ANWAR Ibrahim, who is set to be the next prime minister, has reassured Malays that their Bumiputera rights will be upheld.

Talking to Bloomberg TV last Friday, the de facto PKR leader said: “The Malay belt have rejected Umno but are ambivalent and unsure about lending their support to the alternative multiracial pluralistic Pakatan Harapan. Which means we should be taking enough measures to try and reach them.”

Anwar, 70, is set to take over the top post from Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, 92, in a year or two following his royal pardon last Wednesday.

PH pulled off a major victory against Barisan Nasional in the 14^th general election, ousting the Najib Razak-led administration.  

Najib’s father, Abdul Razak Hussein, introduced the New Economic Policy two years after the 1969 racial riots, giving preferential treatment to Bumiputeras in housing, scholarships and government contracts.

The NEP was extended by Dr Mahathir when he was prime minister in the 1990s but the policy has been blamed for creating a super class of Malay billionaires while a majority remained in poverty.

“We would of course protect the position of the Bumiputeras in terms of giving opportunities, but not enriching them to become billionaires,” Anwar was quoted as saying.

Anwar’s focus now is on tackling economic inequality, which he said was worsened by Najib’s government.

The Mahathir administration is also focused on fighting corruption – with one of its first tasks upon assuming power was to go after Najib, who is being investigated for allegedly stealing billions from state investor 1MDB.

Anwar told Bloomberg TV that ridding the state of “leakages and opulence” would save some RM20 to RM30 billion a year, allowing the PH government to scrap the deeply unpopular goods and services tax, which raised RM44 billion under BN. – May 21, 2018.