CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background and Rationale
If the newspaper is the first draft of history, then whoever controls the papers will control the initial stage of history writing of a country. In research on social, political and economic issues of a country, newspapers are often the first reference point. Political players that control the paper could exercise their influence over the content of a particular paper, and indirectly influence the interpretation of events by future researchers. As pointed out by Farish A. Noor (2002, p. vii) in the introduction to his book, The Other Malaysia, “history and politics, are, and have always been, two of the most contested discursive terrains for the simple reason that to control the writing of history means having the power to determine the past, present and future of any nation”. Farish added that the “the awkward silence and blind spots in the national historical narrative were not there by accident” (p. vi).
In modern society, political players often have dominance over events in the country, and their interpretation of events is often accepted as the ‘right’ reality, more so when they exercise a strong grip over the media. With control over the media, the main players in Malaysia could then construct ‘reality’ and interpret events to their advantage.
In Malaysia, the Malays have dominated the political sphere since Independence in 1957, and through its political party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), have exercised political power over every facet of Malaysian society. As pointed out by Farish A. Noor (2002, p. vi), “a close reading of Malaysian official historiography will show that the Malaysian historical subject remains male, Malay/Bumiputra, middle-class and Muslim”.
Malaysia is often portrayed as the success story of post-colonial multiethnic society, where different ethnic groups lived together within a national political framework of equal power sharing. However, after the May 13 riots in 1969, the Malays, through legislative and government policies, increased their dominance in the Barisan Nasional (BN), the ruling coalition that governed Malaysia since Independence.
The interpretation of events is often skewed towards the legitimation of Malay dominance, and Malaysian papers, especially the Malay language papers, often reflect this.
During the period leading up the 1999 general elections in Malaysia, ethnic issues surfaced and were passionately debated by Malaysians through media like newspapers.
The first rationale of this thesis is to illustrate that ethnic politics is still very much alive despite claims by Malaysian political observers that ethnic politics has taken a backseat to a more principle-based politics. In the 1999 elections campaigns, the public discourse that was used to analyse and rationalise the elections results was made mainly from an ethnic perspective.
The second rationale of this thesis is to point out the inconsistencies of the interpretation and reporting of facts and issues by the mainstream newspapers which are largely controlled by the political parties in Malaysia. Since newspapers are one of the sources of research materials, these inconsistencies will probably seep into future literature. This situation has to be rectified in order to minimise the misinterpretation of history by future researchers. This thesis is a modest contribution towards that process.
1.2 Objectives of the Thesis
Against the backdrop of the historical role of the media in society, this thesis aims to understand the influence of ethnic politics in shaping media coverage of national issues using the Suqiu episode as a contemporary case study. It is commonly said that history is the winner’s version of the story.
This study does not intend to find out the quantity of news on Suqiu episode, or on the quantity of biased news – negative or positive – on this episode.
Rather, this study will take on a qualitative approach, examining the distortion of this episode by mainstream papers and how papers framed this episode based on ethnic politics.
It is important to properly understand the nature of the Suqiu episode and how this episode was distorted by the press.
Literature on Malaysian politics in 1999 largely focused on the split of the Malay community and the effect of the sacking of former Malaysian deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim to the electoral patterns and elections results.
This thesis aims to make up for the lack of proper documentation of this episode, as this writer feels that it is important to set the record straight for future researchers.
1.3 Research Question
In short, this study will attempt to understand what attributes of the Suqiu episode were emphasised by the press in the context of ethnic politics in Malaysia.
Specifically, this thesis attempts to understand how politicians and public figures initially framed this episode. Since the press has close relations with politicians, how did the press frame this episode and were there any difference between the framing of this episode by papers of different languages?
This thesis will discuss the findings of this episode within the context of ethnic politics.
1.4 Methodology
This thesis will use framing analysis as a method to study the influence of ethnic politics in the framing of national issues by the Malaysian press. While taking into consideration the nature of Malaysian politics, this thesis will attempt to identify frames used by these national political players as portrayed by the press in the Suqiu episode.
