This is a longer article than usual but it is still a short piece for what I need to say. I actually could write a whole book on this issue but instead I have summarised what we had to go through over 40 years since 1970 with regards to the New Economic Policy or NEP. There are many things that Malays may not be aware of and which they should know.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
There are a few good pieces about the New Economic Policy written by Suflan Shamsuddin, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim and Khoo Kay Peng, which have been posted on Malaysia Today. These are very good pieces and I really do not need to add anything more to those points raised by these writers. Nevertheless, you know me. I just can’t leave things alone without also giving my two cents worth.
I do not wish to contradict or rebut what these writers say. Instead, I wish to reiterate their points and add a bit more on what they had probably missed. You see, being much older than these writers (I will be 60 this September), and the fact that I was involved with the Malay Chamber of Commerce and was a central committee member for a number of years, I am privy to some information that they may not have.
I was already involved with what I would call ‘the struggle’, for want of a better word, since way back in the 1970s, when some of these writers were still in school. Much was done in the ‘backrooms’ and hidden from the public eye. So not all of what transpired is public knowledge. Maybe I can reveal some of these things so that the picture becomes clearer.
I read what those 20-year old and 30-year old Umno ‘activists’ have to say about me -- in that I am a traitor to the Malay race because I uphold the concept of a multi-racial Malaysia and am opposed to Malay rights and privileges plus the NEP. These people were born in the late 1970s (some only in the 1980s) and did not ‘enter the market’ until the late 1990s or thereabouts. By then the NEP was supposed to have been officially over. It was supposed to have ended in 1970.
So what do they know about ‘our struggle’? They were not even born yet then. And even if they were they were mere toddlers or primary school children. We were already on the battleground and fighting in the trenches long before they even realised that such a thing called the NEP existed, or what it meant. And let me tell you that we fought tooth and nail against the powers-that-be, resulting in many of us falling victim to government retaliation. Many of us lost our businesses because the government was determined to bring us down as punishment for being too outspoken and too ‘militant’.
Those of my generation would probably remember the Umno Youth convention in Kemaman, Terengganu, back in early 1990. In this convention my name was mentioned and the Menteri Besar, Wan Mokhtar Ahmad, told Umno Youth that I must be brought down. Eventually, Umno Youth infiltrated the Terengganu branch of the Malay Chamber of Commerce and ousted me, and those they considered my ‘cronies’, from the Chamber. (Anwar Ibrahim can confirm this because Wan Mokhtar spoke to him about it).
During one Chamber committee meeting in Kuala Terengganu, some Umno Youth members gate-crashed the meeting with the aim of starting a fight. It did end up in a fight when I chased three Umno Youth members out of the meeting room and we came to blows. (Yeap, me alone chasing three Umno Youth chaps who ran away in fear). This incident was reported by the Malay mainstream newspapers -- and it was also brought to the attention of the Menteri Besar.
I was then confronted by an Umno Terengganu Member of Parliament who told me to get out of Terengganu. I am not welcome in Terengganu, he told me. Go back to where you came from! I faced so many problems with Umno Terengganu so in 1994 I left the state after spending 20 years of my life there. And that ended my ‘career’ as a ‘fighter’ for Malay interests. I then decided to look at the bigger picture, the fight for a better Malaysia.
Anyway, I am digressing too much so allow me to come back to the issue of the day, the fight to improve the implementation of the NEP.
Yes, you read it right: the fight to improve the implementation of the NEP. That was what our fight was all about -- to correct the implementation of the NEP that had gone wrong.
The NEP was an ill-conceived idea that was conjured in a hurry and out of desperation to appease the Malays in the aftermath of the 13 May 1969 race riots. It was an idea agreed by Umno, MCA and MIC, basically the members of the Alliance Party. So it was something that was agreed by the Chinese and Indians as well.
But the NEP was just an aspiration (hasrat). It was not a law. And it was never passed by Parliament. For that matter, it even violated the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. So in that sense it was illegal. But it was done anyway. And MCA and MIC agreed to go along with this ‘illegal’ aspiration for the sake of appeasing the very disturbed Malays and to prevent further race riots. It was a sort of necessary evil that the Chinese and Indians tolerated for the sake of racial stability.
But the NEP was supposed to run for only 20 years. By 1990 the NEP would end. It was not an open-ended policy that would run forever. And even the Prime Minister then, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad, agreed with this and he reminded the Malays so.
