The Malay Economic Action Council (MTEM) has urged the government to address several issues, some of which are related to mega projects and minimum wages so that the ‘Shared Prosperity’ approach can be attained.

Its chief executive officer Ahmad Yazid Othman in a statement said that all mega projects should also be reviewed independently by Parliament.

“Local and bumiputera industry players need to benefit more from mega projects than giant overseas companies and there should be more high-impact mini projects implemented compared to very costly mega projects which are small in numbers,” he said.

Ahmad Yazid said MTEM also urged the government to reduce the number of illegal immigrants in the country so that the Malaysian economy would transform into a highly-skilled workforce and not one with low-paying workers.

“MTEM also proposes for the government to implement anti-discrimination laws to eliminate any form of (discrimination) in the employment sector and to increase the minimum wage in stages so that it reaches RM1,500 a month, before the next general election,” he said.

MTEM is an umbrella organisation representing more than 50 Malay non-governmental organisations (NGOs) at national level and 120 NGOs at the state level. It claims to represent over 500,000 bumiputera businesses.

- Bernama