Malaysia will continue with its decades-old affirmative action policy that favors ethnic Malays, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said, as it is necessary to bridge the economic gap between the community and other races in the country, The Straits Times reports. Anwar Ibrahim, who is said to take over Mahathir in two years, is expected to maintain a similar stance. In September, despite saying that such a policy was obsolete, he assured the Malay heartland that those who are marginalised, especially in rural areas, will still be taken care of. Even though the affirmative action program has become so extensive and entrenched over the decades, most Bumiputras have not realized much benefit from it — but a very small minority have enjoyed superlative gains, writes Jayant Menon for East Asia Forum.