[Malaysia] Reviving NEP?

NEP a failed policy, why push for it?
Pragalath Kumar Kumaran, Malaysiakini
Jul 27, 05

I would like to share my views with regards to the recently concluded 2005 Umno general assembly. Umno Youth chief Hishamuddin Hussein Onn urged the government to start the New Economic Policy (NEP) all over again. This controversial policy which was effective from 1970 to 1990 has not been successful.

It was raise bumiputera equity to 30 percent of the national equity but it only achieved 18 percent. So why does the Umno Youth push for implementation of a failed policy? I am also wondering why the Orang Asli community not been given a level playing field. They are also bumiputeras in this country.

What actually needs to be done is to create a level playing field for all. How are the Malays going to be key global players if they do not compete? It is vital for them to compete with the rest of their Malaysian brothers prior to becoming key competitors in the global market.

The current scenario now is akin to putting a runner 200 metres ahead in a 4x100m event even before the race starts. This NEP policy would, in the long term, affect Malaysia’s economic growth. We are already losing the competitive edge with the emergence of China and India as significant Asian markets in the 21st century. And looking at it based on the approved permits (APs) issue, I notice a pattern that indicates an abuse of the NEP with more than 25,000 APs issued to three individuals.

As for the dearth of successful bumiputera contractors, I would like to suggest that the government study the proposals made by Koon Yew Yin's article entitled Why are there so few successful bumiputera contractors? that was published in Aliran [Vol. 25 (5)]. Among others he suggested that the government should look at creating skilled bumiputera workers for the construction industry by sending them to skills enhancement schools. Apart from that, he urged the authorities to "stop giving out juicy contracts without tendering".

Last is the issue of unemployed graduates. The Puteri Umno chief, Noraini Ahmad, revealed that 70 percent of the unemployed graduates are women and half of the 213,540 Puteri Umno members are jobless. How are these young people going to join the employment sector if they are under-skilled? Most of them graduates with a degree in ICT and yet cannot speak proper English. At the same time I would not put the blame solely on them.

The national education policy is changed according to the whims of the ministers concerned. People at the top just make decisions without considering the students. Several years ago, a basic degree programme could only be completed in four years. Currently it is three. The rationale given by the authorities is that it is important to increase the number of graduates. Universities therefore become factories churning out mass numbers of graduates. Malaysia today needs high quality graduates, not a high quantity of graduates.

As for the issue of a high number of women being unemployed, it is parallel with the fact that there are more women than men in the varsities.

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NEP had widened gap between rich, poor bumi
Arenagreen, Malaysiakini
Jul 27, 05

The issues discussed and reported in the mainstream media involving the recently concluded Umno general assembly brings concern to Malaysians of all races. It is foolish to deny that the racial undertones at the meet did not cause a measure of alarm among the non-bumiputeras in our country.

We have either deliberately chosen to ignore the real reasons behind the whole issue of under-achieving and marginalised Malays despite all kinds of privileges and hand-outs or the powers-that-be must be blind. Why is it so hard to face facts? Why not just admit that all these hand-outs and demands for more and more concessions and quotas are just a shoddy attempt to enrich the few who are privileged enough to connect with those in power?

When exactly did the NEP and all those well-thought out schemes uplift the bumiputeras? When did they actually benefit the bumiputera man-on-the-street? I see the kampung folk as poor as always.

I see the Malay small traders, teachers, the salaried man, the housewives with half-a-dozen kids, entire families on motorcycles all of them struggling to make ends meet. It is a shame that the NEP had only succeeded in creating a bigger gap between the rich bumi and the poor bumi. Or is it more correct to say the elite bumi and the ordinary bumi? That is the reality of the plight of the bumis.

