Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said development policies like the New Economic Policy (NEP) remain relevant as long as the economic disparity between races exist in the country.

He said the income gap between bumiputeras and non-bumiputeras remains wide where for every ringgit earned by a bumiputera, a non-bumiputera earns RM1.80.

"The implementation of NEP cannot be seen as a racial issue," he said in his written reply at the Dewan Rakyat today.

He said this in response to Ahmad Shabery Cheek (BN-Kemaman) who wanted to know whether its true the government's plan to rekindle the NEP spirit in the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) was racist in nature and could erode Malaysia's competitiveness in the global economy.

According to Bernama, the prime minister said NEP's implementation previously proofed the point that it did not interfere with the efforts to enhance the country's competitiveness in the global market and competitiveness cannot be achieved without unity and harmony among its plural society.

Abdullah said if there was any race unhappy with NEP it did not mean that they did not agree with the policy but it was more on its implementation.

He said the group that made the proposal found that the implementation of the basic strategies of NEP of late were neither done strictly nor earnestly.

"If the proposal could hasten a more balanced and just participation between all the races and more importantly that contributes to the national integration, therefore there is no reason why the government would decline the proposal to return the NEP's spirit," he said.

Bridging the gap

NEP, implemented between 1971 to 1990, had succeeded in creating a peaceful and stable socio-economic environment that allowed the government to concentrate on efforts to develop the country to the present state, he said.

He said in that process the poverty rate and the wide disparity in income, employment and share holdings among races were reduced.

"The success had helped in bridging the gap between races in the country," he said.

He said based on that assumption, the government would continue to streamline its implementation machinery apart from establishing an effective surveillance mechanism to ensure the targeted groups enjoys maximum benefits.


Debate on NEP revival