BUMIPUTERA Status for Indian/Pakistani Muslims? What about the non-Muslim of Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, etc origins who (they or their parents) have been in Malaysia before MERDEKA day? To just consider MUSLIMS and not others is DISCRIMINATORY??? Can non-Muslims apply for Bumiputera status(a legally undefined group)?
APPLICATIONS from the Indian Muslim community for Bumiputera status will be assessed individually, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. It would be handled through the normal constitutional process, he stressed.
Pray, tell me where this normal constitutional process stated? In the Federal Constitution? In some other law? Maybe, there is a NEED for a LAW that will make clear what this Constitutional Process is - Who can apply?
1 - The term 'BUMIPUTRA' itself is NOT in the Federal Constitution. That term was a term introduced by the then Barisan Nasional(BN) regime? What exactly is the position of Anwar's Pakatan Harapan - does it also accept the term BN's term and definition of 'Bumiputra'?
2 - Many believed that term BUMIPUTRA means a reference to all the groups collectively referred in the Federal Constitution who ought to be given preferential treatment - Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak. Malays are Constitutionally confined to those as defined in Article 160, and likewise, the natives of Sarawak are
"Malay" means a person who professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, conforms to Malay custom and—
(a) was before Merdeka Day born in the Federation or in Singapore or born of parents one of whom was born in the Federation or in Singapore, or is on that day domiciled in the Federation or in Singapore; or
(b) is the issue of such a person;
Note, that Malays who do not satisfy the above mentioned criteria reasonably do not have the right to preferential treatment even if they '...professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, conforms to Malay custom...' because the word AND clearly stipulate mandatory requirements that need to be complied. Same goes for Sabah and Sarawak natives - see Article 161A...
(6) In this Article "native" means—
(a) in relation to Sarawak, a person who is a citizen and belongs to one of the races specified by State law as indigenous to the State; and
(b) in relation to Sabah, a person who is a citizen, is the child or grandchild of a person of a race indigenous to Sabah, and was born (whether on or after Malaysia Day or not) either in Sabah or to a father domiciled in Sabah at the time of the birth.
One wonders that whether many Muslims that parents or themselves arrived in Malaysia after MERDEKA may have been wrongly accorded special preference... the government need to CLARIFY this.
The term 'BUMIPUTRA' may include those not qualified....and that is why we always need to revert to the Federal Constitution... and not end up giving 'preferences' to the unqualified.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the inquiry about Bumiputera status among Indian Muslims in the country would be scrutinised according to the normal constitutional process.
"Whether one qualified or not will be based on established processes," he said after attending the 70th celebration of the Penang Muslim League at Setia Spice Convention Centre.
Anwar said the process of application does not have a timeline as it would be on an individual basis, not as a group or association.
He said that matters related to the application would be reviewed by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, before a decision is made.
Anwar said this in response to allegations that the application for the Indian Muslim community Bumiputera status had been rejected recently.
NOTE that all Malaysians contribute to Malaysia's economy - irrespective of religion.
HAS the time come to ensure EQUALITY for all those (a) was before Merdeka Day born in the Federation or in Singapore or born of parents one of whom was born in the Federation or in Singapore, or is on that day domiciled in the Federation or in Singapore;...?? The time has come for a REVIEW...
Maybe, as PM Anwar Ibrahim has been advocating - should preferential treatment also be accorded to the POOR - B40 and M40, so that we can ensure that all poor Malaysians also improve their economic position - and equity is achieved amongst citizens..
When the Federal Constitution came into being, the Orang Asli was inadvertently left out - they are the indigenous people of Peninsular Malaysia, and had been here even longer than other residents. Should not the Federal Constitution be amended to include the ORANG ASLI - and others in Peninsular Malaysia that may have wrongly been missed out? Same problem with Sarawak - maybe there are other races that were not races specified by State law as indigenous to the State.