1.5 Scope of Thesis
This thesis will include data collected from Malaysian mainstream papers in 6 months before the 1999 general election which was held on 29 Nov, as well as data from the second phase of the episode in 2000. Papers include English language papers like New Straits Times (NST), The Star and The Sun; Malay language papers like Utusan Malaysia (Utusan) and Berita Harian (BH); and Chinese language papers like Sin Chew Daily (Sin Chew), Nanyang Siang Pau (Nanyang), China Press, and Guang Ming Daily News.
Other data are collected from news clippings of Suqiu episode compiled by Suqiu Committee, articles from other news organisations like malaysiakini, and The Straits Times of Singapore. The discussion on the second phase of this episode will mostly rely on data collected from these sources.
The 1999 general election was held in the atmosphere of intense competition after the sacking of Anwar Ibrahim. The potential for change was real, as the opposition leaders were united under Barisan Alternatif (BA) to defeat the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.
Suqiu episode was chosen as the main study subject because writers documenting that period largely ignored it, or only mentioned it briefly. Suqiu episode is a good example of universal political pressure groups being portrayed as a Chinese organisation extorting the BN government.
1.6 Thesis Outline
Chapter 2 will provide the political and media background of Malaysia to enable readers to understand the events leading up to the 1999 general elections, and the subtle aspects of racial relations in Malaysia, especially between the economically-strong Chinese community and politically-dominant Malay community.
Chapter 3 will focus on the concepts and theoretical frameworks used in this thesis. Among the theories discussed in this chapter are consociational theory and the myth of news objectivity.
Chapter 4 will explain the methodology and research questions of this thesis.
Chapter 5 will discuss the findings from the data collected within the context of ethnic politics in Malaysia.
Chapter 6 concludes this thesis with discussion on the limitation of this research, and the future political trends in Malaysia.
Friday, 14 January 2005
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13 comments:
I wish to point out that the Orang Asli, not the malays, are the original inhabitants of Malaysia. Most of the malay Malaysians came from Sumatra and other parts of Indonesia. They only migrated here much earlier than the Chinese and Indian Malaysians. It does not mean they deserve privileges or rights just because they were the pioneer immigrants.
It is true that there have been abuses under the name of malay special rights and it is the duty of the malays in particular, and all Malaysians in general, to stop it so that the rightful malays get their rights, and the non-malays get their rights as citizens of this country.
It's a sad thing to say, but I do believe the main thing that's holding back malays is not the Chinese or the Indians, but the malays themselves. That's why Dr M and Pak Lah have been quoted as telling to throw away crutches and work hard to face the challenges of globalisation.
The malay and others of the same mind should learn to stand on their own feet rather than claim for special privileges and rights. The world is becoming globalised and if they don't change their attitude, they will only become beggars in their own country.
As for the malays who insist on hiding behind the veil of malay special rights - you have lost the respect of non-malays a long time ago.
We also suspect that the current situation will, unfortunately, get worse if no action is taken now. Why? Because our kids in school hardly mix with each other. They will grow up with little understanding of their fellow Malaysians, and with the suspicions that exist, it will be worse.
The truth of the matter is that polarisation in Malaysia is caused by the discriminatory practises of the government - especially after the NEP - rather than vernacular education.
The NEP is upheld for the rich and not the poor in Malaysia.
Whether we admit it or not, the problem is that the special rights and privileges given have now resulted in only a selected few bumis getting richer and richer. The bulk of the bumis, especially in the rural areas are not benefiting from the system.
Poor people are poor people, rich people are rich people - no matter which race they come from.
The poor in Malaysia must be served but I am sure all taxpayers feel that this should be done in a manner which is blind to age, ethnicity, gender and religion.
What's wrong with extending help to all deserving citizens based on needs and merits regardless of race?
The Malaysian problem is that rich do become richer. And because of the political system, the players are the same.
Out of control - this is all I can say about any type of enforcement and the level of corruption in Malaysia. No idea what Pak Lah has done in his first year in office but judging from the ground, I guess nothing much.
If you have ever heard of the simple saying, "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach him how to fish and he eats for a lifetime," you will realise that many non-bumis have learned how to fish but the government is still handing out fishes to the bumis. One day the fish will run out.
If you want to say discrimination is here in the US, yes, of course it is. Can you name a country where it doesn't happen? But let me tell you one thing - if you go looking for it, you will find it. But in Malaysia, you don't have to go look for it because it seeks you out, slaps you in your face every which way you turn, and is sanctioned by law!
