Thursday July 21, 2005

Bring back NEP, says Youth wing

UMNO Youth wants the New Economic Policy revived as part of the national development policy to protect the interest of the Malays.

Movement chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the “growth by distribution” strategy, as outlined by the NEP should be pursued to ensure the 30% bumiputra stake of corporate ownership was maintained.

“The NEP definition itself should be reapplied as part of the national development policy, so that the Malays would be empowered and not sidelined from now till the year 2020,” he said in his keynote address at the Umno Youth general assembly.

Hishammuddin said the movement was raising the issue again as the same proposal at the last general assembly had not made any headway.

Besides the 30% equity, he said there must be an assurance for the Malays to be allowed to dominate selected property sectors.

The movement also called for the following:

EXTRA effort by the Entrepreneur Development Ministry to produce quality bumiputra entrepreneurs;

FRESH approaches in the funding and planning of projects in rural areas;

MAKING sure the key performance index of Government-linked companies or privatised companies safeguard the “Malay agenda”;

ENSURING authorities responsible for awarding tenders are committed and responsible towards the Malay agenda; and

CREATING a monitoring system to ensure a more efficient delivery system for the Malay agenda.

Besides the Malay agenda and the movement’s Jatidiri Pemuda principles of self-resilience, Hishammuddin said, Umno Youth would adopt the principles of Rukun Islam (five pillars of Islam), Rukun Iman (six tenets of faith) and the Rukun Negara (the five principles of nationalism) as its guiding principles.

Meanwhile, the movement's deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin was cheered by the delegates as he praised Hishammuddin and pledged his unwavering support for him to continue to lead.

He received thunderous applause when he sought permission for the floor to call for the reintroduction of the NEP.

Khairy, who was booed at last year’s assembly, thanked the delegates this year for not mandikan (ragging) him.

He said Umno Youth was calling for a return of the NEP and this was no longer a hidden agenda or something only in spirit and soul.

He said this should be the basis for the country's economic planning in the coming Ninth Malaysia Plan with no shame or excuses.

“No need to hide. This is the Malay agenda. We want 30% equity for the bumiputras so that they will be on par with the other races.”

More News

News Poll

Latest Jobs from Star-Jobs

Latest from StarProperty