Muda wants better implementation of Bumiputera policies, says vice-president

 

Lim Wei Jiet says Umno and Barisan Nasional politicians had played a part in allowing wealthy cronies to abuse quotas

PETALING JAYA: Muda is not opposed to race-based affirmative action policies like those targeted at the Bumiputera community but wants them to be better implemented, its vice-president Lim Wei Jiet said.

“(Like) Bumiputera equity, we are not challenging those kinds of policies,” said Lim, when asked how Muda aimed to win the support of older voters who might be more inclined to sticking to the status quo.

However, he said Muda was critical of how these affirmative action policies had been implemented in the past and how they ended up benefitting the elite more than the poor.

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“On paper there are quotas for Bumiputeras in education and housing but we all know that there has been abuse,” said Lim.

He alleged that Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians had played a part in this abuse, allowing wealthy cronies to abuse quotas at the expense of poorer Bumiputeras.

“We need to convince senior voters that that’s what is still happening. You see a lot of rich people and those from the Top 20 (T20) income groups entering UiTM and Mara Junior Science Colleges,” said Lim in an interview with FMT.

He urged senior voters to ask hard-hitting questions and reflect on the people who had been taking advantage of them.

“Yes, you have had these policies for quotas for the past six decades but you are still in the same position. You need to see who has been implementing it all this while, it’s the same people that you have been voting for,” he said.

He said Muda still supported affirmative action for the needy, with the bigger aim of benefiting the entire nation and economy as a whole.

“The ‘pie’ then gets bigger, and everyone gets a larger share even though the quota is still the same. It’s about enlarging the pie, which is now shrinking due to favouritism, nepotism and abuse of quotas,” he said.

Lim said the way to reach the hearts and minds of senior voters was to talk about issues that resonated with people regardless of age, such as the rising cost of living, the weakening economy and lack of employment opportunities. - FMT