Kuala Lumpur

The NEP was a two-prong strategy which laid the foundations for a shift in development strategies for Malaysia. The first prong was to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty, by raising income levels and increasing employment opportunities for all Malaysians, irrespective of race and second prong was to accelerate the process of restructuring Malaysian society to correct economic imbalance, so as to reduce and eventually eliminate the identification of race with economic function. At the core of the NEP was a policy of race-based affirmative action, a horizontal inequality policy approach that targeted marginalised ethnic groups as a method to resolve the socioeconomic inequalities born out of British colonial rule. This series of webinars will cover our 50 Years of the New Economic Policy project which aims to create public understanding around the origins and objectives of ethnic-based affirmative action policies through the NEP and its implementation through subsequent development plans. Furthermore, the question of Bumiputera identity and social cohesions will be further discussed in the context of the last 50 years. Our third policy paper under this project titled "The New Economic Policy and The identity question of Indigenous people in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah & Sarawak" authored by Prof Zawawi Ibrahim.

The NEP was a two-prong strategy which laid the foundations for a shift in development strategies for Malaysia. The first prong was to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty, by raising income levels and increasing employment opportunities for all Malaysians, irrespective of race and second prong was to accelerate the process of restructuring Malaysian society to correct economic imbalance, so as to reduce and eventually eliminate the identification of race with economic function. At the core of the NEP was a policy of race-based affirmative action, a horizontal inequality policy approach that targeted marginalised ethnic groups as a method to resolve the socioeconomic inequalities born out of British colonial rule. This series of webinars will cover our 50 Years of the New Economic Policy project which aims to create public understanding around the origins and objectives of ethnic-based affirmative action policies through the NEP and its implementation through subsequent development plans. Furthermore, the question of Bumiputera identity and social cohesions will be further discussed in the context of the last 50 years. Our second policy paper under this project titled "Fifty Years of the New Economic Policy: The challenge of social cohesion, national unity and bangsa Malaysia" authored by Professor Abdul Rahman Embong.

Today IDEAS hosting a three-day series of webinars based on their project in commemoration of the 50-year anniversary of The New Economic Policy (NEP) conceived in 1969! The NEP was a two-prong strategy which laid the foundations for a shift in development strategies for Malaysia. The first prong was to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty, by raising income levels and increasing employment opportunities for all Malaysians, irrespective of race and second prong was to accelerate the process of restructuring Malaysian society to correct economic imbalance, so as to reduce and eventually eliminate the identification of race with economic function. At the core of the NEP was a policy of race-based affirmative action, a horizontal inequality policy approach that targeted marginalised ethnic groups as a method to resolve the socioeconomic inequalities born out of British colonial rule. This series of webinars will cover their 50 Years of the New Economic Policy project which aims to create public understanding around the origins and objectives of ethnic-based affirmative action policies through the NEP and its implementation through subsequent development plans. Furthermore, the question of Bumiputera identity and social cohesions will be further discussed in the context of the last 50 years. IDEAS will be launching three policy papers for each subsequent day under this project. Day 1: IDEAS’ Policy Paper Launch: The NEP beyond 50: Evaluating strengths and flaws, outlining a cohesive society authored by IDEAS Senior Fellow, Dr. Lee Hwok Aun.