The majority of Malaysia's political parties are based on the ethnicity of members. Actions such as the National Development Policy were enacted to promote the status of indigenous tribes and Malaysians collectively called the bumiputera. The bumiputera are considered to be Malaysia's original inhabitants, rather than the Malaysian Indians or the Malaysian Chinese. Similar to the Affirmative Action policy implemented in the U.S. in the 1970s, policies like the National Development Policy gives preferential treatment to the bumiputera in regards to employment, social welfare amenities, education and scholarships.