‘Shame’ will open Malays’ eyes to deception, former minister says

(Malay  Mail Online) – “Shame” will allow the Malay community to eventually see that the “privileges” accorded to them are in fact putting them at a disadvantage, former minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said.

In a blog post yesterday, Zaid said that while privileges such as lower university entry requirements may now appear to be boons, the Malay community will come to realise that these are hollow and do not result in any real-world advantage.

This realisation and shame are also the elements needed for the Malay community to embrace the change needed to shake off the indoctrination by the authorities and reject what he dubbed “idiotic and racist policies” of the government.

“It might take a few decades for them to feel sufficient revulsion for the national shame we are currently experiencing, but they will not be able to ignore it forever. Shame will eat them up.

“They will come to have a full understanding of how they have been put in a disadvantaged position, despite promises to the contrary, and will realise that they have been misled,” he wrote on his blog.

Malays are accorded allotments in education and public service under the Federal Constitution, which are often regarded as the “rights” and “privileges” of the community.

These “privileges” were further expanded under the now-defunct New Economic Policy (NEP), which had been introduced following the 1969 race riots.

To illustrate his argument, Zaid pointed out that the upshot of Malay students’ ease of entry into local universities has largely resulted in graduates saddled with federal study loans but without viable employment opportunities to repay their debts.

According to the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN), borrowers owe up to RM1.2 billion in defaulted loans.

The federal agency has since resorted to barring debtors from travelling abroad and listing the 558,475 errant borrowers on the Central Credit Reference Information System (CCRIS), which could affect approval for loan applications, credit cards and hire purchase.

“One day, they will feel ashamed that they cannot travel because their passports have been blacklisted by our own authorities due to their non-payment of student loans.

“Shame will make them brave,” he said.

He noted, however, that change should come from all races as well, and not specifically Malays, when Malaysians choose to support corrupt leaders.

“They must feel shame for supporting the idiotic and racist policies of partners in the Barisan Nasional that serve no purpose other than to protect the selfish interests of incumbents in Government,” he said.

Last week, Zaid urged all Malaysians to rally behind Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as he was the only Malay leader that the Malays trusted and respected, which was the only way to bring about “meaningful change”, and was accused of being “shallow” for his suggestion.

Dr Mahathir, who was notorious for clamping down on protests against the government during his time in power, showed up at the Bersih 4 rally last month as a last ditch move to call for Najib’s resignation.

The longest-serving prime minister claimed that the current leadership had dismantled government institutions meant to protect the people’s rights, especially in the way the the various investigations on state-owned 1Malaysia Development Berhad and the RM2.6 billion in donations made to Najib’s private bank accounts have been handled.