“Our policies must be based on needs not race. The needs of the bumiputeras must be protected, of course. We will ensure they get their rights, yes, but we have to be fair to all Malaysians,” he told reporters at Parliament today.

He said PH was moving from a race-based system to one that was needs-based, while ensuring the bumiputeras were not left behind.

“We have to be fair to the Indians in the plantation industry in the country,” he said. “The Chinese traders need our attention too. And so do the bumiputeras in places like Sabah and Sarawak,” he added.

“They all need serious attention from the government,” he said.

He said a similar approach was done in Selangor when he served as the menteri besar, adding that it can be replicated at the federal level.

Azmin yesterday said major policies such as the NEP as well as the New Economic Model (NEM) introduced by the Najib Razak administration would be re-examined under the 12th Malaysia Plan.

He said it would take more than the first five years of PH’s current term in government to fully revamp the existing economic policies.