Bank Bumiputera Revisited

Dewan Perniagaan Melayu Malaysia (DPMM) mahu satu Bank Bumiputera ditubuhkan kembali dengan dana permulaan RM2 billion di mana RM1 billion dari dana kerajaan dan selebihnya disumbangkan dari dana institusi Melayu.

Presidennya, Datuk Syed Ali Al-Attas (gambar) berkata cadangan itu diusulkan ekoran tabung usahawan sedia ada tidak mencukupi dan bank itu kelak dapat menerima deposit bagi merancakkan pembangunan ekonomi Bumiputera.

"Dengan penubuhan bank ini kelak, kita menjangka akan dapat memberikan pinjaman lebih banyak kepada peniaga Bumiputera malah ramai kakitangan profesional bank yang sedia menyokong hasrat penubuhan ini.

"Kira-kira 100 kakitangan profesional bank sedia menyumbangkan buah fikiran selain institusi kewangan Bumiputera yang dikenal pasti akan menyumbangkan modal.

"Kita boleh menggesa agensi seperti Permodalan Nasional Berhad, Lembaga Tabung Haji dan Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera untuk memberikan modal dan dijangka wang yang dapat dikutip sekitar RM200 billion dari agensi tersebut," katanya ketika ditemui media di Ibu Pejabat DPMM di Kuala Lumpur hari ini. – 18 September, 2013.

Although the idea is seen as noble and much related to PM Najib's recent move to empower the Bumiputera economy, it is necessary to seriously look into the detail processes of reestablishing one. The management must be lined-up by independent professionals, not necessarily foreign experts, so to avoid the misappropriation of the funds.

Obviously, none other Bumiputeras or any citizen of Malaysia would want to hear this kind of news:

1) In July of 1983, what was then the biggest banking scandal in world history erupted in Hong Kong, when it was discovered that Bumiputra Malaysia Finance (BMF), a unit of Bank Bumiputra Malaysia Bhd, had lost as much as US$1 billion which had been siphoned off by prominent public figures into private bank accounts. The story involved murder, suicide and the involvement of officials at the very top of the Malaysian government. Ultimately it involved a bailout by the Malaysian government amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.

2) The said politician is reportedly being investigated by MACC  for allegedly misappropriating  funds belonging to a Government welfare programme which comes under the 1AZAM programme launched in 2010. It is a government initiative under the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to provide employment opportunities to the hardcore poor in the business, service and agriculture sectors. Could this billion Ringgit programme be his bottomless coffers?

3) Shahrizat also disagreed with the statement in which he said the question arose of whether public funds were siphoned out after the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) loaned RM81 million to the National Meat Livestock Corporation (NMLC) to purchase two luxury condominium units in Bangsar.


updated 19 Oktober 2013 :http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/241487

SUA Umno: Tiada keperluan untuk bank bumiputera

Setiausaha Agung Umno, Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor berkata tiada keperluan khusus untuk mewujudkan satu bank khas bagi memberi pinjaman kepada bumiputera memandangkan kini telah wujud begitu banyak bank yang memberi kemudahan tersebut.

Katanya lagi, ia juga dikhuatiri akan menyebabkan golongan bumiputera merasakan mereka berhak mendapat pinjaman dari sesuatu bank hanya semata-mata kerana status bumiputera mereka.

"Banyak bank sudah ada, masalah dia kita juga hendak nasihati bumiputera jangan oleh kerana bank itu namanya dahulu bank bumiputera (maka) kita ada hak untuk dapatkan pinjaman.

"Tidak, mereka perlu ingat apabila memohon pinjaman, walaupun mereka bumiputera atau apa nama banknya sekali pun, bumiputera mesti tahu bahawa dia mesti mengikut kriteria pinjaman yang akan diluluskan," katanya pada sidang media pagi tadi.

Beliau berkata demikian sewaktu mengulas cadangan Dewan Perniagaan Melayu Malaysia (DPMM) yang menggesa kerajaan agar mewujudkan bank bumiputera khusus.

Ini memandangkan dana RM1 bilion yang disalurkan kerajaan menerusi Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usahawan Nasional (TEKUN) dan Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) dianggap tidak cukup untuk membantu usahawan kelas menengah.

Which is good also,  to avoid incidents 1), 2) and 3) and such.