KUALA LUMPUR: The Bumiputera Economic Congress 2024 is organised in line with the government’s drive to strengthen the Bumiputera economic agenda, which requires new intelligence and paradigms, said UMNO deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
In a Facebook post, he said the congress was organised to discuss timely ideas and a comprehensive agenda to ensure the continuous support and empowerment of the Bumiputera community in various economic and industrial sectors.
“The accusation that the government has used previous congresses to justify the seizure of the nation’s wealth in favour of Malay elite groups is outrageous.
“The spirit and aspiration of various Congress series before this one was to promote Malay participation in various economic and industrial sectors. It was certainly not to distribute the nation’s wealth to certain investors from the Malay community,” he said.
Mohamad said this in response to the criticism towards the government and the Malay community even before the congress is to take place in January.
According to Mohamad, the Malay community has been significantly affected by changes in the global economic landscape driven by advances in information technology, science and engineering.
Added to this is the impact of globalisation and recent international conflicts that threaten the competitiveness of the Bumiputera community, he said.
He said that issues such as the impact of climate change, the food crisis, pandemics, artificial intelligence (AI) and the advancement of financial technology (fintech) are important and need to be discussed in the context of the progress of Malays and Bumiputeras.
Mohamad said the role of the government is to ensure that the potential of every person in this country is unlocked and developed responsibly and that no one is left behind in the development of the country.
Prior to this, former MCA vice-president Datuk Ti Lian Ker had issued a statement denying that he had questioned the organisation of the Congress during the recent Supply Bill 2024 debate in Dewan Negara, claiming that his statement had been twisted.–Bernama