Soon after Dr Mahathir took over as Prime Minister, he invited the members of the Malay and Chinese Chambers of Commerce for dinner at the Equatorial Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. In his speech Dr Mahathir told the Malays that the NEP has less than ten years more to run. Dr Mahathir made it clear that the NEP would end in 1990 as agreed. It will not be extended beyond 1990.
So the Malays had better get their act together, warned Dr Mahathir. Don’t grumble and complain when the government terminates the NEP in 1990. The government is giving the Malays ample warning. Get ready. The NEP will end in 1990. So prepare yourselves for it.
It was agreed that the NEP would run for just 20 years, reminded Dr Mahathir. The Chinese and Indians agreed to the NEP because it was not going to be a never-ending policy but something that would be in force for just 20 years. So in 1990 it must end, as agreed. It would be unfair to the Chinese and Indians if it was extended beyond 1990.
The Chinese, in turn, were told that they should work with the Malays and help them in their businesses. Don’t just leave it to the government, said Dr Mahathir. It is better that the Chinese and Malays work together rather than the government is forced to introduce measures like the NEP.
It is to the interest of the Chinese that the Malays are successful, argued Dr Mahathir. If the Malays were successful then they would not be jealous of the Chinese. But if the Chinese grab all the wealth of this country while the Malays were left behind then the Malays would become militant and would try to grab what belongs to the Chinese.
This, basically, was Dr Mahathir’s message to the Malays and Chinese. To the Malays it was get ready to see the end of the NEP in 1990. To the Chinese it was work with the Malays and take them as your partners. If not they would become your enemies.
It was a good message. Whether it was workable or not is another matter and I do not wish to analyse Dr Mahathir’s logic. Sometimes, some things look good in theory but may be hell to put into practice.
A couple of years later, around 1985, the Malay Chamber organised a two-day seminar at the Shangrila Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Dr Mahathir officiated the opening and the Deputy Prime Minister, Tun Gafar Baba, officiated the closing. The purpose of this seminar was to discuss the failure of the NEP and the reasons for its failure -- government inefficiency, corruption, unfair competition from GLCs and Umnoputeras, etc.
At the end of the NEP in 1990, the Third Bumiputera Economic Convention was organised in the PWTC, also in Kuala Lumpur. This Convention was organised together with the government and with the participation of the non-Malays and all the political parties. The purpose of this Convention was to explore what to do now that the NEP had ended. What should replace the NEP? Where do we go from here (1990)?
If I were to go into detail as to what transpired from 1985 to 1990 I would need to write a book. Suffice to say I was involved in the Malay Chamber of Commerce since the 1970s, not long after the implementation of the NEP and even before Dr Mahathir became Prime Minister. Then, soon after Dr Mahathir became Prime Minister and when he warned us that the NEP was going to end in 1990, we sat down to look at what to do. Then, in 1990, after the NEP had officially ended, we again sat down, but this time in a bigger forum over many days, and in ‘joint-venture’ with the government, the non-Malays and the political parties, to seek a solution to the problems of the Malays.
To summarise what we concluded over those many years, the NEP is not just about the Malays. It is a multi-prong attack (serampang dua mata) to reduce the gap between the haves and the haves-not (regardless of race), to make the distribution of wealth more equitable, and to reduce the disparity between the different races. This was what the NEP was all about. However, along the way, the Malays forgot about this multi-prong attack and thought that the NEP was just about the Malays.
Furthermore, the NEP is not just about business, tenders, contracts and permits. It is also about the racial quotas in the civil service. And it is also about education. Banks were created to help the Malays. But banks were also created to help those who needed help but could not get it from the foreign owned banks whether they are Malays or otherwise. Various funds were also set up to assist businessmen who needed start-up or venture capital, research and development grants, and whatnot. They could even be given marketing grants and grants to travel overseas to open up new markets or participate in trade fairs and what have you. And this was, again, not just for the Malays but for all those who needed help.
So, in short, the NEP was an entire program. It was not just about business. And it was not about just the Malays. It was a total restructuring of society and to help businessmen become more competitive against the onslaught of the global market.
In theory, the NEP is good. Everyone agreed with that. But in practice, it failed. And the Malays became confused and thought that the NEP was just about them. So where did we go wrong?
Many issues were identified. One was the change of direction that was introduced by Dr Mahathir that worked outside of and opposite to the NEP. In short, the NEP was derailed and hijacked.
