THE 12th Malaysia Plan is the same old nightmare of racial inequality for non-Bumiputera groups, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy said today.

“Racial considerations in favour of the Bumiputra will be paramount in the 12MP. I have no reason to suspect that this plan will be different from earlier five-year plans,” he said in a statement today.

“As a propaganda piece, the 12MP might not be exclusively concerned with the Bumiputera. But when it comes to actual practice or implementation, a definitive racial bias cannot be dismissed.”

He said Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob had said he was disappointed that the Bumiputera had yet to attain the 30% equity target set in the New Economic Policy that was introduced in the early 1970s. 

“It is strange that despite the massive advancement of the Bumiputera over the years in public employment and the control of the numerous bloated GLCs, banks and others, Ismail brushes aside the truth to sing the old song that the Bumiputera have yet to attain parity with the other races,” said Ramasamy.

“As Ismail is not honest to admit, the NEP is not about ensuring a balance in equity but directed at attaining Bumiputera control over the economy.

“It is obvious the government Bumiputera agenda is there, meaning that the non-Bumiputera have nothing to look forward to in the 12MP.

“In the days, week and months ahead economists and social science experts will be spending long hours going through the ‘magic wand’ of the 12MP to see what the plan means to the development of the country, the budgetary allocations and how the non-Malays fare in the five-year plan.

“I really don’t know whether one needs to spend much time and effort to dissect the plan. Actually, there is nothing much to uncover in the plan.”

He said a lack of political will had bedevilled many government plans.

“Even if you have brilliant and detailed plan to chart the course of the development of the country in the next five years, if there is no political will to address the racial and social imbalances, there is nothing to expect from the plan,” he said.

He said while the 12MP might seem ambitious, the government’s political will to implement the promised objectives is the key to its success.

While tabling the 12MP yesterday, Ismail had said that the Bumiputera agenda would not be neglected and would be boosted.

“The median income gap between the Bumiputera and Chinese is widening, it was four times more in 2019 compared to 1989,” he said.

An equity safety net framework will be introduced to enable the sale of Bumiputera shares or companies to other Bumiputera consortia, companies or individuals.

Ismail said the government also planned to empower the Bumiputera community with training in technical and professional fields and develop their skills to become data analysts and scientists.

However, he said the government wasl also committed to improving the lives of all segments of society, regardless of race. – September 28, 2021.