Rambut-tons Bumis

There is RM500 million business up for grabs.

Datuk Mohamad Khaled Nordin, the Entrepreneur Minister said 95% of hair-salons are owned and operated by Non-Bumis and more than 50% of them owned by non-Bumis in Malay-majority areas and rural areas.

Khaled could be implying indirectly that the New Economic Policy must now step in to RE-Possess these business because the Bumis are marginalised.

Mara has sign an MOU with Stylish Hope Hair Academy to send selected Malay students under the Giatmara programme for training at the academy in the hope of creating more Bumiputera hairdressers and entrepreneurs to compete with traditionally non-Bumiputeras in the hair-styling business.

Stylish Hope Sdn Bhd belongs to Datuk Dr Yuhyi Azizan in partnership with Wella led by Wong Ting Hock, the MD. Wong said most Bumiputeras did not realise how lucrative the business was. He cited one of the academy graduate, Najwa Abdul Mutalib, 31, owner of Cleo Studio in Ampang who is earning between RM30,000 to RM50,000 a month. The government, through Mara, is GIVING a capital injection of up to RM120,000 to Bumiputera graduates of the academy to open up salon or to buy over existing ones.

Marginalisation does not exist in Malaysia, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi proffered extremely loud and clear. Probably, what he meant is, it was created; it did not exist under the rule of natural justice.