Does DAP agree with Dr M on bringing back NEP?

Dr Mahathir’s recent statement that Pakatan Harapan is opposing Prime Minister Najib for doing away with the New Economic Policy does not make any sense

Ti Lian Ker, Berita Daily

There comes a time and it is timely now that Malaysians must move forward on the spirit of 1Malaysia and stop pitting the rakyat against one another along racial or religious lines.

The majority of Malaysians are now tired of Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s recent statement that Pakatan Harapan is opposing Prime Minister Najib Razak for doing away with the New Economic Policy.

The fact is the New Economic Policy had ended in the year 1990 and was replaced by the New Development Policy. This was done after a laborious efforts by leaders from all sides of the divide via many roundtable discussions under the National Economic Consultative Council (NECC) which was formed under Mahathir’s era as prime minister.

Whereas the NEP’s focus was on the restructuring of the economic cake along racial lines, the NDP’s primary focus was national development and progress towards achieving Vision 2020.

Thus it is surprising that Mahathir is now saying that Pakatan is against the premiership of Najib for reasons, inter-alia the ending of the New Economic Policy.

It is even more surprising that the normally loud and vocal Lim Kit Siang chose to play the silent, dumb and blind monkey when Mahathir said this without any rebuke or denial.

So is Lim now agreeing with Mahathir to bring back the New Economic Policy under the leadership of PPBM?

The latest Malay phobic statement is from another of Mahathir era of leaders – former Selangor menteri besar Muhammad Muhd Taib’s statement that the political power must remain with the Malays in order that the Malays’ future can be protected.

This is another old racial tune that is no longer in the evergreen list. By and large the Malays have wised up and they can see through this political bluff.

Firstly the Malays are no longer dependent on political parties to protect or support them. The Malay race and religion will never be threatened by any other race since these rights and positions are already safeguarded under the federal constitution.

Further, the Majlis Raja-Raja Melayu (Malay Rulers Council) and many other government institutions are already entrenched in our political and administrative system such that no one can disregard these Malay and Islam interests without facing a serious political backlash.

The above facts coupled with the fact that the demographic increase of the Malays in our population and electorates are good enough reasons to dispel or destroy the myth that the Malays and Islam in Malaysia needs Umno, PAS, Amanah, PPBM etc to protect their interests.

What is more important is that the rakyat must unite against corruption, abuse of power or self-enrichment in the name of any race or religion.

I call upon all and sundry to stay together and not be affected by any political scare or racial bogeyman.

We should stay together under the 1Malaysia umbrella and be objective and issue centric instead of being manipulated or falling for the divide and rule strategy.

Ti Lian Ker is MCA’s publicity spokesman and the party’s religious harmony bureau chairman