Is it Wrong for UMNO to Help The Malays?
Umno has every right to help the Malays. After all, DAP does the same for the Chinese.
Rasyhid Hamzan
After the Low Yat fiasco, the government embarked on a journey to aid the formation of MARA Digital that houses Bumiputera/Malay traders. Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has since reaffirmed that many such malls would open nationwide. City folks at large have been very critical of this decision; some even claim the government is spewing racism. In a nutshell, it can be easily concluded that Umno is doing its part in maximally aiding the Malays.
People often query why the government only helps the Malays? When Chinese traders can make it on their own, why not the Malays? Umno is deemed unfair in providing special treatment to the Malays. Since its formation, Barisan Nasional is mainly comprised of Umno, MIC and MCA. From the onset, it was an understanding that each party is supposed to help their own ethnic group. Although today it may seem like racial division, one will have to look back at history to understand why such an organisation was formed.
When the British colonised Malaya, the people were ethnically divided from the beginning itself. The Malays were limited to villages and even worked there, the Chinese were in towns controlling the trade and economy, and the Indians were merely in estates. Hence, from the beginning itself, it was unfair to solely empower the Chinese economically. Since independence, all the component parties of BN were given responsibilities to uplift their respective community.
Today, we see the Chinese community almost entirely supporting DAP. However, they forget that where there are today is because of MCA and not DAP. In a book title Ethnic Chinese as Southeast Asians, the author explains in great detail how MCA played a significant role in uplifting the Chinese community in Malaya. Although the Chinese were mainly economists, there was still a big number in villages who were continuously assisting the communists.
Many were caught by the British and transported back to China. The British saw the Chinese community back then as traitors, but MCA worked tirelessly to reverse this stigma. MCA played a vital role in helping thousands of Chinese to register as citizens. MCA also raised funds through legalised lotteries to assist almost half a million Chinese who had been resettled in 550 new villages across the country.
In 1952 and 1955, MCA combined successfully with Umno and MIC. In order to expedite independence, the leaders of major communities agreed to some accommodation on various contentious issues. Finally a constitution was formed. Overall, the constitution favoured the Malays. This was because the thrust of nationalism had come from the Malays. It was also believed that in 1874 the British signed treaties with the Sultans that protected the interests of indigenous communities. Furthermore, during the communist insurrection, the Malays proved themselves to be politically reliable.
The constitutions and the unwritten inter-ethnic co-operation between MCA and Umno agreed that the Malays would maintain political power while the Chinese maintained economic influence. MCA was pivotal in ensuring that the Chinese controlled the economy since independence of the country. Former Kampar MP Tan Sri Hew See Tong very rightly said that without MCA, many of the Chinese back then would have suffered and would have been deported back to China.
Moving forward to the 1980s when the country was hit with a recession, about 50 Chinese cooperatives were at the verge of bankruptcy. MCA allegedly warned the then Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad that unless the government bails them out, the Chinese were going to abandon BN and jump to DAP. To ensure continuous support, Mahathir allegedly spearheaded a RM 2 billion bailout to the Chinese cooperatives. When the going got tough, even the Chinese received aids from the government. Despite Mahathir’s New Economic Policy, the Malays continued to lag behind as the Chinese were already in control of the economy.
Even today, if one were to start-up any business, you would have to purchase from a Chinese vendor as they monopolise almost everything. They were allowed to be in the driving seat pre-independence itself. You can defend all you want, but the reality is there are lots of frauds in Low Yat. Generics are being sold in the pretext of originality. Many people have got cheated. This is because a single ethnic group is monopolising the trade.
Today, the Chinese community has abandoned the party that is solely responsible for their existence in Malaysia, and is instead supporting a party that started on the realms of communism. Majority of the Malays remain loyal to BN. The struggling Malay community who are in need of help is being aided by the government. The help is not in cash-handouts. MARA Digital is instead a platform that would enable the Malay community to work for a long-term sustainability. As an end-user, it gives us much more options. The purchasing ball is now in our court.
Many people are predicting, or should I rather say hoping that MARA Digital would flop. These people also predicted that Malaysia will be the next Greece and Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak would cease to be Prime Minister by end of 2015. The reality remains otherwise. Umno has every right to help the Malays. After all, DAP does the same for the Chinese. Malays and Indians in Penang are constantly relocating because their villages are being demolished.
