UMNO & Malays Conundrum

UMNO Conundrum

The New Malay Dilemma

First, it was Proton's dilemma of survival and competition from foreign products; the blame of which rested in it's entirety on import of foreign cars using Approve Permits (APs).

Then, it was the Proton CEO's interview with the press to hammer home the point of blame. And the statement was supported by the maverick ex-PM who is now the advisor.

In direct retaliation, the minister responsible defended her position, and took a swipe at the ex-PM's son who had received the succulent hand-outs.

This culminated into a bizzare political diatribe.

Second, was the UMNO agenda at the general assembly. The UMNO demagogue demanded to revive the National Economic Policy, which expired 15 years ago and the truculent call for a new Malay Agenda. The objective of these demagogues were to Coquette and influence the government to introduce more and substantial subsidies and to increase the economic hand-outs for the Malays, presumably, to help those Malays who have yet to acquire economic prosperity and to ensure that 30% of the capital market are controlled and owned by the Malays from these handouts.

These events gets insidious and outraged. The intensity reverberated into an ad hominem game and the pouring of derision over the social divide, browbeating and educing to tear apart the harmonious social structure and the unique multi-racial fabric. It signal the beginning of a clash within civilization.

Everyone stared at the perplexity paraded by the UMNO gung-ho and everyone has suddenly become an expert in the science and art of economic management. The subject matter were extensively discussed in the political circles; in corporate boardrooms and offices; in pantries and kitchens; in restaurant and coffeeshops; in wet market and in pasar malam. Everyone seems to know the conclusion and causes.

In thousands of weblogs, we have pseudo-journalist parading their thesis and dissertations. Plenty of diagnosis, critical analysis, and casting of insolence and petulance. This information age provides the tools and allowed insidious vitriolic antithesis to traverse globally, transforming worms into deadly air-borne virulences.

What is the issue and what is the problem?

To present the right solution, the decision-makers must not deviate from the root cause. Let's trace the roots....

After the May 13, 1969 racial turmoil, the new Prime Minister Tun Razak, initiated the New Economic Policy targeted to eradicate poverty and to raise the standards of living of the Malays and include all those under-privileged peasants of all races. The policy was aimed to assist the Malays who are largely agriculturalists, become entrepreneurs and industrialists, and to re-balance the economic wealth distribution with the other races.

In retrospect, the NEP and the Greenbook were extremely successful. Hundreds of thousands acres of land for Felda and Felcra schemes emerged, and many hundreds of thousands of rural Malays benefited. Apart from this, hundreds of thousands of Malays received university education and resulted in the creation of masses of Malay profesionals and managers.

So, shouldn't we celebrate the success?

Yes and No! The good is expressed. Now, the ugly!

Tun Razak's tenure was short. He ruled as PM for about 6 years only and passed away due to hypertension and stress. At the same time, the system managers were over-zealous in implementing the policies. The Malays and UMNO in specific, were naturally happy with the overwhelming success and new found wealth. The desire to fast-track wealth enrichment and deliver prosperity over a short period, plus the rise of many new Malay professionals and entrepreneurs culminated a new sense of desires and expectations of the Malays, which increases their greed and the crave for extreme luxurious and voluptuous lifestyle. To acquire extreme wealth and achieve them in a short time means to grab-all handouts and to influence the political decision-makers and delegated legislators to design new policies to meet this end. This resulted in disparities in the distribution of wealth amongst the Malays and the emergence of coterie within UMNO political network, resulting in furtive unjust enrichments at the expense of the Malay masses. AP abuses, Ali-Baba-ism, Public share-onwership distribution and Proxy-representation, raping projects (Computer-schools, privatization and PMCs, etc); these are some examples of furtive actions by the coterie.

The resultant consequences is that the opulent became bulimic, and their crave and libidos became unresistable. Those unconnected and ignored Malays felt chagrined by their treatment. The enragement accumulated into an avalanche of convulsed spasm. The other races who forms the minority suffers in disquietness and thus built resentment to the system. To add fuel to the disquietness, the recent tirade which calls for more and substantive hand-outs without efforts, created more disfavour and fuelled an already overdose of resentment.

