Will the Malays change?

 

WHILE discussing national unity at a gathering of Malaysian students in Melbourne last week, I told them that it was in the long-term interest of the Malays – and it was crucial to national unity – that the “Malay/Muslim-first policy” be rejected by the Malays themselves.

Zaid Ibrahim, The Star

Although a handful of extremists have been making the news recently, Malays throughout history have been a reasonable people committed to fair play.

WHILE discussing national unity at a gathering of Malaysian students in Melbourne last week, I told them that it was in the long-term interest of the Malays – and it was crucial to national unity – that the “Malay/Muslim-first policy” be rejected by the Malays themselves.

The “privileges” ostensibly useful to them are actually a hindrance to their wellbeing. If ethnicity is made the determining factor in the provision of assistance or the award of contracts, well-connected Malays will benefit disproportionately even if they do not merit such assistance.

Less hardworking Malays can also take advantage of the policy by doing very little except to ask for help from the Government. This kind of thinking encourages mediocrity as well as the concentration of capital in a select few, to the detriment of all.

This is why the gap between the rich and the poor in Malaysia has grown larger than in other Asean countries over the past 40 years. It is also why there are still more poor bumiputra households than any other in the country despite years of affirmative action.

The effects of the policy on non-Malays have been equally negative. Rich non-Malays have the means to overcome the “privileges” but the poor and middle class are alienated from the economic and social mainstream. Many feel unable to contribute their best to the country; and those who can afford to, have emigrated.

In Melbourne, a clever student asked me why any Malay should believe this narrative. Why should the Malays want an end to their “special privileges” and dependence on the Government?

Despite extensive fiscal leakages and abuses of the system, isn’t it still better for the Malays to be treated as special because they can receive government benefits when everything else fails?

I tried to impress upon the student that precisely this model of assistance is problematic. It encourages a false sense of entitlement when there are real economic problems that need everyone’s attention.

The federal budgetary deficit continues to grow, while treating economic inequality through cash handouts such as BR1M will be unsustainable in the long run without an increase in government revenue.

In the same vein, the benefits of foreign direct investment are greatly diminished by our dependence on foreign labour. Malaysia must increase its revenue and, on this score, the Government has introduced a raft of policies to transform and modernise the various economic sectors.

The creation of an educated work force requires that we persuade the many skilled Malaysians abroad to return home, but they will be convinced only by sound economic and social policies. They will certainly remain abroad if they believe that not enough is being done to address the imbalances of our society in a fair, equitable and transparent manner.

We must also address burgeoning financial debt in both the Govern­ment as well as individual households, lest we stand in danger of sovereign and mass individual bankruptcy.

For if we are bankrupt, “privileges” will mean nothing, and not least of our problems will be the fact that the Government won’t be able to fund the assistance it currently provides or spends on infrastructure. It is therefore better for the Malays, as well as the country, if we empowered all Malaysians to work together.

Here, I believe that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has his finger on the pulse of all Malaysians. He rightly perceives corruption to be one of the principal dangers to our nation, and he has taken steps to transform the business of Govern­ment to engender more transparency and better accountability.

Here, the Opposition should play a stronger role not just by providing the necessary checks and balances to the Government but also in formulating detailed economic and social policies for public discussion.

A proper annual economic summit, hosted by the Opposition and composed of economists rather than politicians, is a good start in educating people (including the Malays) on viable alternatives in policy.

I also believe that the Prime Minister does not share the views of the handful of extremists who have been making the news recently. Indeed, as I told the Melbourne crowd, I have faith that Malays generally will continue to reject extreme political and religious ideas even if the rhetoric suggests otherwise.

Malays throughout history have been a reasonable people committed to fair play. The May 13 tragedy represents a single flare-up – and it was a limited one, at that – in our country’s centuries of multiculturalism.

Thus, I believe that the present extremist religious and political outpourings are perpetuated by those who lack real convictions of their own. They merely trumpet views that they think make them appear courageous.

Malaysians are not easily fooled by their silly horror stories. After the various party elections are over, the need for this kind of demonstration will cease. Those who have a genuine ability to contribute to the prosperity of this nation have no need for these childish tactics, and the Malays as a whole know this well enough.

The Malays simply are not an extremist people. If they were, they would not be so sharply divided politically for the past 50 years, nor would they be so keen on watching P. Ramlee reruns. They also filled up the Merdeka Stadium recently for the Metallica concert, belying the myth that they are conservative and anti-West.

Again, I believe that the Prime Minister understands the pulse of the Malays. But we must do our part too. If Malaysia can find its bearings, we will be a happy nation once again.

To do this, we must all stand up and be counted. We must believe that there are many other Malaysians who share our optimism for, and faith in, our country.

Because there are.