PUTRAJAYA: There must be justice for all Malaysians, regardless of whether they are from the majority or minority groups, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said it is crucial that his Madani administration takes a fair approach to ensure justice for the nation’s Malay majority and other minorities such as the Chinese, Indian and indigenous groups.
“We do not want tyranny of the majority but at the same time, we don’t not want tyranny of the minority.
“The approach we take must be one of justice.
“If there are any weaknesses, we will make improvements such as in the coming budget where adjustments will be made,” he said in his speech at the Finance Ministry’s monthly assembly here on Wednesday (Aug 20).
Despite the government’s best efforts, he said weaknesses would sometime arise which could be addressed through dialogues.
Anwar acknowledged that talk about justice would arise from time to time in Malaysia’s multicultural society but chided certain quarters, particularly the opposition, for pitting the races against each other.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, took the opportunity during the assembly to clarify the rationale behind the Madani government’s approach in disbursing aid and assistance to the various communities, which varied according to the needs.
He cited the example where up to 75%, or about RM14bil, under the government’s Business Financing Guarantee Scheme was channelled to Chinese businesses, particularly the SMEs.
“It’s not because we choose them because they are Chinese but coincidentally, the bulk of SMEs are controlled by Chinese companies.
“I want to clarify this so that there will be no misunderstanding and questions such as why we choose the Malays only, why only the Indians and why only the Chinese or those only from Sabah or Sarawak.
“In respect of the business loan guarantees, it’s because these Chinese businesses make an important contribution towards the growth of the nation’s economy,” he added.
He also cited the various allocation and aid to assist the Indian community, particularly the hardcore poor.
He said government initiatives since 2022 included RM500mil allocated to the community under the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) programme, which had increased to RM972mil this year for those eligible from the Indian community.
“The Malays who make up some 60% of the country’s population received RM721mil under the STR.
“While there are hardcore poor among the Malays, the extremely hardcore poor are from the Indian community.
“We choose them not because they are Indians but because they are extremely hardcore poor,” he said.
He also chided the opposition for saying that Malay rights were given away to the other races, particularly with regard to the recent appointment of Comm Datuk M. Kumar to head Bukit Aman’s criminal investigation department (CID).
“The department is made up of about 90% Malays but its head is an Indian.
“This is not an issue for me.
“Anyone who is capable of the job is eligible for it,” he said.
He noted that a majority of high-ranking cops in the country were Malays, including the Inspector-General of Police and the Deputy Inspector-General of Police.
Apart from aid for the bumiputra community, he said that Malay reserve land had increased under the Madani administration.
Anwar said that his administration is adopting the approach of being fair towards the minorities as opposed to where the minorities, including Muslim minorities, in some countries are totally sidelined or ignored.
