PM: Bumiputra agenda must go beyond eradicating poverty

KUALA LUMPUR: The Bumiputra economic agenda needs to go beyond merely eradicating poverty and raising the community's equity, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic).

The Prime Minister said economic policies to help the community must also aim to improve incomes and wealth distribution.

"The time has come for the achievement and participation of Bumiputra to be widened beyond merely eradicating poverty and boosting their equity.

"It must include creating new entrepreneurs, developing human and intellectual capital and strengthening supply chains controlled by Bumiputra companies," he said at an appreciation ceremony here to acknowledge the top 20 Government-Linked Companies (G20) and their major vendors for their involvement and support towards the Bumiputra Empowerment Agenda (BEA).

Najib said the Government had introduced the Bumiputra Wellbeing Policy to widen the scope of policies to aid the bumiputra.

"Since this policy was put in place, we have seen initiatives worth RM141bil being generated," he said.

Among those present at the ceremony were Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak, Khazanah Nasional Berhad managing director Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar and Telekom Malaysia Berhad CEO Datuk Seri Mohammed Shazalli Ramly.

The Government-Linked Investment Companies (GLIC) and G20 BEA programme is in its 4th year.