Anwar refused to end the NEP back in 1991

In the end nothing happened. Why did Anwar not do what he should have done 50 years ago? Anwar is the man who talks the most. But when he had the power to end the NEP, he did not. Can Anwar explain why instead of attacking Umno and calling Umno a racist party?

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

What Free Malaysia Today wrote (SEE BELOW) has been said by thousands of Malaysians for 50 years since the 1970s.

We need a needs-based or merits-based policy. It cannot be a race-based policy like the New Economic Policy (NEP). The NEP is apartheid. The NEP is racial discrimination and oppression. All Malaysians must be treated equally, so all Malaysians who need help must be helped regardless of skin colour, creed, and religion.

Actually, when they formulated the NEP post-May 13, it was agreed it would be a serampang dua mata or double-edged sword and it would be for only 20 years until 1990. The NEP was supposed to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor and reduce the economic disparity between the different races.

So what all these people are crying out for is already there. The policy was very clear. Hence, never mind what race you are, poor means poor, because poverty does not discriminate and does not pick and choose by skin colour.

So why, after 50 years, many Malaysians are still crying out for what was already there for 50 years? It’s like asking for freedom to receive an education when Malaysia already allows freedom to receive an education. No one is being denied the freedom to receive an education.

The anti-government or Pakatan Harapan people have been moaning and groaning about this matter for 50 years until today. Well, then why did they not do something about this matter when they were in power?

In 1991, Anwar Ibrahim was the Finance Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad the Prime Minister, and Rafidah Aziz the Trade and Industry Minister. Note: these are/were all Pakatan Harapan leaders.

A year before that, in 1990, the NEP was supposed to have ended. So a Kongres Ekonomi Bumiputera was held in the PWTC to discuss the ending of the NEP and to agree on the new policy the government would come out with to replace the NEP.

All the 14 component parties of Barisan Nasional attended that Congress, including the Malay, Chinese and Indian Chambers of Commerce.

The Congress was supposed to be the venue to end the NEP and replace it with something else. Being the Finance Minister and Trade Minister, Anwar and Rafidah chaired two committees.

In the end nothing happened. Why did Anwar not do what he should have done 50 years ago? Anwar is the man who talks the most. But when he had the power to end the NEP, he did not. Can Anwar explain why instead of attacking Umno and calling Umno a racist party?

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Race-based society must change to merit-based, says Najib’s ex-aide

(FMT) – Former journalist Romen Bose, who became Najib Razak’s political communications consultant, says a new power-sharing arrangement among races is the way to bring about greater unity in the country.

It is important for Malaysia to undergo a transition from a race-based society to a merit-based one so that all could compete in the global marketplace, he said in a closing keynote address at a forum on “Projek Amanat Negara XIX – Perpaduan: Our Country’s Contradiction”.

Citing Malaysia’s history, Bose said previous leaders cooperated with one another to build the nation.

“Did Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Tan Cheng Lock and Tun VT Sambanthan back then talk about being part of the same ‘keluarga’ (family) or being one ‘bangsa’ (race)?

“I think you will find that our leaders from the independence era were much more pragmatic in their approach.

“The idea was to get rid of the British and everyone worked together to do that. The issue of unity came later.”

Bose said Malaysia’s previous attempts at unity since independence, such as having a common slogan, had failed.

“Our various attempts at unity since independence, whether you call it Bangsa Malaysia, Malaysian Malaysia, 1Malaysia or Keluarga Malaysia, have been rubbish.

“The only common element is the word ‘Malaysia’. And everything else attempting to define it has been pretty horrible.

“So, my contention is that if we want to bring about unity and, of course, stability and economic prosperity, it is not just an issue of coming out with a slogan about what we share in common or not.

“It’s more about a new power-sharing arrangement among the various races,” he said.

Previously, an MP had voiced concern over worsening race relations despite Putrajaya spending billions on unity programmes.

Wilfred Madius Tangau (PH-Tuaran) said a unity department had been set up in 1969 and two years later, the department was turned into a ministry, “but unity in the country is worsening”.

The billions spent on managing the ministry could have been channelled to Sabah to solve its infrastructure problems, he said, “since the government policies are not in line with unity and do not promote integration”.