KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 — Putrajaya will continue to uphold the provisions in the Federal Constitution including Article 153 which touches on Bumiputera privileges, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim affirmed today.

Anwar said this in response to Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim who had earlier urged the upcoming Bumiputera Economic Congress 2024 (KEB 2024) to review if the Bumiputera privileges under Article 153 actually benefited the group.

"We will defend the Constitution's provision, including Article 153,” Anwar told reporters briefly at the 15th International Conference on Islamic Economics and Finance at Sasana Kijang here.

Under Article 153, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is granted the power and responsibility to safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other communities.

The provision goes on provide that this include the establishment of quotas for entry into the civil services, public scholarships and education.

Hassan had in his remark questioned if the affirmative action policy has instead been hijacked and manipulated by some Bumiputera elites.

This was not the first time Hassan has raised similar concerns, with him calling for Article 153 to be revised so that actions could be revamped to be more needs-based instead as far back as November 2021.

Anwar had previously said KEB 2024 scheduled to take place from February 29 to March 2 will be more inclusive such with cooperation and joint participation from the Chinese and Indian communities to help tackle the problem of poverty in addition to discussing issues related to the Bumiputera economy.