Dr Mahathir realised that it was impossible to help 15 million (at that time) Malays to become rich. So abandon that idea, which was partly, and I repeat partly, what the NEP was about. Instead, make a few Malays rich. Create a handful of, say, 100 Malay billionaires. Then get these billionaire Malays to hep the rest of the Malays.
That was a noble plan indeed. So Dr Mahathir went and created the super-rich Daim, Tajuddin Ramli, Halim Saad, Shamsuddin Abu Hassan, Ahmad Sebi Abu Bakar, Wan Azmi, and many, many more. These people would be turned into billionaires so that they could then help the other Malays.
That did happen, of course. We did see these new billionaires emerge. But they did not help the other Malays. Instead, they worked with the Chinese and new Chinese billionaires were created because of it. Many Chinese became rich because of their partnership with the Umno cronies or Umnoputeras.
Then there were the GLCs or government-linked companies. What happened was that these GLCs competed with the Malays and it was unfair competition. The GLCs ‘stole’ all the businesses meant for the Malays. It was not the Chinese and Indians who were the problem. The Chinese and Indians were not killing the Malay businessmen. It was the GLCs that were killing off the Malays.
We in the Malay Chamber coined that new word, Umnoputeras. The Chinese and Indians were not the enemy. The Umnoputeras were. And so were the GLCs. And we told the government this.
In fact, in one seminar in the Ministry of Trade, hosted by the then Minister, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, we in the Malay Chamber told the government that we do not need the NEP. We do not need so-called government help. What we need is for the government to stop the Umnoputeras and GLCs from competing with the Malays and from killing off the Malays.
In 1970, when the NEP was first launched, the Malay share of the economic 'pie' was just 1.5%. By 1985, 15 years later, it was still just 3%. The target was 30% by 1990. How can the Malays catch up in a mere five years when in 15 years it grew from just 1.5% to 3%?
This was the concern we expressed. And we knew it would remain at 3% till 1990 and beyond. There was no way it could reach the target of 30%.
But who is to be blamed? Is it the Chinese and Indians? No! It is the government with their GLCs and Umno with their Umnoputeras. And we told the government this.
Today, it is still 3% as what we predicted 25 years ago in 1985. Of course, if you include the GLCs and ‘trust agencies’ it will be about 19%. But GLCs and trust agencies do not belong to the Malays. They belong to the nation. They belong to the taxpayers. What belongs to the Malays is what is in their pockets. And that is only 3%.
The Minister of Trade, Rafidah Aziz, blamed the Malays for this. We gave the Malays so much, Rafidah said, but they sold everything and spent all the money. If the Malays had kept what the government gave them then we could have achieved the target of 30%, maybe even exceed it.
You Malays waste what the government gave you, lamented Rafidah. Then you complain when you have finished the money and then you accuse the government of not helping you. How can the government keep giving you forever? The government has done what it is supposed to do. But the Malays are not doing what they are supposed to do. The Malays prefer to buy expensive cars and marry many wives when they get rich. And when they become poor again they go running to the government and expect more help from the government.
Undeniably, the NEP has failed. We in the Malay Chamber of Commerce already said it has failed 25 years ago back in 1985. And the government too said it has failed and that it has failed not because of the Chinese and Indians but because of the Malays themselves. The Malays, however, blame the GLCs and Unmoputeras for that failure. Whatever it may be, both the government and the Malays admit the failure of the NEP though each points to the other as the reason for the failure.
Okay, that may be as far as the corporate scene is concerned. That is only part of what the NEP is about. What about the other sectors?
Malays are not denied an education. If the Malays are capable and qualified they can get to go to university, many to overseas universities on top of that. The heads of the government departments are mostly Malays. The heads of the government agencies, the various branches of the armed forces, police, etc., are all Malays. The Ministers in key ministries are all Malays (finance, trade, etc.). The majority of civil servants are Malays (97%-98% of the voters in Putrajaya are Malays). And so on and so forth.
Malay fishermen and farmers are given aid. They were given free fishing boats, marine engines, fishing nets, fertilizers, tractors, etc. Their fuel is subsidised. In fact, even Chinese fishermen in Penang, Perak, Selangor, Johor, etc., received aid. So it is across the board and not only for the Malays although the majority were Malays -- since there are more Malays than non-Malays in the agriculture and fisheries sector.
