New bumi development agenda to be set soon

PUTRAJAYA: A new direction and strategy for developing the bumiputra community will be hashed out at the Bumiputra Economic Congress, scheduled from Feb 29 to March 2, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the agenda would contain plans organised into 10 clusters that would be submitted as a resolution to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“It will involve 10 clusters related to the involvement of the bumiputra community within and outside the economic field,” he told reporters here yesterday at his ministry.

Each of the 10 clusters would have a chairman and secretariat to monitor the implementation of its plans, Ahmad Zahid said.

“It will not just be resolutions on paper, but we have formed a secretariat to monitor the implementation of the plans based on phases,” he added.

Citing an example, he said Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) was established during the first bumiputra economic congress and played a pivotal role in helping the community.

Earlier in his speech, Ahmad Zahid also announced that subsidiaries under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry, which he helms, which are not generating profits will be closed or revamped.

He said he had ordered all agency heads under his ministry to monitor the performance of the entities under them.

“Please turn them around. Those that are not profitable should find ways to contribute profits to the agency or ministry. If not, my order is to close. This is very important so that we do not have to feed loss-making entities in our organisation,” he said.

Ahmad Zahid said several subsidiaries under the ministry were closed last year as they were not making a profit and the list of companies would be announced in Parliament soon.

“There were already closures, we also offered management buyouts to the companies concerned. We are giving nominal payments for them to continue if they leave the ministry,” Ahmad Zahid said.