Bumiputera agenda has progressed more daringly over the last three years: PM Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says that over the past three years, efforts to improve the Bumiputera agenda have been made with more confidence, strength, and bravery.
Anwar stressed that the current government does not allow for elite ideas that put Bumiputera interests last, as some have said.
He said that the government’s past actions made it clear that the rights and well-being of the Bumiputera people would always come first.

“That’s why, within our government framework, there isn’t a single view that supports elitism or puts Bumiputera interests second, as some people think.”

“In fact, I want to stress, and Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi can attest to this point, that Bumiputera programs have been louder, stronger, and braver than before during the three years of this government,” he said.

He spoke at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur on May 3 at the celebration of Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA)’s 60th anniversary.

Anwar talked about the government’s overall policy direction. He clarified that supporting meritocracy did not equate to losing opportunities for Bumiputera.

He discussed a new decision that all students with 10As or higher, no matter their background, would automatically be placed in college.

On the other hand, the matriculation program still provides opportunities for 90% of Bumiputera kids. “So don’t just focus on one thing in debates,” he said.
Anwar also criticized some groups, including academics, for supposedly spreading false information about education limits.

He said that the matriculation program was first set up as a 100% Bumiputera program before the government added a 10% budget to help non-Malay kids who were struggling.

In this case, the prime minister told everyone to look at government policies as a whole and not make things seem like a “zero-sum game,” which could hurt national unity.