PM Anwar Ibrahim and the Pakatan Harapan-led government, to me, is MOST DISAPPOINTING as the continue to advocate and/or practice the 'DIVIDE AND RULE' policy/practices of the British Colonial government of past - that was continued by the then UMNO-led Barisan Nasional government of past - where we are still distinguished according the race/ethnicity of our forefathers - still not treated as Malaysians. We are still 'required' to state whether we are of Malay, Chinese Malaysian, Indian Malaysian, etc...
The government is still appointing politicians based on ethnicity to look after Malaysians of particular ethnic groups ... Budget allocations? And, now
At the event, Anwar also approved an allocation of RM250,000 for the Penang Muslim League to train youths in digital technology, artificial intelligence (AI), new technologies, and entrepreneurship.Will the government make other 'allocation' to the other ethnic group organizations to '...to train youths in digital technology, artificial intelligence (AI), new technologies, and entrepreneurship'? When will Malaysia provide such allocations to just the relevant government department/Ministry where EVERY Malaysian youth can apply and get?
If the government itself is responsible, it is better that allocating to NGOs to do the needful allocations. The problem is that the respective non-governmental organizations, firstly may not have all the persons that belong to that particular ethnic/religious groups - hence, the existence of persons who will not get anything.
2nd, the problem of discrimination. For example, Malaysian Indians are of so many different ethnicities - Tamil, Telugu, Goanese, Punjabi, Malayalee(from Kerala), etc - then there are the Ceylonese and others from Sri Lanka, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, etc - would an Malaysian Indian entity, who may be primarily Tamil(being the majority Indian group) treat other ethnic groups of Indian origin equally, and, if not, do a minority Indian person be able to take a legal action based on discrimination as he/she did not receive equal treatment. The answer is maybe NOT - do the Penang Muslim League have the legal obligation to assist all Indian Muslims in Penang? Most probably NOT - but the government does.
During BN rule, the main political parties were the Malay party(UMNO), the Indian Party(MIC) and the Chinese party(MCA)... so, it was a coalition of ethnic based parties. But Pakatan Harapan parties are ALL multi-ethnic Malaysian parties - LOGICALLY, the approach should have changed to assistance of all Malaysians, and no more through ethnic political parties or organizations.
SADLY, Anwar seems to still be under the influence of UMNO-BN, even though he was expelled in 1998. Maybe, next time, we should just support alternative political parties who are led by a former non-UMNO person. To date all our 10 Prime Ministers sadly have been UMNO or former UMNO persons...who cannot seem to escape the UMNO way of thinking.
PM Anwar seems to want to propagate the 'divide and rule' based on ethnicity/religion - and Malaysians need to think about what we want for the future...
Several additional allocations provided by the unity government specifically to improve the socio-economic status of the Indian community in the country are proof that the government does not neglect this group, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar said that the government had previously allocated RM100 million to the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) in addition to increasing several funds, such as RM50 million each to the National Entrepreneurial Group Economic Fund (TEKUN Nasional) and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia for the Indian community. “If the representatives of the Indian community speak to me (about welfare of the community), I will try to solve it. Look, some people say Mitra (has issues), but that’s not true. Mitra alone (received) RM100 million. - Star, 8/7/2024
### What about Malaysian Sri Lankan community, Malaysian Pakistani community,...? What about the Malaysian Chinese community? What about the Malaysian Arabic community? What about Malaysian Thai community? In Malaysia, so many fore fathers of Malaysians hail from so many different countries and ethnic groups....
In the past, even for the allocation of aid - the BN government used to depend on its political parties to get the names of the deserving - will not those who are not members or supporters be left out or be discriminated. AID disbursement should be with government departments/agencies - including identifying of potential beneficiaries. It must be RACE/RELIGION Blind, and also political support of which party BLIND. Government Aid should not be utilized by political parties to woo or strengthen its own membership.
DO NOT DISCRIMINATE MALAYSIANS BASED ON RELIGION OR ethnicity or political affiliation.
