Bumiputra

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Bumiputra or Bumiputera is a Malay name used to summarize the various ethnic groups who are considered to be indigenous people in Malaysia . In addition to the Malays , this includes Javanese , Bugis and Minangkabaus as well as some smaller ethnic groups such as the Dayak and Orang Asli . The term is derived from the Sanskrit word Bhumiputra, which literally means "son of the earth" ( bhumi 'earth, soil'; putra 'Soh'n).

As a result of the bloody unrest on May 13, 1969, a new economic policy was introduced in Malaysia, the Malaysian New Economic Policy , which favors the Bumiputras especially over members of the Indian and Chinese minorities. This policy led to the creation of a significant Malay middle class in the cities , but was less successful among the rural population and created new resentments between the indigenous peoples and the ethnic groups excluded from this economic policy.

The main reason for the riots and the new economic policy that followed was the economic dominance of the Chinese : With only 33% of the population, they controlled 90% of the economy. Only one percent of the doctors were Bumiputra and only eleven percent of the students were from their ranks. To restore internal peace, the government in Kuala Lumpur adopted the “positive discrimination program” that Bumiputra favors in all areas of public life.

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