Chong Chieng Jen
KUCHING (Oct 1): Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) should pull out of the federal government if Putrajaya insists on implementing the 51 per cent Bumiputera equity for all freight forwarding companies by December next year, said state DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen.
Pointing out that the Finance Ministry had made it clear that companies that fail to abide by the ruling will not be issued the customs brokerage licences, Chong said GPS cannot remain in the federal government if it truly subscribed to multiracial fairness
“Such a policy amounts to daylight robbery, legitimising one particular race to free-ride on the property and hard-earned assets of other races. The government was able to do so because the government holds the power to issue the ‘customs brokerage licence’,” the Stampin MP said in a statement today.
Chong claimed if such a directive could happen to a freight forwarding company, it could also happen to other industries in Malaysia as they all required a licence from the authorities.
On the surface, he said the policy may seem to give an advantage to one race over another but he alleged that it actually benefits the elite and politically-connected Bumiputeras.
“Common low or middle-income Bumiputera will not be able to benefit from such a policy. On the contrary, with such policy, the most likely outcome of which would be the creation of ‘alibaba’ mode of trade in the freight forwarding service.
“This will not only slow down the freight forwarding services but increase the costs of such service which ultimately will be translated into the price of goods. The average Bumiputeras will be the majority of the consumers paying extra for the increased costs,” he said.
Chong wondered why all the GPS top guns had been keeping quiet over the unfair and unconstitutional policy.
He said their silence and continued support for the federal government amounted to endorsing the implementation of such policy.
“In light of such racially discriminatory policy of the government, if GPS truly and sincerely subscribes to the principle of fairness to all races, the GPS should pull out of the (federal) government, its ministers and deputy ministers should resign from their respective posts,” he added.
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) had extended the exemption period for freight forwarders to meet the requirement of 51 per cent Bumiputera equity participation until December next year.
Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said on Sept 28 that this was to allow the Bumiputera Agenda Steering Unit (Teraju) to study and review the participation of the Bumiputera community in the logistics industry in greater detail along with various quarters.