And I certainly agree that after so many years of independence, it is sad to face the reality that sometimes, the non-bumiputeras are made to feel like we do not have a right to call ourselves Malaysians. When it serves their purpose, it is demanded that all of us show our loyalty to our country, whether by words or action. It is not enough that we are born and bred here, that our parents were also born and bred here, that this is our home and that we accept a way of life imposed on us which sometimes puts us at an unfair disadvantage.

If we do not agree, then we are told, If anyone doesn’t like it, just get out of Malaysia. Why is it that our government does not see that abject poverty also affects the Chinese and Indians? The marginalisation of the poor and disadvantaged, regardless of their race, is simply morally wrong.

If we are to face the truth, there are many Malaysians be they Malay, Chinese or Indian, who live a life poorer than that of the immigrants (legal or otherwise) who come to our country, who take away our jobs and our money and in the process, create a lot of hellish social problems for us. Umno can make demands, and where necessary, even intimidate the rest of us into accepting policies which are morally questionable. I wonder whether at the end of the day, when it has eradicated Malay poverty, will they then have a compassionate heart and have pity on the marginalised Indians and Chinese?

Will they be generous enough to extend a helping hand in the same manner they helped their own race? Then, maybe we can truly see the spirit of Bangsa Malaysia. Just as there exist a gap between the successful and rich bumiputeras, there also is a huge gap between the rich Chinese and Indians and the ordinary folk. So please, for goodness sake, do not talk as if there are no deserving non-bumiputera folk out there who also need a helping hand. We too, wished that we have a NEP to help us get out of the rut.

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Bumiputeras vs Umnoputeras
LCH, Malaysiakini
Jul 27, 05

I read with amusement how certain quarters calling for a return to the NEP and against meritocracy seem not to see the illogical arguments which pander to race-based politics. The original argument for the NEP was that the bumiputeras are disadvantaged and hence require special allocation of opportunities. However, it is clear today that the same problem exist among the bumiputera which is highlighted by the issue of uneven distribution of APs.

There now exists Umnoputeras that are far more skilled and knowledgeable and with access to capital than say any rural bumiputeras. It follows that the disadvantage bumiputeras require an affirmative action that favours them against the Umnoputeras.

In fact, the NEP is an even worse policy to follow because the Umnoputeras, which are harder to define as a group, have many more advantages of being able to exploit the special opportunities allocated to bumiputeras compared to non-bumiputeras.

The NEP will thus only make even fewer opportunities available for disadvantaged bumiputeras. In other words, the same argument for the NEP is the same argument against the NEP. The crux is that the divide among the bumiputeras are now bigger than the divide between the races. Notice how the poor tend to be friendlier with each other regardless of race?

Umno would like to pretend that the divide among the bumiputeras are not great and I believe the PM would like to believe that too, at least in spirit of Islamic brotherhood. However, if it is true the divide is now great, then the abolishment of NEP would be far, far better than continuing it. It is just a technical thing and has nothing to do with ideology or point of view.

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NEP: Can Umno keep its promise?
Loh, Malaysiakini
Jul 27, 05

The New Economic Policy supplemented the 15-year special privilege provision enshrined in the Federal Constitution of Malaya. Having used up 13 years of the 15-year privilege provision, Umno asked for another 20 years to implement NEP. The understanding then was at the end of 20 years in 1990, there would neither be the NEP nor the special privileges provision. Malaysians would all be equal. That was a promise given by Umno leaders, and the component parties naturally thought that succeeding generations of Umno leaders would keep to the promise of the founding fathers.

There was never ever any opposition by the component parties to what the government did and implemented for the NEP between 1970 and 1990. The Umno leaders in government should have kept to the promise to drop the NEP and special privilege provision in 1990. The powers-that-be conveniently then said that the objectives of the NEP were not met, and renamed NEP the National Development Policy to continue implementing the original NEP, perhaps more ferociously.

That generation of leaders who framed the NEP had been more upright in setting a time limit of 20 years to implement a policy which they knew was biased against, and unfair, to the non-Malays. The spirit of comradeship forged by the Alliance government was, unfortunately, not appreciated by the younger generation of Umno leaders who felt that since Umno was the government, it could do what it pleased without a sense of justice and civility.

