KUCHING: A proposal to grant Bumiputera status to third-generation Chinese Sarawakians raised by Julau MP Datuk Larry Sng is merely rhetoric, said Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
Abdul Karim said any move to redefine Bumiputera status must adhere to the provisions outlined in both the Federal Constitution and the Sarawak Constitution.
“I am aware that some have suggested extending Bumiputera status to the third generation, but we need to look at what constitutes a Bumiputera as defined under the law,” he told a press conference in conjunction with his Ministry’s Hari Raya open house held here today (March 29).
He stressed that the constitutions clearly specify who qualifies as natives of Sabah and Sarawak, and any change would require going through the proper legal process.
“Anyone can come up with suggestions, but from my personal observation, we have already opened up quite a lot, especially on native status,” he added.
Abdul Karim pointed out that under existing provisions, children are already eligible to acquire native status benefits if one parent is a native of Sabah or Sarawak.
“If either the husband or wife is a native, their children can purchase native land. Many people are not aware of this. That is already a significant provision, and there is no necessity to go further,” he explained.
He described such proposals as unnecessary and politically motivated.
“Sometimes I feel proposals like this are just rhetoric, possibly because elections are approaching. Representatives from areas with a higher Bumiputera population may raise such suggestions,” he said.
Sng had put forward the proposal recently, citing a recent survey which indicated that Sarawak’s Malay and Dayak communities were open to their non-Bumiputera counterparts enjoying the same status and privileges.
Sng, who is also the president of Parti Bangsa Malaysia, said in a podcast that the survey was conducted following his suggestion in March last year for Bumiputera and non-Bumiputera residents in Sarawak to be placed on equal footing.
