Wikipedia
Bumiputera or Bumiputra ( Jawi: بوميڤوترا) is a Malaysian term to describe the Malay race and other indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia, and used particularly in Malaysia. The term comes from the Sanskrit word bhumiputra (भूमिपुत्र), which can be translated literally as "son of the land" or "son of the soil" (bhumi= earth or land, putra=son).
In the 1970s, the Malaysian government implemented policies which The Economist called "racially discriminatory" designed to favour bumiputras (including affirmative action in public education) to create opportunities, and to defuse inter-ethnic tensions following the extended violence against Chinese Malaysians in the 13 May Incident in 1969. These policies have succeeded in creating a significant urban Malay and even a Native Bornean middle class as well. They have been less effective in eradicating poverty among rural communities. Some analysts have noted a backlash of resentment from excluded groups, in particular the sizeable Chinese and Indian Malaysian minorities.
The Bumiputera (or Bumiputra) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Bhumiputra' (भूमिपुत्र), which roughly translated means 'sons of the soil'. In both Malaysia and Brunei the term is used to refer to a member of majority Malay ethnic group. It can also refer to members of certain indigenous groups as outlined below.
Bumiputera or Bumiputra, which is a Malay word, comes from the Sanskrit word Bhumiputra which may be transliterated as "son of earth" or "son of the soil" (bhumi = earth; putra = son). It has different definitions in Brunei and Malaysia:
- Bumiputera (Brunei)
- Bumiputera (Malaysia)