Some political perspectives on the New Economic Policy

Abstract

A new consciousness generated by the May 13th incident was not the only factor responsible for the birth of the New Economic Policy. Ideas on the eradication of poverty irrespective of ethnicity and the creation of a Malay commercial and industrial community had been articulated in the past albeit in a different fashion. More important, dissension within UMNO, the emergence of an influential post-Merdeka elite and the expansion of a hitherto small Malay middle-class have been crucial in the crystallisation of the New Economic Policy. Given the interests of these new social forces, the implementation of the New Economic Policy has not always been to the benefit of the Malay masses of conducive towards national unity. The absence of any effective counteracting group may well mean that the situation will remain for some time to come.