FTAs won’t change bumi policy
The Star, Malaysia
FTAs won’t change bumi policy
By Shahanaaz Habib
15 August 2006
KUALA LUMPUR: The Government will not give up its affirmative action policy to help bumiputra contractors even if it agrees on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States, said Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz.
The International Trade and Industry Minister said the US can argue “until the cows come home” but it’s a “no go” if they want to impinge on Malaysia’s right to implement a particular policy.
“We have our own integral policies which are based on socio-economic development premises. There are some small tenders given to F class (bumiputra) contractors and there are some tenders for all Malaysians.
“There are some negotiated tenders and some international tenders and foreigners can come in where it is clear they can come in. If they want to come in for an F tender, they can’t.
“If anybody tells us to change our policy, our answer is a big fat no,” she said yesterday after opening a Forum on International Trade in Professional Service in APEC Economies.
She was asked if the Government would open up its procurement to the US market under the proposed Malaysia-US FTA.
Malaysia had signed an FTA with Japan recently, and is currently negotiating FTAs with the US and Australia.
