PUTRAJAYA: Pro-Malay economic policies will remain to help prevent conflicts of interest with the more affluent ethnic groups like the Chinese.
In an interview with Channel NewsAsia yesterday, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said there were aspects that needed to be looked into especially in terms of financial feasibility.
However, he said it did not mean that the interests of other races would be sidelined.
“Disparity in any society is bad, even if it's a single ethnic (group). You have the rich, very rich, and the poor, very poor. You are inviting conflicts.
“But when the rich belong to one race, and the poor, another race, the potential for conflict is much greater.
“We cannot change Malays into Chinese, Chinese into Malays, but we can change their economic situation,” Dr Mahathir was quoted as saying.
He pointed out that the Malays remain at a disadvantage concerning their share of the economic wealth.
“We can help improve the economic well-being of the Malays with certain affirmative action.
“We have reduced the disparity with the Malays and mainly the Chinese, but there are certain areas where we need to give Malays some kind of push.
“For example, when I was in the United Kingdom, I met a number of Chinese students. They were there because their fathers, their parents were able to pay for their studies there.
“But I find that Malay parents, by and large, cannot afford to have university education for their children.”
Dr Mahathir said the Malays, whose family breadwinners were mostly civil servants and wage earners, would need more scholarships unlike the Chinese who “are largely in business”.
“And in business, you can make tonnes of money. (The Malays) cannot afford to send children to universities, because it’s now very costly.”
Channel NewsAsia also reported that Pakatan Harapan in its election campaign had pledged to protect the Malays’ special rights under the Federal Constitution.
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