Official figures have more than one million Chinese Malaysians emigrating over the past 25 years. Why did they emigrate? I am sure the government knows.
For most professionals, living abroad has its own ups and downs. But, you get dignity, fair treatment, and respect for your ability. You get a voice, too. And ears to hear you.
Brain drain by the tank-loads is what we get. Every single year, Malaysia loses people who could potentially contribute to the country immensely.
So the malay, you may keep your rights and perpetuate them. Such things are archaic. Who loses in the end? Your country, which should have been a first world one by today.
I sympathize with those that have benefited from the NEP, but the bad news is that the price he pays for his progress is much higher than what he pays for his benefit.
These special privileges and rights were once a necessity for them to move forward. Today, after many decades, they find themselves still standing in the same place.
It is a shame that our history has been constantly twisted so that our younger generation has no understanding of Malaysia's foundation and its true aspirations.
It is arguable that if not for the contributions of the Chinese and Indian Malaysians who helped in the development of this country tremendously, Malaysia would probably be in same category like Indonesia or the Philippines, if not worst.
To improve the malays' lot, more have to be made to work in private companies where competition is real and what counts is your ability. If special rights only help malays to become government servants, then all the more reason not to invoke special rights.
But of course, the present ruling elite drunken with wealth, will continue to fight this dream to ensure that Malaysia is kept divided so that BN can continue to rule.
Alternatively, Malaysians may begin to realise the dream of a new Malaysia.
The bitter truth is that the majority of this nation don't see the need to change things yet and until then, we can do little about it.
The bottom line with present day globalisation is this: compete on a level-playing field or you will lose. Plain and simple.
I fully agree that the NEP, as it has been implemented over these years, is the root cause of the unfavourable economic and racial unhappiness that exists in the country today.
It was supposed to improve the economic status of the bumi and thereby restructure society with every community benefiting.
But has this aim been achieved? Definitely not.
Instead, what we have achieved is a high rate of corruption, an inefficient and arrogant civil service, a failing education system plus racism and a feeling of despair among the minority communities. There is so much favouritism that those really deserving are not given their dues.
The NEP has also resulted in severe mistrust and jealousy among the races in the country. Unless the NEP is abolished and replaced with a policy of fairer distribution, this unfavourable climate will continue with the future looking bleak.
The NEP has to be done away with, especially so in an era of globalisation where all citizens regardless of race should be given an equal opportunity to allow them to give their best towards national development.
UM can become a top university once again as it was in the 60s and 70s. In addition to good facilities, this would require a dynamic and capable university administration, good faculty members and with English as a key medium of instruction.
USM also has an obsession with increasing its graduate student population. The trade-off has been the lowering of standards of admission. As a result, admissions of foreign students, especially ones with the means to pay, have gone up. Lecturers are given the impossible task of passing some of these students, who are not even qualified to do any graduate work in the first place.
The answer to the deterioration lies from within. Why be extravagant about hiring a foreign consultant? Isn't this itself telling of the lack of faith in the products of your own system? We do not have to wait for the annual THES ranking to know that our higher education system is long in need of a change.
We need courageous people to do this, not political party-hacks who masquerade as half-baked academics and shallow thinkers.
For all this to happen, the NEP would have to be sacrificed. Is the government prepared to do this? The recruitment of a significant number of capable non-bumis as administrators, faculty members would be required.
There is abundant talent and capability in the Malaysian population which remains to be tapped in the interest of Malaysian public universities. It would be imprudent to ignore such a large pool of resources when one wants to achieve excellence.
Putting it another way, it is in the interest of the Malaysian public universities (and their large malay student population) to engage the non-bumi talent and exploit their capabilities in all aspects and dimensions.
The non-bumis would also benefit from such an exercise, but the far greater beneficiary would be the bumi students and Malaysia as a whole. It is simple logic.
Look at America. What happened to the American Indians?
Because they refuse or reluctant to be progressive and continue to stay in huts and forest reserves.
Similar here, the malays are not locals. Parameswara came from India? Indonesia? Can't remember but he was definitely not local. Where malays came from? Indonesia? Arab? What happened to our orang asli? They are the original settlers here, they should be the true real bumiputras. Not the babiputras we have here.
