Use Facts When Discussing Budget For Non Bumi

---

 



MP SPEAKS | Political parties serious about nation-building should take a national unity and fact-based approach towards economic policy-making instead of arousing divisive sentiments on the proposal for non-bumiputera communities being granted RM1 for every RM10 budgetary allocation given to bumiputera communities.
Playing up extremist sentiments at the expense of the truth has been the modus operandi of opposition parties but those from the coalition government should not adopt a similar divisive stance.
To recap, the Perikatan Nasional’s Budget 2022 allocated RM11.4 billion to the bumiputera and a mere RM345 million to non-bumiputera communities.
Basically, only three percent of the budget was allocated to the non-bumiputera communities. It is grossly unfair and inadequate when non-bumiputera communities are substantial contributors to nation-building as taxpayers and human resources.
My suggestion of giving budgetary allocation to non-bumiputera communities RM1 for every RM10 given to the bumiputera communities does not take anything away from the latter.
For example, if the bumiputera communities are allocated RM12 billion, then the others should be allocated RM1.2 billion. This RM1.2 billion does not come out from the RM 12 billion, which remains untouched.
Poverty in M’sia
No one disputes the fact that the majority of those living in poverty in Malaysia are bumiputera. The Statistics Department’s Poverty in Malaysia Report 2022 cites the national absolute poverty rate at 6.2 percent - with 7.9 percent for bumiputera, 1.9 percent for Chinese, 5.4 percent for Indians, and 6.5 percent for other Malaysians.
In other words, the absolute poverty rate for bumiputera is 4.2 times worse than Chinese, 1.5 times worse than Indians and 1.2 times worse than other Malaysians.
This disparity is the reason why I suggested giving bumiputera communities a budgetary allocation 10 times more compared to the others. This allocation far exceeds the worst disparity of absolute poverty rate between bumiputera and the Chinese community by 4.2 times.
Even in the 2022 household incidence of absolute poverty, bumiputera make up 85.2 percent, with non-bumiputera at 14.8 percent, or 5.8 times more between both communities.
As such, the previous three percent or 33 times more budgetary allocation for bumiputera compared to others should be revised to 10 percent.
This would be more equitable and reasonable by balancing the moral imperative to redress poverty among the bumiputera community without depriving other citizens of their dues. - Mkini
LIM GUAN ENG is Bagan MP.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

---