KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 — The Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia (DPMM) hopes that the government will come out with a new narrative or blueprint to empower the Bumiputera economy.         

Its president Rizal Faris Mohideen Abdul Kader said the concerns of Bumiputera entrepreneurs over the past 15 years were never properly addressed by the previous government.

"Despite previous engagements between government agencies and non-government organisations (NGOs), it was always a one-way street and our voices were never really heard as the negotiations did not involve us all the way through.

"Hence, we hope with the return of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the new prime minister, we will once again see many successful Malay and Bumiputera corporate figures, just like during his previous tenure,” he told reporters here today.

For example, Rizal Faris said DPMM, together with over 100 NGOs, had raised objections over the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement because the negotiation and discussion process did not include any cost-benefit analysis.

"We were very upset because all of our questions were not answered, and the people representing us in the negotiations did not have the quality to carry out their duties,” he said.

Rizal Faris also hoped the government would consistently focus on the Bumiputera economic development agenda to ensure that Bumiputera grow alongside other communities.

"As we all work hard to keep up with the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0), we hope the new government will include us in strategic platforms, such as economic councils.

"This will allow us to work together to identify local talent and improve the capabilities of our local entrepreneurs and subsequently, be able to produce more unicorn companies again,” he said.

Earlier, Rizal Faris congratulated Dr Mahathir on his appointment as the seventh prime minister and being appointed for the second time.

"With Tun (Dr Mahathir) leading us, we are confident that we will be back on track and correcting what was wrong before and returning the country into an ‘economic tiger’ once again,” he added. — Bernama