So it is history repeating itself again. Best example is America and Australia. All the orang aslis in these countries are almost non-existent. Take a walk out in the streets, you'll find more whites than aborigines.
So, these melayus here, what they are doing now is, they are claiming land and take it all to themselves. They realize malays are:
1- LAZY
2- INCOMPETENT
3- NO SENSE OF URGENCY
4- SPOILT BY THE GOVERNMENT
I was studied in Melbourne Australia for 2 years, I met a lot of Malaysians who had emigrated to the country, some of them work in big company such as Nissan, NEC, etc, some of them open restaurants (there are Malaysian restaurants everywhere in Australia), and their life is good and fairly treated by the locals.
In Melbourne, a lot of Malaysians (99% Chinese) live in a suburbs, most of them send their kids to local school, and all have no problem on their race and nationality because besides Malaysian, there are also a lot of Indonesian, Japanese, Singaporean, Turkish, Vietnamese, etc. They can learn their own language without any restriction from the authorities. And everyone is compete on level playing field, everything is based on merit.
The living environment there is very nice, clean air and water (water can directly drink from tap), nicely built roads and residential area, almost perfect mass transit system (although I feel that Singapore is better) where you can live and travel easily without own car. Living cost there is relatively cheaper compare to KL (dollar to dollar).
The main reason for this migration is that some of them felt that they were second-class citizens (the Chinese) and third-class citizens (the Indians) in the country that they were born in. The high cost of living and non-support from the government have also resulted in smaller families among the non-malays.
For those who ran away or are thinking about running, my best wishes to you. But for the others who stand and fight, my respect for you.
It is better that you leave Malaysia. This country is full of crap. Everything is crap here. There is racism and lots of red tape bureaucracy. Malaysia don't practise meritocracy.
If a bumi is not even capable in comparison with a Chinese or Indians, he will still get all the goodies and left the shit to the other races. I advise the government not to help the stupid bumis but to give equal rights to everyone and also judge a person based on his merits and not his background or race.
If the government continues to help those incapable bumis and not cutting those red tapes, I think Malaysia will not meet its 2020 vision. Also my advise to those bumis: To the Hell with you!!!
There has been a survey done to investigate whether Chinese, Indians and Malays are hardworking. They found out that malays are the ones to be lazy. Lazier than Chinese and Indians. They do not have the motivation to strive harder.
Most of Malaysia's success come from the hard work of other races while the malays just reaped the fruits that the Chinese and Indians sowed. The Malaysian government know about this fact and that's how they implemented to protect those bumis from lagging behind the other races.
If you agreed with what I had said, you know that this is making sense. However if you disagree on my views, here is 2 possibilities ---
(1) you are a bumi that is receiving help from the government and hence you don't make any contribution to the society.
(2) you are a corrupted, biased person that is easily influenced, just like our police force. Think about it.
Humans have always migrated throughout history - 'in search of better lives'. It is in our blood. Animals also do it. Some prefer to settle, others move on at whatever odds. The Chinese race is a good example of enthusiastic migrants. The Scots yet another.
Take the example of my own extended family. My father, who came from a poor family, emigrated together with his late father and late elder brother from Guangdong to Ipoh in 1923. The price they paid was separation from my late grandmother for a couple of years.
When reunited, the family expanded to a total of 10 children. Within one generation, eight of these children were able to go to university in Malaya (Singapore) and the UK. Three of these were Queen's scholars and another, a Colombo Plan scholar. This was during the time of the British, with free and fair competition prevailing.
Within another generation, my family were all dispersed around the world. Today, we have family in the USA, UK, the Middle East and Australia. There are only two families left in Bolehland (Malaysia) from the previous generation - and they are retired.
In this generation, we have 13 doctors - all but one specialists - with one the holder of personal chair in a UK university. I am sure all of us can attribute our various successes to being at the right place at the right time and also by being diligent, open minded and persistent.
The argument has nothing to do with patriotism or race. We all love Malaysia as a country but we objected to the form and type of governance and the society it created during various times.
