By Joe Fernandez
The Bugis call in Sabah in recent days for members of the community to be recognised as Bumiputera just as in Peninsular Malaysia has opened a new debate about an old problem, that is, how to extend the Bumiputera (son of the soil) umbrella term to as many Malaysians as possible in Sabah and elsewhere who are not Orang Asal (native).
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has been cited by wannabe Bumiputera among the Bugis in Sabah as the most famous member of their community who can still trace his roots to Sulawesi in Indonesia.