Bumiputra, or Bumiputera, is a term to describe the indigenous ethnic groups of Malaysia. This includes the Malay, who form the majority of Bumiputras, along with the Orang Asli*, and the different tribes of Sabah and Sarawak. The name translates from Malay, literally meaning "prince of the earth", and is derived from the Sanskrit "bhumi" for "earth" and "putra" for "son" or "prince".
* It should also be pointed out that the Federal constitution does not consider the Orang Asli as Bumiputra, despite their having settled in this land before even the Malays. Various groups are fighting on behalf of the Orang Asli to have the government accord them with Bumiputra status.
As an umbrella term for all indigenous groups, it includes peoples who are Muslims, Christians and animists. As Bumiputras, they are according favourable treatment under the New Economy Policy, which was in place from 1971 to 1990. The policy has been highly criticized by the non-Bumiputras (and by some Bumiputras) in Malaysia as well as by the international community, primarily because it appears to deviate from its original intention to create a level playing field, metamorphosing into a license to push forward racist policies. Critics of the New Economy Policy claim that it benefitted cronies of politicians rather than the Bumiputras, while at the same time succeeded in making Malaysians more polarised, or to fail completely in reducing polarisation. This perception, that government policies benefited the well-connected rather than the people themselves, caused a backlash against the government, ushering in opposition parties to form state governments in several states in Peninsular Malaysia in 2008. Upon coming to power, the state government of Penang announced - to vehement protests from certain quarters - that it will no longer favour Bumiputras in state sector employment.
To overturn these criticisms as well as to bring Malaysia to face challenges in the present era, prime minister Najib Tun Razak introduced an idea called 1Malaysia. According to the prime minister's 1Malaysia website, the idea is "to provide a free and open forum to discuss the things that matter deeply to (Malaysians) as a Nation. ... 1Malaysia's goal is to preserve and enhance this unity in diversity which as always been our strength and remains our best hope for the future." At time of writing (August 2009), 1Malaysia is still very much an idea on paper. Much still has to be seen to ascertain how much this can be realised.
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