‘Malays, Bumiputera cores vital principles in race unification’

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Najib delivering a speech when closing the National Convention on Race Unification at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in Shah Alam. — Bernama photo

Najib delivering a speech when closing the National Convention on Race Unification at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in Shah Alam. — Bernama photo

SHAH ALAM: Malays and Bumiputera based cores are important principles in race unification in Malaysia, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He said this was because these two thrusts, namely Malays and Bumiputera are the main features enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

Najib said under constitution, the Malay language was the official language but other languages were permitted to be spoken freely.

“Islam is also the official religion but other religions are allowed to practised freely and the head of state is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who is elected from among the nine Malay rulers.

“If you accept these principles, then it is easy to go forward…when we want to develop the country, we must develop all races but do not let the Malays and

Bumiputera lag behind,” he said when closing the National Convention on Race Unification at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) here yesterday.

Also present were Higher Education Miinister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh,  Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar and UiTM vice-chancellor Prof Emeritus Prof Datuk Hassan Said.

Najib is the patron of the three-day convention.

The convention, themed ‘Revisiting the Race Struggle’, was jointly organised by the Universiti Teknologi Mara’s Faculty of Communications and Media Studies with its Institute of Malay Thoughts and Leadership (Impak).

He said the interests of all races would be taken into account in discussions of the National Transformation Vision 2050 (TN50), the core would be those of the Malays and Bumiputera.

He was referring to a report by Khazanah Nasional which showed that the most effective social mobility factor was access to affordable education which had benefited all races.

“According to the report also, if the parents were in the B40 group, it did not mean that their children would remain there.

“We must be proud that, from the report, we see the percentage of Malays and Bumiputeras who have managed to get out of B40 within one generation because of government policies is very good compared to other countries,” said Najib.

The Prime Minister said in order to achieve the vision and agenda of TN50, the people must have the determination to succeed and help create more global players in the future.

“I have just returned from China and saw that to the 1.3 billion people in that country, to be successful, you must be hungry for success…you must have the determination to succeed.

“But if we are complacent about our position, if there is no determination, then 1.3 billion people in China will grab that chance.

“This mindset (being hungry for success) is what we want to build…the attitude is important to take us as a race, into the future,” said Najib.

At the event, Hassan also presented the prime minister with six resolutions which had been identified and passed at the convention.

It included the need for Malay unity to be part of the national permanent agenda to ensure prosperity for all races, and to urge the Bumiputera economic community to change its thinking and attitudes, and absorb the entrepreneurial culture, to become the leaders of the national economic agenda. — Bernama