COMMENT | Are bumiputera privileges being abused?

COMMENT | The question in the headline is legitimate, notwithstanding the debate between Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and outspoken PKR MP Hassan Abdul Karim where Anwar maintained that the Constitution will be protected.

Hassan did not question the constitutional provisions protecting those interests but merely questioned if they were effective.

He asked for this to be discussed at the forthcoming Bumiputera Economic Congress (BEC) from Feb 29 to March 2.

That’s a perfectly justified request. After over half a century of affirmative action, any such congress should be asking how much has the bumiputera ground been helped and how can they be helped more effectively.

But first, the Constitution. Article 153 broadly says...