What is wrong with the system? Why is it that large majority of the Malays have not benefited from the NEP and hand-outs given over the last 35 years? Why is rural schools lack of water and electricity such that they are competing in an uneven field as claimed by Johore UMNO chief? Why is it that when 90% of the civil servants are Malays; Khazanah and PNB controlled 60% of the blue-chips of KLCI; legislature is 90% controlled by BN and dominated by UMNO; all privatization projects are awarded to Bumis; Petronas, Proton, Telekom, TNB, ASM, ASB, and all GLCs are already dominated by the Malays; every PLCs must have 30% Bumi-participation; 60% of public universities are Bumi-scholars; 90% of overseas scholarship holders are Bumis; UiTM and University Islam are 100% Malays; APs are 99% awarded to Malays; almost all of the foodstalls and petrol stations at North-South Highways are allocated to Malays; all PKK licence holder must have minimum 30% Bumi-ownership; etc, etc; YET, UMNO is berating that the Malays are not competing in a level-playing field? What kind of field do they want?

UMNO claimed the Chinese are rich; but who? Robert Kuok is billionaire because his business empire is global and his majority wealth is derived from oversea investments; and he lives in Hong Kong, tho' he is called Malaysian. Kuek Leng Chan's wealth is largely derived from Hong Kong and Singapore and of course his majority controlled Hong Leong Bank which could possibly contribute to 20% of his wealth. Lim Goh Tong's wealth is derived from the casinos, a non-halal and unislamic business which the Muslims contemn. Ananda Krishnan wealth is derived initially from his Arab-royal connection and from international petroleum trade, culminating later from Astro, Maxis, & Tanjung PLC. The lesser rich Chinese derives their wealth from stock-market trading, salesmen for insurances and multi-level marketing products, gambling, bookies, Tai Ee Long (Chettiah), 4-Ds, Karaoke, night-clubs, prostitution, and alcoholic business. The rest of us (millions of the Chinese), including me, my relatives and my friends, we earn a meager salary and survive from hand-to-mouth. Some of us remain frugal and stingy; these few accumulate some wealth and becomes "middle-rich".

Most of these rich non-Malays (These group of rich people only constitute less than 10% of non-Malay population) did not acquire their wealth from rent-seeking and hand-outs.

The balance 90% of the non-Malays constitute middle income group and above-poverty group. Yet we never debase the system and blame the system of depriving us of the privileges accorded to the Malays. What we only asked for, is education and medical assistance. To derive income and wealth, we adapt and adopt enterprising measures which may help us acquire better income and possibly accumulate wealth over the decades of saving; largely by hard work, longer hours of work, acquiring competitive advantages thru' differentiation and cost leadership in business, planning and forward planning for our future and most of all, pre-planning and laying the foundation for our future generations; continuously remain stingy and frugal so as to save more money for the next generation, and continuously building network of business partners, forming strategic alliances, and joint-enterprises to enhance opportunities for wealth development. Education and intellectual competencies are our primary values and philosophy, and every family will take great pain to ensure their children and grandchildrens are provided the best education within their means. Every child are taught from young to be frugal and to have a bank saving account which accumulate the little wealth day-by-day.

Of course, there are also many Chinese family who are belligerent and delinquent. The men gets drunk and womenise and gamble and their children get affiliated in drugs, gangsterism and bugglarism.

There are also many Chinese who work-to-live and live-to-work, earning enough to survive and managing accumulated substantial liabilities day-by-day. Many are also bankrupts and some survive by cheating others.

For the Malays, I can't comment as my views are cognitive and anecdotal. The Malays and UMNO in general, must make their own analysis of their culture, values, philosophy and attitudes which had contributed to their weaknesses. Any actions taken must be affirmative, well-planned and long-term. Success is a journey, and not a destination. In a multi-racial society, we had to be prudent and wise. Intellectuals are not derived from sending childrens to university and garlanding them with degrees. It is the mindset and the profound knowledge that provides competitive advantage.