Ya, it's about Corridors of HOPE!The Malays and Bumis had all the hope; only hope.
For hope, is not for hopeless; the poor have hope, but hope remains as ever in it's true form. The NEP, mooted in 1969 was to eradicate poverty.
In page 4, Prime News, NSTP today, the statistics published the hope of the people.
In The Star, coincidentally, it's page 4, Nation, it was reported that United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reported that the indigenous people who are also Bumiputeras, and Malays in Kelantan and Trengganu were the poorest.
The Star is trying to spin an illustration that the Indians is not the most intense poverty group, but it still consists of a large portion of the community living in poverty, and the fact is, they are not the only ones. Which means, there still exists a large segment of population who are considered living within the poverty level.
So, did the NEP succeed to eradicate poverty? Or, it had managed to create a small segment of ultra rich?
28 years of failure, we now have a new programme, the Corridors of projects, which hope to improve the livelihood of the masses. Hope it does; there's still hope, for some.
17 comments:
.... if what you say is correct, then,.... why are we repeating a mistake for 37 odd years? Are there no betters to lead us? How can repeating a mistake for aonther 37 years be better? Who is an idiot in this picture?
Poor means poor lar.. no need to compare skin color. I don't want to bother reading the papers these few days. I know there'll be plenty of spinning one.
Helen,
You are really a philosopher. Your words rings simple.
Anon,
Thanks and could you please sign-in with a nick-name? Appreciated.
Indices of Poverty by what?
---------------------------
If a lump sum income was applied no matter it is urban or rural
it does not give the full light!
Or, as if PM said Indian have food and clothes, is that alright?
In rural, earning is low
but cost of living also low.
More low income in rural
may not be higher poverty to hold.
Income increase cut number of low income below a lump sum
but inflation in reality put more towards poverty than announced!!
How reality this kind of Statistic, question marks!
Or, another PM's for his "normal" credit or remarks!!
How accurate will Bumi declare
if they have easy land to plant?
If Hindus are labor without land they are truly poor and plain!
Is poverty be defined as below a sufficient amount for an average life?
Or, only when they don't have enough food and clothes?
How many land are on account of Bumi should be counted!
Or how can they be poor if taking an average head count with the land in Bumi's account?
Taking oil income, any reason for poverty to come??
If terms and conditions not included
any statistic no use!!
When a PM can fly in planes of millions to talk of improving poverty for around a million, it doesn't code!! How about project inflation of millions and billions?
The average income could also be blur when the number of members earning in families differs!
Most Chinese and Indian Families both parents have to work.
Is Bumi the same case?
So how can parental hood be claimed?
By giving more maternity months or years?
but without pay!!
Telling only part of the story is not fun!!
isnt it a damnation on the ruling party. with the resources to help the bumiputras, they still remain the poorest. where has the money gone? millions to uunauthorised palace in Klang? billions to the scandalous Port Klang Fleece Zone. it seems Klang is rather infamous these days?
Let us admin that NEP is proven to be for the 'selected few' not just for the Bumi. There had been many Bumi projects but the real beneficiaries had been the 'selected few'.
Those in kampungs are still poors.
Those in bandars are still poors because they decides not to 'kipas' the 'selected few'.
Any hope for me (bumi but not among the selected few dan tak pandai kipas-kipas) ? Also, I did not sent my sons to Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan.
Migrating - cannotlah 'coz got diploma only ! Also, Indonesia tentu reject sama saya !!!
Voting non-BN - Cheras had been DAP since day one. Jalan banjir dan berlubang dari dulu lagi. Nothing changed.
Hope ? Entahlah.
Sharing,
You are such a great poet. Salute!!!
Nani Cheras,
Sorry that you are from Cheras; that's DAP and sure lots of potholes. Sorry that you are not the "Selected Few" and cannot bodek the FEW. So, you are just like me - Takda jalan, takda project; takda kangtau.
Mave,
It sounds dramatic in blogs to say NEP is a total failure and only succeeded in creating minority ultra-rich. I came from a kampung in Kelantan, the land of the poor and I know for sure that the villagers are much better off now than before NEP. Without NEP only those early starters in business, those early educated groups, those with earlier history in business, hence more connection among the buisness circles have the upper hand. Without NEP, the Malays would still be as it was before; poverty stricken. However, Im not saying that crutches must be permanent; only when level playing field is achieved should it be permanently removed.
Gukita,
Are you implying that without NEP, you would not have the necessary education; that Malays would be far worse? What a sad ideological self-defeating attitude.
