KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 — The Malay Advisory Council (MPM) in its maiden congress today passed a resolution protesting the New Economic Model (NEM), saying it is a threat to the economic interest of the country’s majority race.
The umbrella body comprising of 76 Malay NGOs and led by Malay rights group Perkasa, deliberated for hours before unanimously agreeing that the Najib administration’s move will dismantle what they see as inherent Malay rights.
Many of the participants at the congress slammed the NEM and its maker, the National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC), of betraying the social contract which they claimed recognises the special economic rights of the Malays.
A panel of “experts” speaking at the congress demanded the need for the new model to continue with affirmative action as expounded by the New Economic Policy (NEP), a model created to strengthen Malay economic participation.
The three-hour meeting passed a 31 point resolution, which in essence, wants almost all aspects of the NEP preserved under the NEM.
Among the clear example of this are points 4 and 5 of the resolution.
“The congress regretfully concedes that the government have failed to help increase Bumiputra participation, ownership and control in strategic sectors,” read point 4 of the resolution that calls for all these concerns to be addressed under the NEM.
“The affirmative economic and distribution policy that Bumiputra participation in various economic sectors must be maintained,” read point 5 which in its summary demands that the NEM retain this by making the economy more Bumiputra friendly, transparent, needs and merit based.
The same point stressed on the need to maintain a race-based affirmative action to reflect the country’s ethnic composition.
MPM in its resolution also want strategic government intervention in private enterprises to ensure “distributive justice” for all especially the Bumiputras.
The resolution reflects the failure of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to quell fears among Malay groups on NEM’s ability to safeguard their allegedly depleting rice bowl.
Najib has embarked on an effort to sell his NEM to sceptical Malay voters, arguing that a new direction is needed to pull the ailing economy out of its middle income trap by freeing the market off the crippling Malay largesse.
The resolution will be handed over to Najib later tonight. From the mood of the congress, many of the participants appear eager for the premier’s response.
Earlier today, participants and panel members of the congress took turns to vent their frustration towards the NEM albeit stopping short of attacking Najib.
Most of their anger were targetted towards the NEAC particularly its leading figure Tan Sri Amirsyam Arshad who they chastised as a traitor to the Malays.
“The NEM is a new Malayan Union. It will be used to colonise the Malays once again,” said secretary to the congress, economist Dr Zubir Harun.
Senator Datuk Akbar Ali, a former director with the Malacca Economic Action Council, went to the extent of accusing the NEAC as a tool used by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to attack then premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Dr Mahathir, who ruled the country for 22 years, has been hailed by MPM as the champion of the NEP and is known to oppose IMF’s liberalisation proposals for the Malaysian economy.
