Am I a Traitor?

Am I a traitor if I say the privileges given to Malays (in Malaysia) regardless of social and economic standing is a flawed policy?

Would it be treacherous for me to suggest the privileges given to able and capable (and wealthy) Malays be dropped?

Would PERKASA demand for my citizenship to be revoked if I suggest policies be implemented to help the poor regardless of race or religion?

Yes, I’m talking about the New Economic Policy (NEP) and Malay rights.

By the way, if I’m not mistaken, the NEP was supposed to expire in 1990 and if I’m not mistaken, it is still in place, 21 years after its expiry date.

I am all for affirmative action for as long as it reaches the right target. Affirmative action means teaching man to fish and once he knows how to fish, assistance should cease. Affirmative action should be based on need and not race.  I’m also for meritocracy; privilege should be given to the most deserving. Rights should be earned.

Let’s take Bumiputera discount as an example. A Malay earning RM2,000 per month gets to buy a RM150,000 house at a discount. A non-Malay earning RM1,500 per month have to buy the same house at the full price. Affirmative action means making house affordable to the poor/low income but in this case the poorer people have to pay a higher price for a basic need. Has the objectives of affirmative action been achieved?

Looking at the same instance from a different perspective, is it fair for a Malay to still get a discount on a RM500,000 house? The fact that banks are willing to finance his purchase of a half a million Ringgit house, his earnings and repayment ability must be good. Does he deserve the discount?

What about UiTM? Malay politicians and Malay rights group have over and over stressed that it is an institution exclusively for Bumiputeras. My question is how come non-Bumi lecturers are allowed to teach at UiTM? If it is for the Bumis, shouldn’t it be BY the Bumis too? Secondly, does an apartheid-like institution good for nation building? How can we expect a group of young minds without the experience of integrating with other races and cultures be expected to effortlessly fit into a multi racial society let alone a globalised world? We do not need quantity, we need quality graduates.

Every April or May we hear stories of deserving students with a zillion A’s not getting scholarships and complaints of many students with less A’s getting financial aid for overseas studies.  Preference for scholarships should be merit based. If Malay students cannot obtain the necessary grades to merit a scholarship, the guardians of the Malays should look at the root cause; maybe they lack the facilities and/or guidance; maybe they lack interest. Finding out the root cause will enable the policy makers/guardians to formulate an improved policy to help better the Malays’ economic and social standing. By allowing undeserving students to enter university will create low quality workforce and the whole economy will suffer as a result.

Approved Permits (AP) is another controversial subject. It is often used as an example of how the NEP is being abused by those in power. My suggestion is to give APs to any Malaysian car importer without limit and at the same time compel banks to finance all car importers on equal terms. Once that’s done let the market determine who will continue to be in business. I’m already hearing cries of “how will the Malay businessman compete against the Chinese?” My answer is if you can’t compete maybe you shouldn’t be in the business in the first place? I’m sure there is a right business/vocation/job for everyone.

Affirmative action is good, it is necessary but often the implementation is flawed and abuses are rampant. Affirmative action, in order to achieve its desired results must address the right target; those economically left behind. Selective affirmative action is not a good idea; it is unfair and could lead to undesirable social issues.