Government to continue upholding Federal Constitution including Article 153 - PM

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will continue upholding the position and principles of the Federal Constitution, including the special position of the Malays and Bumiputera enshrined under Article 153.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said this has been the government's stance all this while.

"We will continue upholding the position of the Constitution, including Article 153," he said briefly to reporters after delivering a keynote address at the 15th International Conference on Islamic Economics and Finance (ICIEF) here today.

Article 153 of the Federal Constitution gives the Malays and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak special rights and privileges and it shall be the responsibility of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other communities.

Anwar said this in response to Pasir Gudang Member of Parliament Hassan Abdul Karim's statement calling for the upcoming 2024 Bumiputera Economic Congress to reassess whether the privileges under Article 153 truly benefit the intended groups.

Hassan questioned the affirmative action policy, claiming that it had been seized and manipulated by a certain elite group of Bumiputera.

The 2024 Bumiputera Economic Congress, scheduled to take place from Feb 29 to March 2 at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), aims to propose new directions and approaches for a fairer, just, and inclusive empowerment agenda for the Bumiputera community.

-- BERNAMA