Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim has remarked that it is “nice” to be a Bumiputera or a civil servant, noting the billions in allocations and perks provided.
The 2022 budget announced today includes RM11.4 billion for Bumiputera programmes, of which RM6.6 billion is for Bumiputera education programmes. Other Bumiputera allocations include RM4.8 billion for capacity-building programmes and RM100 million in matching grants for Bumiputera SMEs in the aerospace industry.
“Nice to be Bumiputeras…billions set aside,” noted Zaid in a tweet. “(This) must be the only country in the world where (the) Budget is race-specific,” he said.
He added that it was also “nice” to be a civil servant since they were “always getting cash handouts” during budget announcements and Hari Raya.
Among the benefits civil servants are poised to receive include RM1.3 billion in a special one-off aid of RM700 each to 1.3 million civil servants in Grade 56 and below, and a RM350 payment to one million retirees, five additional days of unrecorded leave, and a 2% interest rate on loans for buying computers and smartphones. – FMT