KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has clarified that the unity government was not out to dismantle Bumiputera privileges but instead focus on areas which were important to them.
“If you focus on the efficiency of need, justice as fairness, then we can proceed with this affirmative action policies, because the main criticism against their new economic policy under the former regimes has been to use a new green policy to enrich the children and their families, and I have to put an end to these excesses,” he said during an interview with CNBC.
“But we can’t talk about pure meritocracy, between a very rural heartland in Sarawak, to the premier schools in Kuala Lumpur. So I think the same argument applies. But once it is considered to be too focused on race, then it creates this animosity and anxieties,” he added
However, he said if it was about policy, for example, to create new entrepreneurs or to provide good quality education for the poor then it is not only tolerable, but imperative.
Anwar said that there were critics and racists who use anti-Malay propaganda or anti-Malay policies or departure against him, saying that he has succumbed to the dominant Chinese party rhetoric in the last five years.
“But I would challenge them to tell me one policy or action that is to the advantage or discriminate the Malays, or against Islam. They have not been able to do that. I still maintain that the Malaysian Constitution clearly stipulates that Islam is the religion of the federation.
“But what is important is to assure our public and general population that everyone has the right to practise their faith without any sort of intimidation, or harassment,” he said.
He said that it was important to dismantle corruption where the entire governance system is compromised.
“This is a major, huge problem for people like me to try and dismantle a corrupt system which is more important than talking about specific policies, Malay policy, whatever.
“And when you do that, the corrupt will muster all their wealth and the strength and power and the media to go after you. That is precisely what happened in this election by using the race card,” he said.
