PRESIDENT SAPP:NEP HAD EXPIRED IN 1990

Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee said the New Economic Policy had lapsed in the 1990s and that it was unhealthy for political leaders of different races to be pro or anti the policy based on racial prejudice.

"At the Barisan Nasional supreme council meeting in Kuala Lumpur last Monday, our party once again highlighted the dangers of racial and religious polarization and the mixing of religion with politics. There are much bigger issues facing the country than an expired NEP."

He said, NEP had expired in 1990 and was replaced by the National Development Policy (NDP), which was formulated by the National Economic Consultative Committee (NECC) from 1989 to 1990.

"The NECC was formed to formulate a post-NEP policy and I was one of the representatives from Sabah, along with the then deputy chief minister Datuk Ahmad Baharom and leaders from chambers of commerce. The process took a year to complete and the successor to the NEP was the NDP.

Yong said SAPP had two years ago voiced objections to a proposal by Umno Youth to revive the NEP as it had been "discredited" and that the party preferred to support actions to help weaker sections of society irrespective of race.

The statement by the Penang government to not practice the NEP was redundant as the policy no longer exists, he said.