It was a structural feature of colonial capitalism, designed to keep a disciplined labour force and to stop a unified anti-colonial movement from taking shape. Colonial rootsThe roots of this capital intrusion into Malaysia go back to the era of imperial expansion and mercantilism. The New Economic Policy, introduced in 1971, was meant to fix economic disparities between ethnic groups. Even PuTERA35, the bumiputra economic transformation plan, faces criticism. Critics argue the current set-up – dependency-driven state capitalism propped up by rentier and cronyistic logic – has not consistently delivered sustainable, equitable development.