Political Realities in the age of NEM

Who champions Malay rights/economic interests?

Our rights are already enshrined in the constitution. You read Article 153 of the Constitution. We have many other provisions. We have the demographics. But always, we realize that our Achilles heel is the economy. Political power grows out of the barrel of the economy gun.

So Ibrahim Ali and his people demand this and that. They presented the PM with a compilation of resolutions from their Economic Convention. The PM accepted it, grimacing I thought at the idea of having to go through the list of demands.

He has commissioned the NEM. It was done by a group of academicians and intellectuals. Here, now, a group led by Ibrahim Ali, the rabble rouser, the gadfly is thumping his nose. At that point in time, the PM reacted as anyone would normally do. Yes, we will listen to what you have to say. We will not abandon the Malays. I, the son of the PM who thought about the NEP will not betray my father. When one is reduced to seek refuge behind a father figure (in DS Najib’s case literally), one has lost the argument. It was Ibrahim Ali and his group that carried the day, that day.

But still we feel, these must be protected by extra-constitutional means. Perkasa imposes its will on the leadership. Protection of rights, done additionally by extra-constitutional means reveal only one thing. We finally realized that rights are earned, fought for and not given gratis or are given from without. Rights are earned from within. That which we fought for and gained, cannot be taken as easily as that given to us from without.

You have honorific titles? They are easily taken away as shown recently. But does Chua Jui Meng lose his intelligence; lose his education (a lawyer by training)? He loses none of these. These were the things he worked for, fought for, struggled and earned. These cannot be striped away. It’s in the person. In personam as they say legally.