KUALA LUMPUR: In an interview with Bloomberg and quoted by New Strait Times today, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is confident that elements of the National Economic Policy (NEP), which ended in 1990 and replaced by the National Development Policy in 1991, will gradually be removed.
"I'm working towards gradual liberalisation (of the NEP) as and when the Bumiputeras feel they are confident. And I'm glad to say that more and more of them are confident of competing now, of doing well globally and, of course, domestically.
"In the not too distant future, we will see elements of the NEP being replaced," the deputy prime minister said on Bloomberg TV's Bloomberg Voices, aired here yesterday.
The anchor had sought his views on the NEP.
"My position is there should be gradual removal of the elements of the NEP and at the same time, look in terms of the legitimate grievances and needs of every community," he said in the 30-minute programme.
" I believe that the needs and legitimate grievances of all Malaysians must be addressed. It must be seen that we are serious about solving their problems."
NEP is very similar to US affirmative action policy in helping the disadvantage, originally only for the African Americans who were used to be labelled as Negro and Blacks. The policy is still there and not unique to Malaysia alone which has been relentlessly criticized by US, UK and Australia. It is like spitting towards the sky as a Malay proverb says. For that matter many economic policies around the world provide incentives, tax relief for big international companies such as in Free Trade Economic Zones. Hence western media show obvious bias and as such are bad journalism and ignorance of world public policies. If we traced into history it would be found that early Chinese and Indian immigrants were given subsidies and sponsorship by the British colonial governments. Talking about subsidies as government policies USA, Japan and Korea are equally guilty as Malaysia. Western and Malaysian Chinese media should not show their ignorance and bad journalism so shamelessly.
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