FORMER prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s privatisation policies caused “millions of Malays” to become impoverished during his 22 years in power, PKR lawmaker Hassan Abdul Karim said.

The outspoken Pasir Gudang MP said, due to rampant privatisation during Dr Mahathir’s tenure, the veteran politician was to blame for the economic plight of the Malays and their ongoing struggles.

“Dr Mahathir’s privatisation policies, which prioritised crony capitalists, were the root cause of millions of Malay Bumiputeras becoming poor, especially in Malay and Bumiputera-majority states such as Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, Perlis, Sabah and Sarawak,” he said in a statement in response to the Proklamasi Orang Melayu initiative – which has been attempting to curry Dr Mahathir’s favour – and the recent support shown by PAS.

According to Hassan, had article 153 of the Federal Constitution – which outlines the special privileges of the Malays and Bumiputeras – been implemented decades ago through a class-based approach prioritising the welfare of poor, lower-class Malays, the community would have “long been freed from poverty and economic decline”.

He added that Dr Mahathir’s administration oversaw extensive privatisation of the economic sector, with the government spinning off giants such as Tenaga Nasional Berhad and Telekom Malaysia Bhd.

Dr Mahathir recently called Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government a dictatorship and blamed his former protégé for having a hand in the cancellation of the Proklamasi Orang Melayu event in March. – May 4, 2023.