Affirmative action for majority: an international comparative study

Abstract

The Malaysian government launched the New Economic Policy in 1971 response to the post-election ethnic riot in May 1969. The aims of NEP were to eradicate poverty and to restructure society so as to correct social and economic imbalances for the national unity. The NEP was succeeded by the National Development Policy and the National Vision Policy. The policies were often seen as pro-bumiputera (indigenous Malaysians) because the policies give bumiputera advantages with respect to capital ownership, employment, education, grants, and so on. Affirmative action is generally a policy to give preferential treatment to minority groups who are socially vulnerable and face structural discrimination through the use of measures such as quota systems. Malaysia, South Africa, and Fiji, however, applied affirmative action for majority groups that are perceived as being disadvantaged. The paper examines the policies as affirmative actions for majority groups with the historical backgrounds in these three countries.