Congress of Bumiputera Economy 2024 Empowers Bumiputera Community

4 March 2024

KUALA LUMPUR: In an effort to drive the advancement of the Bumiputera community towards the digital era, the Congress of Bumiputera Economy (KEB) 2024 has concluded with the formulation of over 80 resolutions that will serve as the agenda for empowering the Bumiputera community.

The congress, which took place since last Thursday, provided a platform for various stakeholders to share their views and ideas in addressing the challenges faced by the Bumiputera community.

With a focus on 10 main groups that encompass all aspects of Bumiputera life, the congress, organized by the Ministry of Rural Development and Territories (KKDW) in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy, successfully gathered more than 3,000 participants. These participants included representatives from Malay, Kadazan, Dusun, Iban, Dayak, and Orang Asli business councils.

One of the main focuses of the congress was to empower the Bumiputera community in the fields of education and economy, particularly through the establishment of the Bumiputera Development Research Center, as proposed by the Chairman of the Education Reform and Human Capital Group, Prof Tan Sri Noor Azlan Ghazali.

Other issues discussed during the congress included Wealth Creation and Corporate Ownership, Bumiputera Enterprise Competitiveness, Adoption of New Technologies, Felda and Federal Territory Land, as well as the Socioeconomics of Bumiputeras in Sabah and Sarawak.

During the closing ceremony, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim outlined three important principles to support the aspirations expressed by the community. These principles include strengthening the country's economy, enhancing governance and institutions, and upholding social justice.

The Prime Minister also announced the allocation of RM1 billion in funding to nurture a new generation of Bumiputera entrepreneurs. Additionally, he announced the establishment of the Tabung Wakaf MARA MADANI with an initial grant of RM100 million and a target of accumulating RM1 billion within two years.

Chairman of Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, emphasised the importance of monitoring and implementing the resolutions that were put forward.

He said, "We hope that this is not just a congress and a set of papers, but rather meaningful views that we have obtained throughout the congress, which have been committed to by the Prime Minister for implementation by the government."

"This requires monitoring, coordination, and, most importantly, we need to assess and measure the success of these efforts from time to time."

Throughout the congress held at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), recorded transactions reached a total of RM150,000 at 21 sales booths for MARA and KKDW-guided entrepreneurs, demonstrating the significant economic potential among Bumiputera entrepreneurs.