The land settlers are all Malays. And many have become millionaires when they sold their land decades later. There are no land settlements for Chinese and Indians.
So where is it that the Malays are left out? Is it because the Malay share of the economic ‘pie’ is just 3% instead of 30% that you say the Malays are left out?
You must understand, the 30% was calculated in 1970, 40 years ago. Going by 1970 standards the Malays have reached the target of 30%, in fact, even more. But the ‘pie’ did not remain static. The pie was only 1KG in 1970 and the Malay target was to get 30% of 1KG. But the ‘pie’ grew over 40 years. Today, the ‘pie’ is 50KG. So, today, the 3% Malay share of 50KG is much bigger than the target of 30% of 1KG, 40 years ago.
It is a moving target. It is not a static target. So, as the target grows bigger your share in percentage may be small but in absolute terms is so much larger.
The Malays did take one step forward as what was planned in 1970. In that sense the NEP has succeeded. But the world took 50 steps forward since 1970. And the Malays are just not able to keep up with the pace that the world is moving. So the Malays are behind not because they stepped backwards or they stopped moving but because everyone is moving at a much more rapid pace, which the Malays just can’t keep up with.
Let’s not just talk about percentages. If one person was unemployed last year and, today, it is two people who are unemployed, can we say that unemployment has increased 100%? Two Malaysians unemployed from just one last year is not bad. But in percentage it looks bad. It is an increase of 100%.
How many Malays lived in middle-class homes in 1969? How many Malays lived in upmarket homes in 1969? How many Malays went to university in 1969? How many Malays received an overseas education in 1969? How many Malays were employed by the government in 1969? How many Malays drove Mercedes Benzes, BMWs, Ferraris and Porches in 1969? How many Malays could afford RM100,000 motorcycles in 1969? And so on and so forth.
Don’t just look at the 3% (or 19% if GLCs and trust agencies are included). Look at what your grandfather was doing in 1969. And look at where you are now 40 years later. That is what the NEP has done for you.
So, yes, in some ways the NEP has failed (although the government blames the Malays themselves for this failure). But in many more ways the NEP has succeeded. And you Malays reading this piece is proof it has succeeded. If not you will be back in the kampong planting padi or following your father to catch fish instead of reading Malaysia Today.
To the Malays, this is my message. Malays are Muslims. So use your ‘Islamic head’ to think. Islam asks us to shukur (show gratitude to God) for the nikmat (blessings) we receive from Allah. If we do not shukur then we are considered kufur nikmat. And kufur comes for the word kafir or infidel. Yes, Islam asks us to not question what we do not have but to shukur for what we do have. And doing otherwise makes us kufur nikmat.
To say that the Malays still need the NEP is an admission that the Malays are weak. Where is your Malay pride and dignity? You look at what the Chinese and Indians have and complain because you too do not have the same. But you forgot that the Indians and Chinese agreed to give the Malays 20 years to catch up. Is it their fault if you did not?
And we did catch up. The only problem is the Chinese are Indians did not stand still to wait for the Malays to catch up. They too increased their wealth. And the Malays also increased their wealth. But now we are comparing what the Chinese and Indians have to what we have and we are not happy. We used to take a bus to go to town 40 years ago. Today, we are driving expensive cars. But we have only three cars while the Chinese and Indians have ten. And that is why we are not happy.
Tak malu ke Melayu sungut macam ini?
Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2010/03/blog-post_7437.html
written by Eskay345, March 15, 2010 21:14:52
But even if the NEP is extended, the nation's wealth will never filter down to reach the ordinary folks because the umnoputras will be there to intercept them, like they did the last 40 years.
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written by ibabonma, March 15, 2010 16:50:31
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written by Davy McChester, March 15, 2010 13:21:14
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written by DygAryaa, March 15, 2010 13:15:05
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written by AlwaysFair, March 15, 2010 11:45:51
If so it is understandable why they dispute this report. They cannot have the malays to know the truth that they have pocketed the wealth meant for them. They also use the chinese as scapegoat whenever convenient. If you don't believe count how many of Bursa market shares belong to GLCs. Half?
Khazanah is also restructuring many failed GLCs, is it a way to siphon out money legally?
Hope RPK will dig out more shit.