The question now is can Umno be trusted to keep its promises? Why keep comparing the income level between the races when the most fundamental issue is to offer help where necessary so that all the citizens can live happily?

The NEP has been a convenient tool for producing Umno-only champions. That is the route to power and riches. Unfortunately, it is not the path to become a global or towering Malay.

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Impatient Umno politicians sowing distrust
Dr Jacob George, Malaysiakini
Jul 27, 05

In utter sadness, I cannot but state that there is a need for a more moderate voice to be heard in the battle against political, religious and racial radicalism in this country following what was clearly seen last week at the recent Umno general assembly. These "next generation of politicians", to my mind, were utterly disgraceful. There was no need for any quarter to engage in fiery speeches with a kris in one hand. No one is threatening nor intending to abuse any one quarter’s rights and needs. No one had - prior to the Umno assembly - even engaged in any discourse touching on any one's constitutionally guaranteed rights and privileges. Yet, like a mantra, certain individuals (perhaps bankrupt of ideas) had to needlessly resort to bringing up this sensitive issue.

Embarrassingly, lessons have not been learnt even by those who have had their education in the West. Nor is there awareness of the seeds of distrust that can be sown by impatient politicians through fiery speeches devoid of substance but presented all the same for personal gain. It would have been more meaningful if they had used the same energy against those of their own kind who had betrayed and manipulated handouts for immediate short-term gains out of perverse greed.

It was certainly not the marginalised minority or the other races in this land at whom this anger should be directed at.

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PAS ulangi kesediaan bermuzakarah dengan Umno
Jul 27, 05 Malaysiakini

PAS sekali lagi mempelawa untuk mengadakan muzakarah dengan Umno bagi membincangkan pelbagai isu demi kepentingan agama, bangsa dan negara, kata Presiden PAS, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang. Katanya, PAS sudah bertahun-tahun mengatakan bahawa penyelewengan dan kepincangan Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB) tidak mampu ditangani oleh satu pihak sahaja tanpa pengemblengan seluruh tenaga Melayu.

"Dalam ucapan saya di Muktamar PAS di Kota Bharu baru-baru ini, PAS telah menawarkan untuk mengadakan muzakarah bagi membincangkan agenda ummah, termasuk permasalahan orang Melayu," katanya dalam satu kenyataan hari ini. Abdul Hadi berkata, cadangan untuk menghidupkan semula DEB adalah kerana ketidakcapaian 30 peratus ekuiti orang Melayu dalam ekonomi negara.

Menurutnya, Umno perlu mengakui bahawa di bawah pemerintahnya berlaku kebocoran dan ketirisan kontrak dan permit, ketidakcapaian ekuiti dan keciciran pendidikan anak-anak Melayu di institusi pengajian tinggi.

Kenaikan harga

Selain itu, katanya, berlaku pengangguran siswazah, penagihan tegar, kenazakan Institusi Pendidikan Tinggi Swasta (IPTS) Melayu, kesengsaraan dan kemelaratan hidup orang Melayu kerana kenaikan harga barangan yang melambung. Katanya, wujud juga segelintir korporat Melayu yang lupa daratan dan "diselamatkan" membabitkan berbilion ringgit wang rakyat berlaku tanpa campurtangan pihak lain, jauh sekali pembangkang.

Beliau berkata, PAS telah mengikuti dengan terperinci perjalanan Perhimpunan Agung Umno baru-baru ini, khususnya mengenai isu-isu yang berkaitan dengan ekonomi dan masa depan orang Melayu. Dalam perhimpunan tersebut, Pemuda Umno telah mencadangkan pengenalan Agenda Nasinal Baru yang bersemangatkan DEB dijadikan asas pelaksanaan Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan yang akan dilancarkan tahun depan.