This spurred our migration and our decision to work and live away from the land we were born in. Some of us have even maintained our Malaysian citizenship in hope that things will change and we may be able to return. Nonetheless, we are thankful that we have not been hindered in our move across borders. We are also thankful that holding a Malaysian passport today will facilitate movement between many countries compared to say, 20 years ago.
In short, our leaving was our silent, peaceful protest. It will of course fall on deaf ears because the existing muhibah ruling class will only be interested in furthering their own wealth and well-being and not those of the rakyat. Fortunately for some of us, we could vote with our feet. So let it be.
We take a larger global view and see that we contribute to the world, not directly Bolehland. My question is: Have you considered that those who do not migrate are the ones who are truly enslaved?
And to the present government I ask: How do you think you could lure people like us back? (Hint: Better money would not work - as we get less where we all are.)
First of all, are we (the non-malays, that is) really to believe that the government will abolish or tone down the New Economic Policy in the near future? We must be realistic, if you have the right to buy a property at a discount and have scholarships for your children, would you let go of these rights?
With Chinese population dwindling in Malaysia, what needs to be done depends on the Chinese themselves.
There is nothing wrong with the brain drain. In fact, we should encourage our children to move to Singapore, Taiwan, China etc. if we disagree with Malaysian government policies that are based on race and religion.
When it comes to the matter of the dwindling number of Chinese Malaysians, we should talk about quality, not quantity.
We should resolve why the Chinese-Malaysian population is reducing. Official figures have more than one million Chinese Malaysians emigrating over the past 25 years. Why did they emigrate? I am sure the government knows.
Straight A students can't get scholarships or university places. Nothing new, it is been that way for the past 35 years. Nowadays, even enlightened malay Malaysians are speaking up on this injustice. The MCA and Gerakan? Busy making money from private colleges.
What is so great about having TAR College or Utar which took more than 35 years of begging? Why should it be so difficult to set up an independent university when we have scores of public ones?
While we push young talented people away, other countries notably Singapore, the US and Australia welcome them with open arms.
Is it logical that we drive away our young talented ones and then invite retired Mat Sallehs to live here and exploit our low-cost of living?
Singapore's success in particular owes much to these ex-Malaysians or their descendants including Hon Sui Sen, Goh Keng Swee, Goh Chok Tong, just to name a few.
About 30 percent of top management in both Singapore's government and corporate sector are ex-Malaysians. We export them so that Singapore can compete with, and then whack us.
Korea and Taiwan, both way behind us in the 70s and 80s are now way ahead. Thailand is breathing down our necks.
Sadly, there is just no integrity in the nation's leadership.
I am non-Muslim bumi……….purely and originally from the land of Borneo……….you have no right at all to speak here……….pack your bag and go back to Indonesia where your nenek moyang came from.
Shame on you for calling others immigrant. There is no such thing as "hak bumiputra"! It is just a cover up for "Hak emigrant melayu"! Bangsa terrorist has no space here in my land.
Only those Semenanjung people who have lived in Sabah or Sarawak know the true meaning of integration and tolerance!
The only reason why there is this many so-called "Pendatang" in your Malay-land is primarily because your ancestors were a bunch of village idiots who'd much rather let the white man take advantage of the nation's great resources, and run its affairs while they sat on their lazy asses collecting food for royalties.
After being the white man's whore for centuries, the Japanese invasion knocked some sense into them, showing them that white man can be sent home, and that they can be independent.
Don't for a moment think that you and your ilk could have done it all alone in bringing this country to this stage of development, all by yourselves without the blood, sweat and tears of the non-malays.
Malays have not done non-malays any favors. We are all Malaysians, we all built this country and us non-malays………..no, better yet, Malaysians……….are here to stay!
This is Malaysia my dear people, you have to change it. Forget about Umno, MIC and MCA. They don't care about you. They do care about the money in your pockets.
Allowing the views of the non-malay to be heard in Malaysia. Otherwise, the malays will think that the non-malays are tolerating the nonsense of Umno.
And I believe all malay parents have brainwash their children that only malays are the master of this land. With that believe, the malays are not opening up their minds and not progressing at all.
The malays will rest on their perils.
You are living in the wrong country, in a wrong era. It is you who should pack your bags, and head to a desert, to live with your camel humping brethren in Saudi Arabia.