Look around, and see how many had succeeded without a crony system and rent-seeking. The race or color or creed did not dictate success and educational excellence. Contrastingly, you can observe that those without crutches have far greater success stories. The Jews were an example, though not an excellent example; the diaspora citizens were great examples. I felt sad for those Malays who held to this thoughts and ideology. You must have been indoctrinated.
I have the greatest respects for Malays and they had a beautiful culture and values. I felt sorry for such indoctrination, and I apologise for the harsh words used here to explain. I had no intention to show contempt or disrespect because I had always respected you as an intellectual and a hardworking person who would succeed wherever you go. But your contention betrayed your ability and capability. I am sorry.
Oh Gukita, you mention "Only when level playing field is achieved..." Level? How level is level? Who caused the unlevel and mislevel? Did the other races caused the field to be unlevel and undulating? Surprised that you speak the UMNO ideology that was spread to indoctrinate the malays to believed in such and you buy that.
If you look at the international scenarios, could we say Japan had a competitive advantage over many other countries, and that China with their cheap labor is causing an unlevel economic playing field? I believed you have the knowledge of competition and competitive advantage, and that a 14-year-old boy from India could become a multi-millionaire for developing a software. In essence, I am trying to explain that the Malays were no inferior to any. For whatever reason, the Malays in the earlier times were not much interested in commerce and economics. In order to give them an opportunity to catch up in commerce, the NEP was enacted to provide the structural framework and knowledge-impartment with assistance and initial financial backing which will convinced the Malays to take the risks of commerce, and go into business without the phobias of losses. It was a psychological booster and the concept was great but it was well implemented during Razak's time. Since Mahathir took over, the concept shift to producing a small segment of billionaires with Daim leading the coterie. That spelt the end of poverty eradication.
Mave,
No need to be sorry. It is all too easy to blame others as being indoctrinated just because they differs and seemingly to be aligned to views that is contrary to certain accepted intellectual circles. Indoctrination is when you are being fed the slogans at ceramahs ets but I've seen and lived through it.
I was a kampung boy from Bachok Kelantan. My late father was a kampung businessman with a chinese tawkey at KB town in late 60's and early 70's. He bought goods from rural folks(those days rural means really in clutch of poverty) and sold to the tawkey who came once in 3-4 days to collect the goods; mainly chopra (dried coconuts) and charcoal. The villagers have no choice,they have to sell to him because only he could give them credit advance and give them money when they were in need. They HAVE NO CHOICE. And they price was cheap.
Then FAMA (product of NEP) came along. Soon the villagers have another buyer. They no longer depend on my father. Though my father lost the business he still have it in him to see the benefit FAMA provided and praise for it. He move on to other business.
Then the villagers have a slightly better income. Latter LTN (National Tobacco Board) came along (another NEP product) and provide alternative income to the poor (poor means very poor - in the clutch of fishing tawkey). So they have another source of income. With it those villagers that earlier walk and with tattered houses with `atap rumbia' now could afford to buy motorcycles and replace the atap with ardex - asbestos roofing(my father's latter business). All these because of NEP that took away the cluthces of the tawkeys on the villagers.
Also those days you can count on the number of Malays with proper higher education... Not because we were more stupid but because we have no means to pay for higher education. During the late 70's there were huge program to give us a chance for higher education, hence massive sponsorship by government to send us overseas. I was one of the beneficiary of the program. No way would I and score of others could ever hope of that level of education on our own I could only thank NEP for it. All these are programs for eventual level playing field.
I dont support cronyism and I agree there's a lot of opportunist around, the short circuit to richess via public shares and what not. Those are not NEP but manipulation of fund and policies that has nothing to do with NEP but have everything to do with greed; the enemy of mankind.
Now, Mave, tell me...Was I indoctrinated???
Mave,
Now for your second post. How level is level? Level means exactly that... no cluthes of business tycoons irrespective of race. When the ratio of educated/non-educated is level. When wealth is equally distributed..the proportion under NEP target is a good guide.
I know about competitive advantage and project monitoring because I attended your class ...with 24 years managing problems and teaching them; you certainly have a lot to teach and I found your class most captivating and thought provoking as is your blog writing. But I saw the kind of comments in your blog and try to bring other perspective. Of course it is intoxicating and like an elixir to be applauded with more than likewise comments. But soon after getting comment rather contrary to popular, `intellectual', establishement-bashing kind even you got unsettled enough to answer with 2 posts within 2 hours ... so much for a free-thinking idealogist, eh Mave??
When I talk of NEP I mean that original intention of poverty eradication and redistribution of weath. Cronyism is an antithesis to NEP; it's a direct opposite. All those multi billionaires that manipulate the system for their own wealth are robbers pure and simple; and they are not limited to the `sawo-matang' skin group, many are slited eyes and even dark skinned. You need to differentiate NEP and daylight robbery..
