
Some have suggested the creation of a land bank, others have called for the development of training, vocational and educational courses to assist Bumiputera youths among others.
Despite the difference in emphasis, one thing is clear. Unlike the earlier focus on the creation of the Bumiputera capitalist class, the present BEC wants to move away from this mindless preoccupation. It is an acknowledgement that the past BECs have failed to uplift the Bumiputera community in a holistic manner.
Government policies merely enriched the political and administrative elites. In other words, the past BECs have served to benefit only certain classes of Bumiputeras especially those with political and bureaucratic connections, to the detriment of the poor and marginalised.
While this subtle acknowledgement is important, it is not clear how the present BEC can move in the right direction by embracing the interests of the lower socio-economic category of the Bumiputeras.
While it is a step in the right direction to invite non-Malay representatives, there is no clear or discernible direction for how future cooperation could take place.
At this stage, their presence seems more at the level of propaganda than anything else. There is a kind of “good feeling” in that the non-Malays are not ignored.
Whatever the lofty aims of the BEC, the political underpinnings cannot be dismissed.
It should not be forgotten that the BEC is held at a time when the support of Malays for the Madani government is at a low point.
UMNO which is part of the coalition government has lost the support of the Malays to the opposition Perikatan Nasional. In an overall sense, the government has minimal support from the Malays.
In actual fact, the government is kept alive by the support rendered by the non-Malays in the DAP and the support of the political parties in Sabah and Sarawak. It would not be too wrong to say that despite the high and mighty talk of propelling the Bumiputera community further, the BEC aims to shore up Malay/Bumiputera support for the political regime.
I hope I am not wrong on this political point. – March 2, 2024
Former DAP stalwart and Penang chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the Urimai (United Rights of Malaysian Party) Interim Council.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
