Noor Azlan, an economist, said the establishment of a secretariat would ensure that the Bumiputera agenda is not a seasonal one.

He said Majlis Amanah Rakyat or Mara was in the best position to lead the secretariat, given that it has a presence in every district.

“The Bumiputera Agenda Steering Unit (Teraju) could also lead the secretariat, but they are still not very popular in rural areas. If you go to rural areas, many don’t know what Teraju is,” he said at a press conference.

Teraju was established in 2011 under the Prime Minister’s Department to facilitate the economic empowerment and advancement of the Bumiputera community.

Its primary objective is to coordinate and implement programmes aimed at enhancing the economic participation and competitiveness of Bumiputera individuals and businesses across various sectors of the economy.

Noor Azlan also welcomed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s invitation for non-Bumiputeras to participate in the Bumiputera economic congress this week.

When officiating the pre-launch of the congress, Anwar was reported as saying that this year’s edition would be inclusive in discussing ways to tackle the economic issues faced by the community.

He said an inclusive approach to addressing the Bumiputera economy would mean resolving issues affecting other communities as well.

Anwar said this was why the government wanted the participation of the Chinese and Indian chambers of commerce at the congress.