Malaysiakini reports of protests around the country following the announcement by Penang state government that they will not abide by the practices of the NEP.
UMNO Penang even held a demonstration.
To those who kept on defending the NEP, please read the report below from Bernama. Even the Prime Minister has declared that the NEP has ended.
NEP Ended In 1991, MAPEN In Place Now, Says Abdullah
Source: Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 (Bernama) — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the issue of abolishing the New Economic Policy (NEP) raised by the opposition parties should not have come up as the policy ended in 1991.
Since then, the government has set up the National Economic Consultative Council (MAPEN) to be responsible for planning the development of the country’s economy.
“Through MAPEN, many policies had been agreed upon for implementation by the government and among the policies were two policies taken from the NEP, with one being the overall eradication of poverty irrespective of race, and the second dealt with distribution,” he said at a press conference after chairing the Umno Supreme Council and Barisan Nasional Supreme Council meeting here today.
Abdullah was replying to questions on plans by the opposition parties, which won several state governments in the recent election, to abolish the NEP.
He said the government would continue to holistically carry out its poverty eradication programmes considering that hard core poverty still existed.
“We have continued to implement the programmes until today as poverty still exist including hardcore poverty even if the percentage has been reduced significantly from the past.
“And this has been one of our successes because we had persisted. We did not assume that there was nothing to be done just because the NEP was over,” he said.
On the policy of distribution (of wealth), he said the government has been distributing fairly in line with the economic progress made.
By distributing fairly, the government has not taken to robbing any one section in order to give it to another section, he said.
“That is why we are carrying on with our development, working so that our economy would continue to expand and grow,” he said.
– BERNAMA
It is time now for PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to come to senses that he should be the sole person be in control of the domestic security rather than encouraging demonstration in this country. The PM & BN have been given the mandate to look into the interest and security of the country.
When UMNO demonstrated in Penang, there was silence about ISA to be enforced. There wasn’t a word from PM to ensure peace within the country. PM where is your love for your country to protect the citizens whom have given you the mandate to rule the country. Your ego and pride must have been badly hurt but you would not be insane to support continued disturbance in this country.
PM, you are the guardian of peace and security of Malaysia and not for the sake of BN alone. When you love humanity, you would know what is best to be done and not to be told what to do as a PM.