PM Anwar: Enough with race-based political squabbling

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called for an end to the continuous political squabbling over race and territories and urged finding a solution for the sake of national unity to develop the country.

The Prime Minister said that if such matters can be achieved with the help of all parties, the country would see better growth, making Malaysia prominent at the international level.

“This is not just a matter for the Prime Minister, ministers, or state governments but for everyone, including fishermen, smallholders, and those in the civil and private sectors.

“Thanks to our unified efforts, we have achieved a 5.9% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, better than many other Asian countries,” he said.

Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said this at the launch of the Bumiputra Economic Transformation Plan 2035 (Putera35) at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) on Monday (Aug 19).

Also present at the event were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli, and other Cabinet ministers.

The plan, with the theme ‘Meaningful Bumiputra Participation, Ownership and Mastery,’ aims to strengthen Bumiputra contributions through a more integrated approach.

Anwar said although he rarely spoke about Bumiputra economic issues and policies, he was more interested in ensuring their implementation than publicising such policies.

He also noted that all ministries should find new approaches to help the Bumiputra community.

“It is no longer just the affairs of this ministry or that department. I would like to thank the Cabinet for being open on this matter,” he added.

Anwar also said that he had suggested to government-linked investment companies like Khazanah Nasional to train qualified non-Bumiputras and, at the same time, successful non-Bumiputra companies to train young Bumiputras as a joint national effort to ensure their success.