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written by prelude3372, March 15, 2010 10:52:05
It has been a known factor that seems people just don't want to admit it or come to terms with it. But alas Semi Veloo decided to go 1 step futher from his BOSS. Why waste time creating many Indian billionaires, when you can create 1 super dupper damm rich Indian Billionaires and than this Mr. B can help to bring up the indian status. So with that, he created that Mr.B himself and as with TMM pedigree, he did the same, in fact he went 1 step higher, by doing biz with Indian Goverment and making himself a much bigger Mr. B.
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written by fireduck, March 15, 2010 09:28:10
Two weeks ago, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng told Parliament that New Zealand and Australia are targeting Singaporeans "because we are honest and hardworking".
Professor Tan feels that countries could be attracted to the "Singaporean brand" because Singaporeans are thought of as "diligent", "efficient", "well-trained" and have a good command of English.
It is interesting to note that there is national pride in creating a national 'brand'. What is our Malaysian brand? Fat, freeloading, loudmouthed, nauseatingly crude and lazy as in the person of Ibrahim Ali?
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written by jokersland, March 14, 2010 12:29:22
TDM created a lot of multi billionaires Bumiputera including his own family in order for those billionaires to help the Malays in return. Did any of these billionaires including himself help the poor Malays ? The answer is a big NONE. In fact they kill the Malays by themselves with massive capitals outflow as all these peoples including his family will invest in overseas rather in their own country. Until today TDM is still crazy for money by supporting Perkasa openly. In a realty world, most of the peoples are greedy and selfish when money is concern. Not many peoples are really like Bill Gates. From the recent Forbes list of billionaires, he is estimated to worth 50 billions but if not because of his philanthropist way his fortune is worh at least 80 billions.
Come to education, the policy makers are really making a fool of themselves with their reverse gear and denial mode. Usually the Malays passing marks are lower than the rest just to show the statistic look good. How can such an important issue be compromise at the expense of the bright non bumi students who are denied for a place in the local university. Not all Chinese and Indians are rich. For example, a lot of my nephews and nieces that can't get a place in local U but accepted by the world top 50 U. Sometimes we had to borrow money for them to study in Australia. And frankly I don't think they will come back to serve the country that discriminate them
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written by Aria, March 14, 2010 07:12:52
The Malays have got it easy with the NEP and now those enjoying the NEP don't want to let it go. Also the government does not know any other easier way how to control the country other then by using the NEP. I don't see how the NEP is going to be removed. The only other way is to try to raise the other races up to the NEP level, but UMNO is not going to allow that! This will mean that UMNO will loose its power over the Malay people.
Let the people find their own footing in Malaysia. That is the only way Malaysia will come up. Stop just helping the Malays and suppressing the others, instead help everyone who needs help. Be fair to everyone. NEP is a disguise for racism.
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written by Taikohtai, March 14, 2010 07:01:34
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written by NSTPravda, March 14, 2010 06:20:47
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written by OrangKaya, March 14, 2010 04:04:20
Above are examples of failure of NEP. Malaysia has the highest ratio of civil servants to population, about 4% compare to Singapore 1% and australia 0.8%. In addition 98% are malays and 100% are malays in the senior post. This make the malay lazy and inefficient and arrogant in the government department departments. Are other races so incompetent? There is no incentive for non malays to work in government department due to racial discrimination but the malays or gov never ever take up the issues, not even MCA or MIC key.!! Competition and market force helps to improve efficiency and progress. The rich and brains are leaving the country only the malays will blame the malays soon cos there will be little other races left to be a contribution factor. Look at china, once called a communist and terrorist and pork eating country but now our gov non pork eating ministers are shaking hands with these Chinamen, the 3rd and soon to be 2nd largest world economy in the world. And china did it in 30 years against a global competition. What has the Malays with NEP achieved? Brains, tidak apa attitude or pure lazy or just happy to be Alis and Babas and 40 thieves????
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written by AlwaysFair, March 14, 2010 03:04:51
You fault is you continually vote in the same govt year after year who are the ones who form GLCs and whatnot and took away from what should have been yours.They also misled you to believe the chinese have a plot to take over the country, take away your wealth, your Allah etc so that you will hate the chinese, hate DAP and turn back to BN to protect you.
Vote Pakatan for CHANGE!!!
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written by AlwaysFair, March 14, 2010 02:56:40
Since we ae currently on this issue of NEP and malay rights there is an issue which all Malaysians should know about since billions of the wealth/funds are channelled there. I am talking about Khazanah and Valuecap. Who are those running the funds? Why is there so much secrecy about it. Aren't they accountable at least to the parliament how they spend the money? If not then isn't the country at PERIL of being milked dry? There is so much money there and yet there is no direct help for ordinary malays only for companies. I know some money form EPf and petronas flowed there.
