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).
Under the Act, all public discussion of repealing certain Articles of the Constitution dealing with Bumiputra privileges such as Article 153 is illegal.
Gerakan was successful in the 1969 general election, where it campaigned on a platform of social justice and the reduction or elimination of Bumiputra privileges outlined by Article 153 of the Constitution.