PM: Malays must look beyond protectionism
Salhan K AhmadPublished: Sep 29, 2011 3:52 PM | Updated: Sep 30, 2011 3:54 AM
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has urged Malay entrepreneurs to not rely on government protection in order to succeed.
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has urged Malay entrepreneurs to not rely on government protection in order to succeed.
He said that Malay entrepreneurs should instead rely on their own ability in order to be have dignity and be respected.
“Don’t just talk about rights. What is more important is what are we doing to do with the political power we have now through Umno.
“What are we doing to do to increase our wealth?” asked Najib when officially opening the newly-formed United Malay Economic Action Council (MTEM) in Serdang last night.
This is the second time in three days that the premier had spoken on the need to move away from preferential treatment for the Malay business class.
On Monday, the Najib told the Khazanah Megatrends Forum that bumiputera quotas will be done away with in the future in order to rachet up competition.
In his speech today, Najib said his government will ensure that his administration would be fair to the bumiputera community.
“When the government announced the MRT project, we ensured that 43 percent of (project) value were given to bumiputera companies.
“We never took from other people. We created new projects in order for the people to feel that we did not take away the rights of others, so that there is fair distribution,” he said.
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He urged Malay entrepreneurs to forge a close cooperation with the government because their futures are tightly intertwined with the fate of his administration.
“If we want to depend on each other, you gentlemen can depend on the government of the day,” he said.
The premier said that the formation of MTEM was among the government's efforts to bring change and improve the capabilities of the Malays.
“But we can’t just leave everything to the government... As an NGO, we must rise up and be brave to pursue change and what we deserve.
“We must change because our environment has changed. If (you) depend on (government) protection, it cannot guarantee our future,” he said.
Chairperson of the event Rizal Faris Mohideen said MTEM was established to unite Malay commerce groups and entrepreneurs.
MTEM aims to form a coalition of 100 groups and attract one million members.
He said that Malay entrepreneurs should instead rely on their own ability in order to be have dignity and be respected.
“Don’t just talk about rights. What is more important is what are we doing to do with the political power we have now through Umno.
“What are we doing to do to increase our wealth?” asked Najib when officially opening the newly-formed United Malay Economic Action Council (MTEM) in Serdang last night.
This is the second time in three days that the premier had spoken on the need to move away from preferential treatment for the Malay business class.
On Monday, the Najib told the Khazanah Megatrends Forum that bumiputera quotas will be done away with in the future in order to rachet up competition.
In his speech today, Najib said his government will ensure that his administration would be fair to the bumiputera community.
“When the government announced the MRT project, we ensured that 43 percent of (project) value were given to bumiputera companies.
“We never took from other people. We created new projects in order for the people to feel that we did not take away the rights of others, so that there is fair distribution,” he said.
Support the government
He urged Malay entrepreneurs to forge a close cooperation with the government because their futures are tightly intertwined with the fate of his administration.
“If we want to depend on each other, you gentlemen can depend on the government of the day,” he said.
The premier said that the formation of MTEM was among the government's efforts to bring change and improve the capabilities of the Malays. “But we can’t just leave everything to the government... As an NGO, we must rise up and be brave to pursue change and what we deserve.
“We must change because our environment has changed. If (you) depend on (government) protection, it cannot guarantee our future,” he said.
Chairperson of the event Rizal Faris Mohideen said MTEM was established to unite Malay commerce groups and entrepreneurs.
MTEM aims to form a coalition of 100 groups and attract one million members.
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