Malaysiakini , 16 September 2008 ; Letters to the Editor
The fact is the non-Malays never accepted the concept of Ketuanan Melayu nor the special privileges of the Malays as laid down by the Federal Constitution. This is the main culprit which became the stumbling block to the development of non-racial partisan politics in Malaysia.
The insincerity in honouring the constitution became obvious after 51 years of independence, made clear by the recent spats amongst the leaders of the different races in Malaysia. The ghostly image of May 13 is resurfacing and everybody is suspicious of each other now.
Families are constantly being reminded by their elderly about that black day in our history and the misery it caused. We are also being cautioned that we are eerily treading the same path to destruction, just like in 1969.
Pakatan Rakyat is playing a devious mind game which is making the components in Barisan Nasional question each other. It has been six months since the ‘tsunami’ general election but unfortunately we are not seeing any progress from either side.
One side is busy day dreaming about taking over the country through unethical methods, while the other is busy with various leadership crises. The coalition, which has so far been regarded to be as strong as a diamond, is turning out to be as precarious as a sand-castle.
Meanwhile, the rakyat are struggling to make ends meet amidst the burden of inflation and a weak economy, though the government might beg to differ.
We are often reminded how lucky we are compared to our neighbours in Thailand and Indonesia, who go from one national crisis to another. At least we can still do trade and live our lives normally. But should we even be comparing ourselves to these nations? Didn’t we surpass them ages ago? When did we regress?
At the rate we are going , we may end up destroying ourselves. We claim to be a tolerant society comprised of non-racists, but everyone is suspicious of each other. We claim to be neutral and fight for equality but still protest when we think someone is having a better deal than ours, especially if they are of another race.
Why are we not helping those in need? Why is race and religion so important suddenly? Surely principles are just, if not more, important? If we truly believe in building a better Malaysia together, this paradigm shift must happen.
Community leaders must vocally emphasise the constitution and act to bring the various communities in the country together. The day the Chinese and Indian communities fight for the rights of the Malaysa and vice-versa will be the day I believe in a true Bangsa Malaysia. Only then will we be truly united.
2 comments:
hi...
i did'nt know that doctors do have interest in politics...that's good anyway...i guess u are right about the t-sunami politics in malaysia not doing any good..but the most thing that scares me is when the greedy people take away the malay or perogatives in the federal constitution...if that happend...it will be worse than having real war.....
Regards
Fazreen
the malays have always been the the governing race of the country for the past 50 years and will probably be in power for the next 5000 years
as long as they govern and lead, the welfare of their race should technically be in good hands.
the problem with this malay rights issue is the fact that it takes away the fun and thrill of accomplishment.
as a successful indian, i can tell you that success is attainable in this country without the need for any special rights and privileges.
this is a blessed country, strategically located, free from disasters and rich in all aspects.
if you come up the hard way like my family has, you will really come to love this country. i will die for this country anyday..
work hard, be persistent and sincere, a bit of luck and success is yours.
all malays are capable of EARNING their success. just look at the hard working nasi lemak traders in the city rising at 4am to start work. many of them have a sellout business and are rich!
azizi ali is still a property millionaire without the bumiputera discount . he buys most of property from auctions.
i worked with many brillant malay doctors. what has their bumiputera rights got to do with their skills i can never tell. their `rights' have however allowed some low quality guys to infiltrate their ranks, but thats another story.
the taste of such success feels very good.
throw in a whole lot of malay rights and privileges and keris weilding antics and you get another equation.
it makes many malays oblivious towards reality, makes them more and more dependant on the government and just generally takes the fun out of things.
this special rights article makes many malay politicians think they deserve this country and all its fruits without the responsibility that comes with it.
another name-greed. its not
the malays who behave like this.
give anyone, indians, eskimos, little rich kinds, privilages they dont have to earn and you get the same product. brats.
the rules of evolution are the same, survival of the fittest. always have been. thats why we have super bugs like MRSA.
shove all the malays under the tempurung of special rights and you get a group that just cant survive without crutches.
from time to time you will get zealots in the government waving dangerous weapons, telling us non malays to be carefull with what we say or the will be another blood bath. yawn. its not even insulting anymore...
but you see, the government can change hands in a matter of days.
if you EARN somethings, no one can take it away from you. even if they do, you will just earn it back again.
if the malay rights go, dato ahmad's ali baba company will cease to exist, ali and daud will worry about their seats in UITM and start to study and those who brandish kerises, spears and guns are going to worry about the
cops.
but no one can touch azizi ali's millions, no one can take away the nasi lemak traders business and no one can take away my friends talents at doing peripheral nerve blocks!
see what i am getting at?
as a non malay, should i be angry and envious at malays for getting their special privilages? no. why should you be angry at people getting something that isn't even yours to ask?
like it or not malay rights are enshrined in the federal constitution.
what to do?
do away with malay rights and the
NEP?
not yet, there is still a large gap between the majority of poor rural malays and the rich minority.
but be carefull, the malay rights and privilages are a double edge sword. keep them long enough and all the competitive edge and talent will go to waste and the malays will never catch up.
and that will truly be the end to this country.
sorry if i offended anyone but thats what i think.
kamunting, here i come.
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