How inclusive can Bumiputera Economic Congress be, Ramasamy asks

Former Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy has questioned if the seventh Bumiputra Economic Congress (BEC) to be held between Feb 29 and March 2, can be an inclusive one as promised by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

In a statement today, he claimed that past gatherings have been meant not only to benefit the Malays, namely the political and bureaucratic elite, but also to sideline non-Malays.

“Anwar said the BEC will be an inclusive one, one that will seek to identify new growth rates and eradicate poverty immaterial of race or religion.

“Non-Malay representatives will be invited to the congress, apparently for the first time in history.

“Can the BEC for the first time in the history of the country set the trend to ensure that policies and measures will benefit all the ethnic groups in the country? Can the BEC see the rise of Anwar as a statesperson and not as an ethnic champion?” asked Ramasamy.

He claimed that past BECs have been used to draw up policies and measures to benefit the Malays, the political anchor of all the bumiputera communities.

“Essentially, the term ‘bumiputera’ might be misleading as it only refers to the Malays. Will the BEC see a fair distribution of economic and commercial opportunities to all deserving ethnic groups?

“Anwar cannot use the term ‘inclusive’ and yet make no meaningful changes to the content of the BEC.

“In fact, the BECs in the past have been held against the non-Malays, particularly to sideline them in the economic and financial areas,” said Ramasamy who left multiracial DAP and formed Tamil-centric Urimai last year.

Doubts over meaningful change

He claimed that Malay economic growth was predicated on restricting non-Malays in the economic arena.

PM Anwar Ibrahim

“Given the declining Malay support for the government of the day, is Anwar willing to dilute the BEC by factoring the participation of the non-Malays? Yes, non-Malays will be invited, but will their invitation make a difference to the outcome of the gathering?

“Is Anwar, given his shifting and populist ways, willing to tamper with the Malay hegemonic ingredient of the gathering?

“I really doubt that Anwar will contribute in meaningful ways to change the deep-seated ethnic character of the BEC,” said Ramasamy.

He added that the BEC was looking like a gathering stage-managed by Anwar in the interest of improving the political credentials of his Umno allies. - Mkini