Please find out more and let the people know how the country's wealth is being used and why the govt has to resort to GST to burden the people.
Dear Pete, so much money is stake and you are the only one who can find out what is happening because our leaders cannot be trusted at all. All they want is to line their own pockets and mislead the people. Thank you.
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written by Ocassey, March 14, 2010 02:03:18
================================
Dear RPK,
What you have shared with the readers truly portray you as a "patriot" of a better Malaysia . You are beyond the confines of creed, race and religion ! Your wisdom and your comments become soothing balms for the general Malaysians who have been sidelined from the economic streams and yet blamed for all the ills of the continuous failed policies deliberatedly imposed upon the affairs of the nation !
Please, if you may be so kind as to elaborate in more details , how those "Chinese" were made billionaires by the "Malay" NEP billionaires ! How did they complement each other most or all the time ?
Were they BN component party leaders and members or were non-political party individuals or magnates themselves, opportunists, etc,etc ?
How "front" were they "front-men" or "front- ladies" ?
Thank you in advance !
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written by AlwaysFair, March 14, 2010 01:28:45
Some Malays refer Article 153 in Fed constitution for their Malay rights, how come you said it violated the law?
It is also not true that the chinese are richer than the Malays. Most of the rich ones have migrated, though they still have got some business interests here.How to be rich when they have to spend so much for their children's education overseas?
The majority of chinese in Malaysia are average income earners struggling for a living here in Malaysia and drive the economical cars.
Thank you for pointing out it was not the Chinese who exploited the Malays. By the way is your 3% correct? You mentioned 19% if we include GLCs.
However according to Asli report bumi ownership of country is 48%. That means wealth even among bumi is not well distributed. If malays hold 3% then the ELITE Malays own 45% nearly half of the economic pie.The NEP have provided loopholes for the unscrupulous few to get very rich at the expense of the majority malays.GLCs are mainly held by umnoputras who are guaranteed to succeed. If they fail they get bail outs from Govt. probably Khazanah who will use petroleum money and whatnot to restructure.
So just as Pete suggest , it is true that NEP did benefit the Malays, but unfortunately descriminated and marginalised very badly the other races but ultimately enrich the political well connected who have the strings to manouvre the wealth of the country like the petroleum money and whatnot to their own pockets.
What I cannot stomach is why these are the very people who still want to cause racial disharmony? Do they want to drive all the chinese back to China then they are satisfied? I wouldn't mind since I am sure I can survive well there.
Thanks, and God Bless Pete for being colour blind!!!
I
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written by SoundMan, March 14, 2010 01:24:58
So Malays please get on with it. The wealthier you are the better off the rest of the country.
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written by Buayanegara, March 14, 2010 01:01:33
They were ROBBED by the Mamak and Nanak who ave infiltrated UMNO.
They deny the Malay Children Knowledge by restricting their education to just the Malay Medium with a sindiwara of patriotic feelings, when in reality the Mamak and Nanak fear that with a Broaden Mind through Reading the Malays will know that they have been Robbed by UMNO and their Croonies like MCA aand MIC.
Billions have been stolen by the likes of dentist Mentri Besar and the predators of PKFZ. Highlighting
any will bring swift misfortune.
The Ones who drive BIG Cars and Marry many Wives,live in MNSIONS are all from the Ruling Elite so where do the ORDINARY MALAY STAND ? Sell NASI LEMAK by the ROAD SIDE, open GERAI here and there, these ORDINARY MALAYS are no Better off than the Chinese or Indians - they also buy necessary daily essential at the same price.
These same MALAYS will not get a SCHOLARSHIP WITHOUT umno CONNECTIONS SO WHERE IS THE DIFFERENCE?
So wake up my MALAY brothers the Robbers are the MAMAK and NANAK in UmNO!!
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written by ak_malaysia, March 14, 2010 00:54:58
Yes, the NEP was good and succeeded to some degree but was later hijacked! The NEM (New Economic Model) should be more equitable to ALL the other races but how can it work if BN/UMNO are still in control after the GE13?