So get off your supremacist horse, because if not for the collective work of all Malaysians, an ignoramus like you would most likely be tilling the paddy fields or plucking coconuts right now, instead of having the benefit of using a computer to surf the Internet and post messages on a forum!
In the 1980s when Mahathir was asked to comment about the brain drain, he curtly replied that, "If he open the doors of this (Malaysia) country wide, a lot of people would be happy to come in".
His message to the non-malays was leave if you want to, the more the merrier, because for every 1 of you leaving, 10 people from outside would be more willing to come in to replace you.
What Mahathir uttered reflected Umno's agenda of wanting more non-malays to leave, and more Arabs, Indonesians, Pakistanis - in fact anyone Muslim to come in to replace them.
That way they would eventually have a Malay/Muslim country with Ketuanan Melayu being more meaningful, and not a Malaysian country with the playing field being level for all races which they would oppose at all costs!
A Ketuanan Melayu country with all its defects stemming from all kinds of brainless cods is more preferable to them than a progressive Malaysian country, with equal opportunities for all races being able to take its place among the best in the world!
Their warped logic as reflected by Mahathir is why should this country be progressive when the malays do not benefit. Better to have a regressive country with malays benefiting and always dominating the others.
But retribution will come eventually, although not in our lifetime. Maybe a hundred years from now, they will wake up and find that all that pampering, muddling and coddling of the malays would have the ironic effect of making them degenerate into spineless creatures, reflecting a chaotic mess which will hinder them from competing with the best brains in the sweeping era and tide of globalization which knows no borders.
The world is increasing becoming a global village. As the popular saying goes, the world would not care who we are (malays) or what we stand for (Ketuanan Melayu) - only what we can offer to compete with the best.
And going by the future is predictable. By the prophecy "melayu takkan hilang di dunia" will be fulfilled in reverse. An epitaph to Umno!
Open communication or not does not make sense anymore - and we have to live in this Bolehland unless we got a chance and money to emigrate.
This is how they want the country to be rule and rot. Malaysians have given many comments on all this crap, but all remain unheard.
Sometimes I just felt that we are wasting our time putting up comments for a better Malaysia where the government is not prepared for and yet still dwell in denial.
In this Bolehland of denial, any effort to improve the country is considered insult and unpatriotic. There is no way it can change and that is the fact.
We only can change our own destiny and not this country by emigrating.
No wonder there are so many government-sponsored students (malays and non-malays) choose to remain overseas to work and live - to stay away from this Bolehland……….
You need globalisation to teach them a lesson - it won't be long and soon you will see the effect - in fact the rot has already started.
What you and Malaysians want is just a transparent, fair and accountable government to equip the country to face the globalisation challenge, and yet the government take it as a plot to discredit the country.
Whatever good deeds you fight for, they label you as unpatriotic, traitor, party agenda, nonsense and communist.
Hearing all this really break my heart and many Malaysians hearts.
Those contributing from their hearts are true, proud and courageous Malaysians - they are very concerned for the future of their motherland and the welfare of her ordinary people.
The New Economic Policy (NEP) 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.
It was raise bumi 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?
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?
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 25000 APs issued to three individuals.
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.
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 malay.
It is foolish to deny that the racial undertones at the meet did not cause a measure of alarm among the non-bumis in our country.
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 bumis? When did they actually benefit the bumi man-on-the-street? I see the kampung folk as poor as always.
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-bumis 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.
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.
Just as there exist a gap between the successful and rich bumis, there also is a huge gap between the rich Chinese and Indians and the ordinary folk.
It is undeniable that malays are stupid, lazy and incapable. Why don't they just humbly admit the facts and repent and learn from other races especially Chinese?
What is the point to argue here and wasting time again?
From the first onwards we were merely telling the truths. It wasn't us who think that way but their own Pak Lah as well.
All malays should go and read the newspaper, even Pak Lah is ashamed of maintaining the NEP after 34 years of implementing it and these malay baboons are still asking for it.
Even Pak Lah wanted them to compete on a level playing field.
So what does all these tell the world? It sends a very clear message that it is malays themselves who are incapable and lazy and they don't even want to admit it and make a change!
That is the biggest shame of all.
From research, this peninsular was part of the Siamese empire way before these malays from Indonesia invaded it.
Still so thick skin, don't want to go back to Indonesia!
