Former international trade and industry minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz has urged Bumiputeras to focus on the growth aspect in the New Economic Model (NEM) instead of harping on their own personal agenda.
Lauding the NEM as the way forward for Malaysia to achieve economic growth, Rafidah pointed out that groups that opposed the initiative were only being “counter-productive” and narrow-minded.
“Groups like Perkasa, they are only looking at the NEM through one perspective. They regard it as their right to put their two cents’ worth forward but this can be counter-productive.
“I am a Bumiputera, too, but first and most importantly, I believe we need to achieve growth first before we begin harping about the Bumiputera agenda,” she told The Malaysian Insider in an interview recently.
The Kuala Kangsar MP pointed out that once growth was achieved, the government could then look at how to fit the Bumiputera agenda and the agendas of other groups within it, like that of the poor and the non-Bumiputeras.
“After all, you cannot have growth without distribution. To me, in any country, growth must then come with equitable distribution, it must come with the minimisation of inequities,” she said.
Rafidah said that in Malaysia, the most glaring inequity was the disparities between the Bumiputeras and the non-Bumiputeras.
“It will still exist for a while now still. However, if the growth that we envisage to happen in the year 2020 does incorporate the minimisation of inequities, then it is guaranteed that it will include the Bumiputera agenda,” she said.
Rafidah added, however, that the vociferous dissent coming from groups like Perkasa did not reflect the views of all Malays.
“It is just that the media gives coverage to one person. If you speak to all in Perkasa, I am sure you would find that not all of them share the same view as their president (Datuk Ibrahim Ali).
“Ibrahim Ali is just one man. Not everyone shares the views of their leaders,” she said.
She said that in any society or group, there would always be some “ultras” who had their own personal agendas and motives.
“But you must rationalise. Do not just highlight the words of the ones who do not reflect the views of the majority. There are always different shades of views.
“Sometimes I believe that if you do not give media coverage to anyone in this world, we would be living in a happier world,” she said.
Rafidah also urged local companies to be ready to ride out possible economic downturns of the future in order to help the country achieve its seven per cent growth target.
“They need to be strong enough to weather the storm. Like during appropriate times, they need to trim the fat, be more agile to changes, find new markets and so on.
“One source of strength is to at least be able to maintain themselves,” she said.
She also urged today’s youths to develop themselves with a “multi-pronged” skill set and knowledge.
“The education system cannot go the same way as that of the past. We cannot move on with just crossing out A, B, and C in examinations.
“What we need to is build up on our youths’ communications skills because I know that businesses today require people with multi-skills and those who are able to quickly adapt to new environments,” she said.
