The recent suggestion by Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua that discounts for bumiputeras buying upscale property be removed has come under continued attack - and more is to come, it appears.

The Selangor Malaysian Malay Chamber of Commerce (DPMMS) has called for an emergency meeting at the Shah Alam International Convention Centre (SICC) tomorrow to discuss Pua's proposal.

The meeting, which will include Malay NGOs, economic and business groups, is expected to unanimously condemn the suggestion to abolish the seven percent discount currently enjoyed by bumiputeras buying high-end commercial and residential properties.

DPMMS secretary Wan Haslinda Wan Yusoff was quoted by Malay daily Utusan Malaysia as saying the bumiputera discount was an economic policy set by state and federal governments to restructure the economic breakdown in real estate ownership.

"The suggestion is not only sensitive in terms of the state's economic policy, but also touches on the sensitivities and interests of the bumiputera community as a whole," she was quoted as saying.

Utusan Malaysia last week plastered Pua's statement on its front page, sparking an outpouring of protests from Umno leaders who claimed Pua was challenging Malay rights.

Yesterday, Umno Selangor's youth wing filed a police report against Pua, calling for him to be investigated for making seditious and provocative remarks.

'Umno incapable of change'

In a statement today, Pua said the protests were proof that Umno and its youth wing were "incapable of change, (therefore) ending all hopes of a successful implementation of the New Economic Model".

NONE Defending his proposal to abolish the bumiputera discount, he said such a move would be completely in line with the NEM proposed by prime minister and Umno president Najib Abdul Razak, who promised to reform affirmative action programmes to be "market-friendly and merit-based" and to focus on the bottom 40 percent of lower income earners.

"Why should the government impose a policy to continue to subsidise those who can already afford property costing millions of ringgit?" he asked.

Pua ( right) also brushed aside the police report against him as "frivolous and childish", and accused Umno of being the agent provocateur.

"I will not be threatened for making positive suggestions to improve both the economy of the state as well as the welfare of the poor.

"I strongly believe that the majority of the population, including the majority of the bumiputera community, will understand and support proposals to promote greater equity for bumiputeras and Malaysians," he added.