Sunday March 16, 2008
NEP is no more ... it's the NDP lah!
By MUGUNTAN VANAR
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Progressive Party president Datuk Yong Teck Lee is puzzled why there is so much fuss over the New Economic Policy when it has already been superseded by the National Development Policy.
He questioned why politicians on both sides of the political divide, in Penang particularly, were still harping in the issue of the NEP that had expired in the 1990s and replaced with the NDP.
He said back in 1989-90 the National Economic Consultative Committee (MAPEN) was formed to formulate a post-NEP policy in which he was among the representatives from Sabah for the committee chaired by Tan Sri Ghazali Shafie.
“The successor to the NEP was the NDP,” he said, adding that overtime Vision 2020, 10-year Outline Perspective Plan (OPP), five-year Malaysia Plans and other policies overshadowed the NDP.
“We are now busy with other new concepts like development corridors, Agenda Baru (New Agenda) and Islam Hadhari (Civilisational Islam). It is no wonder that some politicians both from ruling and opposition have lost focus on which policy to talk about,” he added.
He said the DAP-led Penang government “so-called cancellation of the NEP” was completely redundant because it no longer existed and it was disappointing that Penang Umno was still harping on the NEP like it was a valid document.
There were bigger issues facing the country then the expired NEP, he said, adding that SAPP at the Barisan supreme council meeting on March 10 had highlighted the dangers of racial and religious polarisation and the mixing of religion with politics.
He said SAPP, which two years ago voiced objections on a proposal by Umno Youth to revive the NEP, said that the party supported affirmative action to help weaker sections of society irrespective of race and region.
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