Read it all. In Mahathir’s Malaysia, over 40% of the population lives under Constitutionally mandated and perpetual state sanctioned racism. It is verging on illegality to even bring up the subject - even in parliament.
Non-bumis live under widespread and considerable electoral, educational, economic and even religious restrictions and also have to live with the risk of racially motivated stirring from malay politicians who could put one nation to shame. And don’t ask about illegal aliens, they’re safely locked up in detention centres.
Unsurprisingly, some malay policies have played upon resultant fears of racial tensions and the difficulties non-bumis face in creating their own political voice to shore up a captive vote in the ethnic electorate.
Starting up a company or even purchasing land and property is harder and more expensive for non-bumis. The only way to alleviate their permanent designation as a second-class citizen is to convert to Islam and thus enjoy partial legal acceptance as a bumis.
This Malaysia, a land where racism is used to justify racism, is Mahathir’s creation and if that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black, then I need a new palette.
Perhaps you may have heard of the axiom making its rounds among the Malaysian bloggers:
“If it is a malay issue, it is a national issue. If it is an Indian issue, it is not an issue. If it is a Chinese issue, it is a racial issue.”
That is the problem with Malaysia. The Chinese and Indians are made to feel as if Malaysia is for the malays, and not for the citizens of Malaysia. Even the textbooks are often written as if addressing the malays instead of Malaysians, with references to Islam and other malay cultural aspects.
Just look at Singapore. In spite of their being a multiracial society completely lacking in national resources, they are now a developed country. Why?
Because the people there are united. There is no presumption that the average citizen is a Chinese or any serious programme giving a particular race special rights.
The presumption that greed, dishonesty, and betrayal are innate qualities of a Chinese is simply as abhorrent as the presumption by some Chinese that malays smell bad, are lazy, and are extremely religious to the point of martyrdom. Such stereotyping accomplishes nothing.
If Chinese kids won’t die for Malaysia, we should not jump to the conclusion that Chinese cannot be trusted. Instead, we should consider it equally among other possibilities, such as the government’s policies creating a feeling of unfair treatment despite the premise that we are all equal as citizens of Malaysia.
We know what the original intentions of the malay special privileges provision in the Merdeka Constitution were, but to maintain that it is a carte blanche for all manner of discrimination based on the bumi/non-bumi divide is certainly straining credibility.
Now that the commanding heights of the Malaysian economy have fallen into the hands of malay capitalists 48 years after independence, is it wrong to appeal for a new consensus based on social sector and need instead of race?
From the above, it is clear that the question of the constitutionality of the quota system as it has been practised since 1971 especially in totally bumi institutions has never been tested.
Because the government imposes racial quota in education and government departments, therefore Singapore and other countries take fortune at the tide. For years, there has been brain drain to our neighbour.
I called my newfound friend earlier who works in Singapore. Somehow, the conversation ended up on Malaysians holding top positions in Singapore.
Well, I have a good friend who is currently working with a top-notch investment company in Singapore. When my new friend found out, immediately said, “No wonder that Pak Lah person was mentioning about the brain drain in Malaysia!”
Well, I know a lot of doctors and scientists are working overseas. A number of my school alumni are actually working overseas and not in Malaysia. Some are doing well in Boston, London, to name a few. It’s even funnier to hear stories of some of my school alumni to accidentally meet each other when they are overseas. Yes, my school is guilty for contributing to the brain drain……….
Closer to home, I wonder if Pak Lah knows about our own Malaysian companies that are also contributing to the brain drain. No name mentioned, but I know of one company, due to the change in business process has forced a number of the disgruntled staff to leave the company.
The worse thing, these staff left and joined the competitors that are not Malaysian owned. And even worse, some staff actually decided to leave Malaysia and work at greener pastures.
They could have stayed in Malaysia, but no company in Malaysia could afford to pay the expected salary due to the staff being former scholars and studied overseas during the economic crisis.
Sad really. Now wonder why Pak Lah has an uphill task.
Clearly, there has always been movement of highly skilled people in and out of a country. If there is brain drain from a particular country, it can scarcely develop. On the other hand, if it can keep its talents and successfully attract its skilled citizens to return as well as foreign talents to come, it will prosper.
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