New Economic Model & Rhetoric: A Kiss of Death or Life For Najib Leadership
Khoo Kay Peng
After a hollow 1Malaysia slogan, the Najib administration must be careful not to sound rhetorical on the soon-to-be announced New Economic Model (NEM). Najib said the NEM will be announced in two parts starting from March 30.
It is obvious that his administration, his advisers and PR consultants are working overtime to ensure that the model balances the expectations of all Malaysians and the exclusive interests of the Malay community.
His administration is being pressured by a Malay centric umbrella of organisations, the Malay Consultative Council, which is led by Perkasa to include the retain NEP’s race affirmative policy. This policy provides special privileges and various opportunities to the Malay community.
However, the policy has come under heavy criticism since the last few years. Critics had pointed to an abuse of the policy by political elites, mainly UMNO linked politicians, to benefit their cronies and supporters. The NEP is also being manipulated and intentionally misinterpreted to link the policy to Malay supremacy and special status in the federal constitution.
What appeared to be a temporary policy intervention to allow the largely backward Malay community to catch up with other communities after the 1969 interethnic strife, it had been restated by UMNO as a permanent symbol of Malay supremacy.
Regrettably, the implementation of the policy although almost unchallenged by other race based parties in the Barisan Nasional did not lead to a betterment of the Malay community since 1970. Wealth in the community is held in the hands of a few indust