It will be hiiacked again because as Datuk Zaid said, the system of patronage (and rent-seeking) props up the warlords and enriches them without the poor and less educated or connected Malays realising it. But with education and the spread of the internet, most Malays will now realise that they have been taken for a ride and hoodwinked by the establishment. They dont benefit much if anything but the BN/UMNO using state-controlled apparatus always succeeds in brainwashing them and convincing them otherwise. In reality, the ordinary not politically connected Malays are just like the Chinese and the Indians as 2nd/3rd class citizens. This is most unfair. This is just like dad, the head of the household discriminating against his children so that they are envious of each other and forever quarrelling and fighting amongst themselves! This is what Malaysia has become and the citizens are not happy to the extent that even less connected Malays, like the disgusted non-Malays, also emigrate! BN/UMNO is practising aparthied (with disguise) just like South Africa in the past.
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written by albert zacharias, March 14, 2010 00:39:09
In 1976 the NEP was into its 7th year and I was denied a place in the local university because of quota and limited places.
After Form 5, I worked as a mechanic for 2 years and decided that I should do my 6th form part time. I finished and could not get a place in local uni and decided to do a professional external degree part time. I completed it in 18 months and earn a comfortable income for many years.
I decided to pursue a MBA at age 38 holding down a responsible position and raising a young family. I worked and study days and nights. The MBA was from Scotland I completed it within 18 months.
I've a bumi study partner fully sponsored by his company Maxis and he did not even complete 2 classes!
Needless to say all Maxis did for him was in vain. The company cannot find him to be useful to the company and he was finally sacked.
I personally think we need to run the race daily to develop our muscles otherwise it will just become fats just like the many Malays government has helped endlessly and shamelessly but they are getting nowhere!
Let me know if I am wrong please....
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written by Motherchell, March 14, 2010 00:22:11
I fully agree with whats written by Better My, March 13, 2010 20:58:17 ,
Definitely its a benchmark article . But Perkasa , with all the free loading and gatecrashing may not understand all that is explained in simple Englande . Oh Yes!! they have been walking AROUND WITH NO BATTERIES INCLUDED--NEITHER CAN THEY COMPREHEND NOR COUNT----this makes up the wolf pack.
The hay they made during the long summers have turned soggy. Some were used to cremate and bomb bodies on their way up the ""mountains "", some were sold to buy coconuts to conserve the fat for the winters as Ibrahim Ali has done. Perkasa still thinks we have the 4 seasons in an Equatorial setting. He sure has to watch his sugar levels.
Hope Zulkifli too does not switch his skull cap to a derby or a Bob Marley Tee once he is out of sight of the Malaysian public!! The NEP sure did good for the howlers. It gave them a French speaking playboy --Baginda ,(I'm wondering if he can write an erudite dissertation as your piece above Pete!!)---at the same time created money " exporters" who are MB's as MX2, Toyol and pedophile MAS pilots etc. Many of these NEP scholars always escaped the gallows playing Houdinis.Seems like they gave God a good vacation!!
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written by educationist, March 13, 2010 23:51:37
Yet I think there's one point RPK did not bring up; I believe no Malaysian will grudge a helping hand extended to our less fortunate brethrens whether in the fields of education or economic if it is on a needs basis and not based on the racial divide like the NEP.
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written by Fart Fart Wah, March 13, 2010 23:22:55
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written by lakian, March 13, 2010 22:55:58
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written by AzizKadir2u, March 13, 2010 22:41:10
We should be "Syukur" grateful of what we have, in fact if we all work together as 1Malaysia, we will do even better, we must work together, and not like the Umno politic or the Perkasa politic that high lite the "different and racist policy, " ultimately it is not a universal value system, not a successful model, it will fail.
if you have universal value system, if you have government do what is universally accepted and justice for all, without racial or bigot element in it, we will all benefits,
working together stand united, we will prevail over the globalize world and move forward....
if we continue to discriminate we will sure failing, a failing policy is one that cant stand on its feet.
why ? why ? we malay want to star up a NEP policy that will guaranty fail ? why limit our Bumiputra wealth to 30% ? this is self limiting ? we all can do better, and we should think out of our racist box,
we should work together with all malaysian hand in hand, then, we will all move forward,
we all must be brave to face the future, no matter how it will turn out.
continue to do the same thing over and over and over again and expect different result is insanity,
shjit, if NEP is not working, continue with the same policy again ? and then expect different result ?
this is insane right ?
