The Non-Malays Need Constitutional Guarantees Too

ARCHIVES 2010

By Aurora On Nov 14, 2010

By batsman

So it seems to me that the non-Malays actually need constitutional protection as an endangered species much more than Malays do. They must be guaranteed that their lives and livelihood as well as property and opportunities will be protected by law. They must be guaranteed that equal and fair opportunities will be given and they will not be deprived of opportunities to grow their business by the danger of shares being taken away from them. They must be convinced that the police will protect them as much as Malays are protected. Only in this way will they feel safe enough and secure enough to re-invest in their future and by extension, the future of the country.

Let us imagine for an instance (for argument’s sake) that in spite of the contention surrounding whether constitutional guarantees are offered to Malays regarding the 30% share of the economy that such a thing exists, would not the same type of constitutional guarantees also be needed by the non-Malays?

In the case of the Malays, the 30% share is booked in advance. It is an advance reservation. However, among Malays themselves, there is no provision for any sharing, so that among Malays, there is a free for all – the strongest and biggest cronies take the largest while those who are weakest may not get any share at all. This does not seem fair and just, but for arguments sake, let us imagine this is the internal problem of the Malays and up to Malays to sort out. Non-Malays can shut up and keep their own counsel.

For the non-Malays, there is a valid argument for the same type of constitutional guarantees since they are in the minority. As everyone knows, minorities more often need guarantees about their rights than majorities. Actually for majorities to make reservations on a share of the economic cake is rare especially when they hold political power. It is like a redundancy. Too much redundancy seems strange and difficult to explain if only because it slows things down and makes things inefficient and may indicate some sort of insecurity complex – like Linus (of Peanuts cartoons) unable to let go of his security blanket and unable to stop sucking his thumb (This may make him a toe keyboardist rather than a finger keyboardist and in the computer age, this seems an anachronism).

Things are even more difficult to comprehend when no provisions for sharing exist among the Malays themselves and a free for all exists within the Malay community. As such the insecurity complex becomes even more pronounced as this can only mean that Malays are secure when competing among themselves and cutting each others’ throats while they feel completely unable to compete in the outside world.

But never mind this incomprehensibility. This is not the gist of my argument. My argument is that the non-Malays need constitutional guarantees regarding their rights even more than the Malays do. This is apparent when the Defence Minister himself tars non-Malays as unpatriotic. This isolates them as convenient targets for any bully and for any scoundrel to take advantage of especially in the armed forces itself in the competition for promotions to higher ranks. Yet what the Defence Minister did was only the latest in a long line of taunts, bullying and even daylight robbery that the non-Malays suffer. Just read some of the comments here on MT blog to realize that the grievances of the non-Malays are deep and real.

Yet it seems to me what the non-Malays need in terms of constitutional guarantees is not an advance booking or a reservation like what the Malays demand but just protection for what they already have and for what was unfairly (even illegally) taken away from them to be returned.

For example politicians of all colours have emphasized time and again that the non-Malays will not have their wealth, their shares and their rights taken away from them, yet bureaucrats controlling licenses abuse their power by imposing 30% Malay ownership before licenses can be granted. Is such a condition written in the Constitution? If not, such a condition violates legality and the spirit of the Constitution as well as the pledges of the politicians of all colours.

So it is that non-Malays cannot grow their businesses unless they offer 30% share to Malays. What is the net effect? There is a suppressive net effect. Opportunity is taken away from the non-Malays. They are driven into small businesses that don’t require Malay partners or economic pursuits that don’t require licenses. Then again does opportunity amount to material wealth and a stable share ownership of the economy that will not be taken away or deprived from the non-Malays? If it does not, why force the non-Malays to give up 30% share? One can argue this to kingdom come, but life trundles on regardless of our debates.

Any dynamic or ambitious non-Malay that realizes the full potential of their inventions or their businesses or their products will emigrate to a foreign country that offers better protection for property and wealth. This means that cutting edge technologies such as thumb drives and cures for Lupus Disease will be entrenched in foreign soil rather than Malaysian soil. What remains are essentially obsolete businesses with no great potential for growth – good only to support aged non-Malays who love the country too much to start a new life in a new country until they finally pass on. So fully 30% of our population have switched off and only wait for the end of their days in quiet resignation. This does not make for a dynamic and competitive country.

In this way, the political leadership such as a now famous Defence Minister is screwing the interests of the country as well as the interests of the armed forces by harping on racial antagonisms to keep themselves in power. Some scream that they want to protect the 30% share of the Malays and accuse the non-Malays of being unpatriotic, but keep quiet that the cake is fast shrinking in size. To compensate, they grab more than 30% and distribute to their cronies while to Malays who miss out, they whisper that the Chinese towkays are too stingy to part with their wealth and hint that wealth must be forcibly taken from those who are too stingy to part with it voluntarily.

Even tiny Singapore is going to overtake us. This is shameful. Yet it can be foreseen by anyone with half an intelligence because Singapore has been poaching our best trained and best educated brains for more than 22 years. Our loss is Singapore’s gain, yet the Ketuanan types applaud this and feel pleased that the most capable non-Malays are emigrating and competition within Malaysia itself will be less acute among the losers – all the 3rd rated that are left behind.

So it is that not only the share of the non-Malays in the economy is reducing, their population is also reducing. It would seem some sort of conspiratorial genocidal mechanism is in motion. This is highlighted again and again when the politicians threaten a May 13 type bloodbath whenever there are complaints coming from the non-Malays.

So what do you think guys? Isn’t it time for non-existent threats from the non-Malays threatening the glorious future of Malays be dropped once and for all and allow the country to recover from decades of racial jealousies? Shouldn’t the country be given the opportunity to develop without the perversion of race hatred?

I am making this appeal to all political leaders including those in the BN. It no longer makes any sense for race to be an obstacle in our development. Please use your power to amend the Constitution such that all citizens alike are protected under the law and guaranteed equal and fair opportunities to develop the country to the best of their abilities. Heeheehee – as if it is going to succeed in convincing anybody.

Aisehman MCLM when are you guys going to get going? Are you going to be like PKR and start making excuses too? heeheehee