During the Bumiputera Economic Congress (KEB) 2024, a proposal was raised to mandate that 70 per cent of purchases for official government aid programs, such as flood relief boxes, food baskets, and Rahmah Sales, be sourced from Bumiputera-owned halal products.
Mydin Mohamed Holdings Berhad (Mydin) managing director Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin highlighted that the proposal aimed to support Bumiputera-owned businesses in the country.
He said that as of December last year, 38.7 per cent of Halal-certified companies were Bumiputera-owned, but many operated from premises that did not meet halal certification standards.
Ameer emphasised the reliance of business owners on self-funding for daily operations and stressed the importance of government support. He proposed making it a policy to prioritise Bumiputera goods as the first choice for official government assistance programs.
“Business owners rely too much on self-funding to sustain their daily business activities. At the same time, we all know that the government, government-linked companies (GLCs) provide a lot of assistance.
“So, we must make it a policy that Bumiputera goods are given as a first choice (for official government assistance programmes),” he said while presenting the resolution.
