In Malaysia, a new app hopes to give Muslim-owned businesses a leg-up
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia’s prime minister on Saturday told local media the country’s Malay, or Bumiputera, community, must realise that it is by “doing business that they can alleviate their economic standing”.
Mahathir Mohamad was referring to the lower economic standing of the Bumiputeras—largely Muslims who make up around 60 percent of the population—compared to their fellow ethnic Chinese and Indian citizens. Bumiputeras earned a median monthly gross household income of 6,267 Malaysian ringgit ($1,541) in 2016, compared to 8,750 ringgit ($2,152) for ethnic Chinese and 7,150 ringgit ($1,759) for Indians, according to most recent available data from the Economic Planning Unit.
Discussions surrounding the economic disparity between the majority Malays and the Chinese, especially, is not a new one by any means.
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Ahmad Mustakim Zulkifli