Gukita,
Once you have closed your mind (that is my observation from the discourse) to logic and rational reasons, whatever you think becomes right and no one can change your mindset.
First and foremost, whoever the taukeh, be him any race, he had provided the finance to those who were poor and needed his money. He happens to have the money and he has the benefit and risk to trade. Just imagine if he don't want to trade; the poor would be left in dilemma; that's economics theory since time immemorial. So, the poor who had being help, felt they were abused after they had received the money to feed their family; and just because the taukeh wasn't a Malay, justify the NEP. I disagree.
When the Chinese and Indians came to Malaya, they were poor and they work as coolie, earning penny. They worked their way, saved, and became businessmen and prospered. Unfortunately, that wasn't my father, who remain poor, maybe because he choose to remain as coolie. And so, my family remained poor for decades. Who do I turned to? I had to stop education after upper six and work; earned some money and years later, pay my way back to uni to get my degree. Should I consider myself as a victim of the economic system? I didn't. It was not my father's fault; he just wasn't the type of person who has business mindset. He was afterall a coolie. all my family members were top students in school and all of us have to drop out without entering Uni, except for my brother who got a Colombo Plan scholarship. Maybe, he is far luckier.
Government's affirmative actions in helping the poors, especially the Malays, providing financial assistance and guidance, including setting up FAMA and LTN, were necessary and is the fiduciary duty and responsibility of the elected government. It is not NEP per se that was necessary; it is affirmative action and good government who must do so. By setting up those agencies, it did help the Malays, it was good and it was the right action; but it's not NEP; it's government's programme to eradicate poverty and to uplift the living standards of the impoverished. Why NEP is said to be the right thing?
The whole aspects is that, a good government will help all the poor and destitute, be they Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans or Malanau. We even see government helping the Bosnians, Palestinians, and Indonesians (Acheh & other Tsunami victims). That's good government; but the program to help has nothing to do with NEP per se.
I strongly agree with programs on helping the poor, and it should include helping all citizens that are poor. Did the implementation of the NEP do so? It didn't. Helping the Malays who are in need is great; but why leave out all other poors of other races who are equally Malaysians? Don't help the taukehs (for they are rich) but not all Chinese or Indians are taukehs. However, please observe that the NEP is helping many of the UMNO Malays who are rich. You can observe that many ministers childrens are given scholarships to study at Ivy league Uni. NEP also gave APs to a few former govt servants to become ultra rich. is that the NEP that you preached?
Therefore, I am against the NEP particularly the process of implementation which is discriminatory, even discriminating the Malays themselves. But I am not against affirmative actions by the government to help all the Malays who need assistance.
Indoctrination; by your way of linguistic interpretation is seen in a literal approach; for you couldn't see the contextual aspects of the ideological perspective. The saying goes; an idea said many many times becomes reality and truth. Somehow, it was empirical.
I didn't blame you for being indoctrinated; you prefer to see it as ideological alignment and I have to respect your view. I shall treat it the way you see it. I apologise if you felt I had said it to show contempt; I didn't.
Gukita,
Maybe I construed your written language wrongly. Now I read your second reply, I get to see your thoughts and I was wrong in construing your sentences. I apologise.
I believe we are seeing the NEP in the same light except that we express in different ways. I disagree with the NEP implementation based on empirical results and actions. You had based it on conceptual which is right.
Please do not treat my response as mental unsettling. I happen to be online and your posting arrived and I responded intuitively. I did not pick and choose words to try to be philosophical or to be wise. I just write bluntly as I thought within my belief system and of course i can be wrong in certain aspects of analysis and observation.
I hope we are sharing thoughts and philosophy of thoughts.
Here again, I truly apologize.
Maverick,
Your salute is over-praised!
My cup of water with a few leaves
after many of your food of mind
should not carry a sight!
A stone among the jades
you have caught
I just gave some dots
with notes remain to be plotted!
My pleasure to be noted!!
Mave,
Your apology though not expected nor required is accepted. I am sorry for bringing heavy discussions into your satirical postings. I will now post heavy stuffs through private mail.
Gukita,
Thanks you for being so understanding. You are one person I love to spar in an intellectual discourse. You have the intellectuality and openness to accept critical observation and opinion. And though we could be firm in our stand we have not allowed it to lead to personal conflict.
My apology is needed for I often do not take into consideration other peoples feelings though I do not mean to hurt anyone. But I love the way you point out my weakness. Thank you.
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