This is an interesting article from Mujahidin Zulkiffli.
January 15 at 2.09PM
Affirmative action for the Malays
First, let’s look at why we have this in the first place.
Yes, because of the Chinese. We wouldn’t have Malay affirmative action if it was just the Indians we had to worry about, would we?
Maybe now we do, but then again, if we take out Ananda Krishnan, the Indian average income goes down way below the Malays lah. (I’m talking in jest)
Now what about the Chinese?
These are people with economic brains. It’s not just in Malaysia, anywhere in the region, they are thriving.
Indonesia? Chinese control the economy. The Ciputra (Tjie-putra), the Tanotos (Chen), the Riadys (Lie), the Widjajas (Huang), the Salims (Lim) are all Chinese Indonesians and they control much of Indonesian economy (just to name a few).
Thailand? Also Chinese controlled, although Chinese Thais may have assimilated with the locals better than in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Singapore? Who am I trying to fool here?
Let’s take Indonesia as an example. Why are those Chinese having Indonesian names? Because under Soharto, they weren’t allowed to keep their Chinese names. And in Indonesia, everyone is Bangsa Indonesia.
Really? On paper yes, but just look at Ahok. He had to struggle to become an administrator. Ended up in jail. Not too long ago there were violence in Jakarta targeting the Chinese Indonesian. Are they any better than the Chinese Malaysian?
Yes, I say Chinese Malaysian and not Malaysian Chinese because that should be right term if you are Malaysian first. But many Malaysian Chinese are Chinese first, Malaysian second. Some still going around talking about the motherland going to take over the region soon and liberate all overseas Chinese. Some shouted hooray when China was introducing Green Card for overseas Chinese few years ago. Just like how some Indians still so proud of their Overseas Indian Resident Card.
Anyway I digress, but my point in digressing is this, the Bangsa Malaysia dream is far from happening not only because of the Malays, but also because of those who still want to have strong ties with the motherland. We didn’t become all Malay during independence because some of our grandparents wanted to keep ties with their motherlands. My grandpa came from China, so I can say “our”.
Now 60 over years later, many no longer have ties or feeling of relevance to China and India. So now the younger ones are calling for equality for all.
Fair enough. There are many poor Chinese, there are many poor Indians that deserve attention.
But what about the Malays?
The Malays have failed to capitalise on 60 years of affirmative action and now demanding to have better policies to keep the affirmative action.
The Malays actually need the opposite. We need not be pampered anymore. We need to work hard. We need to be told that no one will help us if we don’t help ourselves, and by that I don’t mean Malay helping Malay but everyone need to stand on their own to make it, and not rely on policies, quotas and birth rights.
Look at the Chinese, even without level playing field, they still control the economy. Not just in Malaysia but also in the region. How come?
If we are going to have affirmative action, it has to be copying what the Chinese had done, or what they had experienced.
They had to do it the hard way? We now have to do it the hard way. We’ve had it the easy way and we never appreciate it because nothing beats sweat and blood of hard work.
How is it that 1.5% population of Indonesia are so much richer than the 98.5%?
Is it about DNA? Are Chinese people that good with business? Can’t be because there are poor Chinese too. Maybe they are the freaks?
It’s about their culture and it’s about our culture.
Malays, and especially Muslims are generally not economically inclined to be successful.
Why?
1) It’s about the afterlife for us. Whatever we do in this life, it’s the afterlife that matters more.
So why complain? We gonna be rich, go to heaven what? Let’s all be poor in this life lah?
You get grants from affirmative action, what would you do? Ok you go to Haji, you buy your BMW, you marry another wife. Apalagi mau? Project don’t complete, you got sued by bank for unpaid loans, but who cares, your company go bust but you are not affected. We are in it for instant gratification, we don’t think long term survival, do we?
Nak apa lagi? Sembahyang sajalah, masuk syurga. Why complain about others doing better when all you want is to go to heaven?
2) It’s too many restrictions based on religion for us. Oh insurance haram. Cannot cannot. Oh interest is haram. We can loan people money but without interest. It’s haram. But when we need money, we loan from the bank and pay interest. Belum cerita loan Ah Long lagi. Macam mana nak maju? Oh share trading is haram, must trade syariah compliant counter only. That limits us. Oh bitcoin is haram. We missed the boat. Oh coventional banking is haram, we had to wait until we rename all those interest into something that sounds Islamic. So we got left behind.
3) Women must stay in the kitchen. We lose the opportunity to use the female brains, the female drive that had driven mountains for others. Look at Thailand, they have lazy male workforce. Even bricklayers in Bangkok are women. Us? Stay at home, masak, jaga anak, kangkang untuk suami, beranak, repeat cycle. Women workforce is important but we want them to stay indoors. Cannot be seen by others, cannot mingle with men. Haram! Pergi Universiti Al Azhar tapi sebab peluk lelaki terus kena buang. Siapa suruh masuk Al Azhar? Like this Macam mana nak maju?
Our men are not much different than the Thais. We are just as malas. The stats don’t lie. More women in university, more women on kaki jalan selling street food, why? Women have more sense of urgency than men. Women have more emotional financial obligation to fulfil than men. Why? Because they care about their family.
Look what PPBM did in their appointments on that Board of Johor Education Foundation, all Malay is one thing racist but all male!
4) Everything must be halal. Well, probably good but then we are taking it beyond the Islamic requirement. We make things harder for ourselves.
5) And the biggest elephant! Muslims not mingling with non-Muslims. In business, at work, if you want to progress, you have to mingle with others to learn their good traits and take lessons from their lesser traits. Baru lah kau boleh maju. Kalau duduk sesama kau saja, jadi katak bawah tempurung.
For the Malays to prosper, we need to look within. We need to change ourselves. We need to get rid of ideologies that are holding us back. We can do so without jeopardising others.
Anything else you want to add? I malas nak spoon feed dah.