so, forget about the data gathering, forgot about filling up form with "racist" info, just malaysian and non malaysian, we will be all color blind, and no longer just people by the race,
if we are brave to face it, take it, we all malaysian are the same, we will stand up tall,
we malays must be brave enough, with dignity, we will tell ourself, we do not need the handicap,
we do not need crutches, we have Dr M, Misbun Sidek, Zaid Ibrahim, so many successful malays,
we can, yes, we can, stop being racists, stop trying to be race sensitive.
we must abandon the racial view, we must move forward as malaysian,
this is 2010, we are globalize world, we do not have handicap from oversea,
internet and the world is flat,
when are we going to wake up ?
continue to do the same thing NEP and expect different result ?
NEP is very successful, it is there, it is real, malays will not want May 13th any more,
Malays now have more "shares" and equity in KLSE than anybody ......we Malays care more for the KLSE and share to do well.
we Malays has more to lose if we malaysian economy do not do well.
we malays are the main policy maker, we are the majority, we design and we adminster,
we malays are the one, if we fail, dont blame other, blame us we malay fail.
in fact, we malay should be "syukur, " grateful, we should be grateful of what we have so far,
sure we can do better, and by working with others, and all malaysian we work together, we will do better,
we must be hopeful, , we must trust each other,
we malaysian will move forward.
no more racist,
we must have the courage to move forward as a Malaysians, in equal footing, in the same stage and platform,
yes we can,
malaysia boleh ! stop blaming others, we have been successful, and we can do better......
together we can, yes we can !!!
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written by earthman, March 13, 2010 22:40:30
'Tak malu ke Melayu sungut macam ini?' - RPK MT.
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written by Aria, March 13, 2010 21:58:56
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written by anfad, March 13, 2010 21:43:25
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written by temenggong, March 13, 2010 21:36:50
However, my oft repeated economic reform solution is the only one that is workable, and the only road left to meet malay aspirations. Whether Umno or Pakatan accepts it or not, I really do not care anymore! It's like talking to donkeys.
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written by Better My, March 13, 2010 20:58:17
Make my hair stand up on ends! So eloguently put..
This shall be the paper that all other NEP articles should be judged against as standard. Others just have to follow in its wake
Malay people, you have got what you wanted and more.
The chinese have done well mostly on their own since the inception of NEP, with no/little thanks to the nation that they were born and bred in, except the corrupt elite cronies chinese and "desperate to survive" corrupt ordinary chinese. Today continuing discrimination to the chinese masses should be blown up to smithereens if you have any Allah hearts left in you.
Good muslim Malay people, we the non-malay people in our beloved country demand that the injustice perpetuated by your bad muslim UMNO mob be corrected in the next GE, for you to reconcile your goodself and your mighty Allah. Do good things on earth now for your allah sake.
ISA victims, including many Malay - we'll remember them.
We have stopped listening to you . For Malaysia.
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written by malsia1206, March 13, 2010 20:47:03
2. While the NEP did really bridge the gap and bring about a successful middle-class on level terms with the Chinese (and some Indians), the programme effectively makes a small pool of the 'super-rich' Umnoputras at the expense of their own fellow Malays. This is an undeniable fact and a major aspect of its failure.
3. The non-Malays had patiently endured the NEP and all forms of muted extension for the past 40 years. If this does not represent the comradeship and sacrifices of non-Malay Malaysians in this country, then how many more generations do they need to forego? If these Chinese and Indians had made it good in the past, it's definitely because they had the special qualities in them notwithstanding the odds and challenges.
4. It's now high time to go on a level-playing field. Yes, those living in or near poverty must be accorded special attention. But why continue to give all those successful Malays the extra privileges and preferences for an indefinite time at the expense of other Malaysians? This is no better than 'aparthied' in the dark old days of South Africa. Even then that's old history now.
5. Come on, Malaysia. Move your butts and live to the realities. We are no longer living in the 1970s. The politicians in UMNO have proven to be the biggest culprits. And that is a downright bloody shame and disgrace.
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I also enjoy the articles where if I was a corrupt official, oh say...Musa Hassan, and I read the article I would shit my pants.
And not fogetting the genre with behind the scene black box info which no one is supposed to know of.
But anyway, today's article in particular is of the Historical Lesson genre. And I must say that I really appreciate it. Seeing as I am but a young fool, I can only know the struggles the older folk went through by listening to their stories.
Most educational if you ask me.