Nurul Izzah: Daim’s call to compete ‘ironic’
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, April 1— Tun Daim Zainuddin’s call for Malays to compete with the best and to stop relying on government aid to excel was “ironic,” said PKR MP Nurul Izzah Anwar today.
The PKR vice-president said that while she agreed with the former finance minister’s remarks, Daim was in no position to offer such advice as he was the product of the practices he was speaking out against.
“Yes, this is a timely reminder for all of us… but it is ironic as it comes from someone who does not walk the talk,” she told The Malaysian Insider.
Nurul Izzah was responding to Daim’s remarks yesterday, made during a public lecture at a local university here.
The former minister had said that Malays must learn to compete with the best and stop relying on government aid if the community wishes to do well in a liberalised economy.
“For us, the Bumiputeras, the only way is to compete,” he said at Universiti Tun Abdul Razak.
“If Malays want to succeed, we must compete with the best — and the best are the Chinese.”
Daim had said the Malays should not fear failure, as it was through failure that the community would learn from past mistakes and be more resilient in dire times.
He said many Bumiputeras had it easy in the 1980s and 1990s but did not survive the Asian financial crisis, as success had come too easily to them and they could not adapt.
Today, Nurul Izzah held Daim up as an example someone who succeeded due to government aid and connections rather than merit and talent.
“Perhaps we can talk about his own example — contracts awarded because of government connections rather than merit,” she said today.
But the Lembah Pantai MP said Daim should continue speaking out on the need to reform existing government institutions to allow a conducive, competitive environment for all races.
“There is a dire need for more than just political reform… for example the National Economic Action Council (NEAC) needs to be implemented in its entirety,” she added.
