KUALA LUMPUR -- Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's hand-picked advisers have recommended changes to Malaysia's Bumiputra policy, a set of affirmative action measures designed to lift the social welfare of the majority ethnic Malays. The policy, introduced in 1971, grants a wide range of privileges -- from scholarships to access to government contracts -- based on ethnicity rather than merit.
Past attempts to revise the policy have been met with strong protests from conservatives, including Mahathir, who argued that Malays would be diminished in their own birthplace without state support.