Forefathers of many Malaysians fought the British for Independence. They also fought the Japanese during World War II... but it all did not matter, as there still seems to be discrimination based on ethnicity...maybe religion. POVERTY does not discriminate, and so there are poor Malays, poor Malaysian Chinese/Indian/Pakistani and poor natives of Sabah/Sarawak >> so EQUALITY please in combating poverty and uplifting the lives/livelihood of Malaysians.
Govt to review application for Bumiputera status of Indian Muslims, says Anwar
- Nation
-
Friday, 06 Dec 2024
GEORGE TOWN: The federal government will investigate the status of some Indian Muslims in the country who have not received Bumiputera status.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the inquiry about Bumiputera status among Indian Muslims in the country would be scrutinised according to the normal constitutional process.
"Whether one qualified or not will be based on established processes," he said after attending the 70th celebration of the Penang Muslim League at Setia Spice Convention Centre.
Anwar said the process of application does not have a timeline as it would be on an individual basis, not as a group or association.
He said that matters related to the application would be reviewed by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, before a decision is made.
Anwar said this in response to allegations that the application for the Indian Muslim community Bumiputera status had been rejected recently.
At the event, Anwar also approved an allocation of RM250,000 for the Penang Muslim League to train youths in digital technology, artificial intelligence (AI), new technologies, and entrepreneurship.
He stressed that the Madani government would not allow a digital divide to exist within the community, including the Indian Muslim Community.
Over 5000 members of the Indian Muslim community from several non-governmental groups attended the event. - Star, 6/12/2024
Applications from Indian Muslims for Bumiputera status will be assessed individually
The Prime Minister said he would instruct the Home Ministry to investigate the community's grouses, but it is best to treat such applications on an individual basis.
Updated 2 days ago · Published on 07 Dec 2024 10:24AM
Ian McIntyre
APPLICATIONS from the Indian Muslim community for Bumiputera status will be assessed individually, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
It would be handled through the normal constitutional process, he stressed.
Anwar also said he would instruct the Home Ministry to investigate the community's grouses, but it is best to treat such applications on an individual basis.
He said that the Madani-concept government would ensure inclusivity and fairness in resolving the issue.
“I have asked the ministry to pay close attention to the concerns raised by the Indian Muslims. We cannot ignore such grievances,” he said.
Anwar had earlier acknowledged that the Indian Muslims, including those of Pakistani and Bangladeshi descent, have played a significant role in the country's nation-building.
The community is associated with many economic sectors, including food and beverage through the widely popular nasi kandar chains, precious metals such as gold and silver trade, entrepreneurship and tourism.
He paid particular tribute to the former league president, the late Datuk Shaik Allaudin Ismail and veteran consumer advocate, the late S.M. Idris.
Shaik Allaudin was instrumental in getting the community to get bin or binti in their birth certificates instead of the son or daughter as was the case for the Indian community. Idris led both the Consumer Association of Penang and the environmental group Sahabat Alam Malaysia for years.
Earlier, the Malaysian Muslim League Datuk Seri Najmudeen Kader, who is also the Penang Muslim League president, said the problems related to their registrations as Bumiputera only began recently.
Najmudeen said that the Indian Muslims qualified as bumiputra by having embraced the Malay culture. and adopt the Muslim way of life.
Currently, there are about 1.1 million Indian Muslims in the country.
Najmudden now claimed that those without bumiputra status had faced problems relating to applying for housing, business permits and admissions into institutions of higher learning.
When addressing the crowd at the Muslim League 70th dinner celebrations at the Setia SPICE Conference Centre, Anwar urged the community to participate in Penang's growth as a main regional hub for digitalisation from chip manufacturing to information technology services.
To Najmudeen's request for funding to guide the community's nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) to become social enterprises, Anwar replied that the community is well off but he would grant some RM250,000 funding for the initial efforts.
The funding is also for the upskilling of the community's youths and educational efforts.
Anwar also said that the Muslim League
must work closely with government agencies to bridge economic
disparities and prepare for opportunities in emerging sectors such as
Artificial Intelligence and digital technology. - December 7, 2024, VIBES
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment