LET'S ALL STEP OUT ..........

MY FRIDAY GUEST

I JOIN OTHER BLOGGERS WHO FOUND IT APPROPRIATE AND TIMELY TO HOST SHAIK RIZAL.

My letter Malay rights – a mystical myth? (Malaysiakini)had been ‘borrowed’ by many blogs which posted it on their own site as an interesting topic for sharing. I am touched that my letter-writing debut has been well-received with many positive comments although I have seen some negative comments posted too.

Well, I would like to think that even I should allow such democracy! As happy as I am about this writing debut, it also worries me that some quarters are using it to prove their own unheard point. And considering that a Malay man wrote this article, it became a much talked about piece.

This is why I feel the need to write this second letter because I may have been misunderstood in some ways in the earlier one. Perhaps my point was not very clear. Perhaps my sarcasm was out of context and perhaps I was not compassionate enough.

I am not an anti-Malay or whatever privileges that the Malays are entitled to. I just feel that the Malays are ‘running on the spot’ in the endeavor of being privileged. What are we fighting for when we say Malay rights? What rights do we want? Do we even know what we want?

I am not oblivious of the fact that the disparity between the urban Malays vs the rural Malays can be quite diverse. But this disparity is also the same for the Chinese and Indians varying only in the degree of it. So it is fair to say then that the rural life standards in Malaysia for all races are very different from their urban counterparts? So where would Malay rights play a role here?

If the Chinese and the Indians in the villages and small towns can make it, what about the Malays then? The support vs the sustain system is indeed a paradox because one does not seem to complement the other. We continue to have subsidies favouring one race while supplies are being controlled by another race. So who is helping whom at the expense of whom?

I stand to be misunderstood again here when I say this but the point I am trying to make is that the objective of a good government is to balance the economic and wealth distribution of the people and hence the NEP was created to ‘attempt’ to eradicate poverty among the Malays. Perhaps at that time it was much needed because Malaysia would not be what it is today if those poverty issues were not addressed then.

But did the NEP achieve its objectives? When we define ‘rights’, to me, it simply means that each and every Malay must be able to have it. If we want to think that this country belongs only to the Malays, then practice the policy of ‘rights’ in the true sense of the word - give every Malay a scholarship regardless, give every Malay a job regardless, give every Malay a home regardless, give every Malay subsidies, give every Malay the opportunity to own Malaysia Airlines! Right?

Yes, the Malays are the dominant political force in Malaysia but we need to audit the progress of our race versus the policies implemented to help us. It is this audit that will slowly change the concept of Malay rights to a progressive ‘pseudo-affirmative action’ type policy to eradicate the wealth and economic disparity among the races and not just the Malays.

We the Malays need to move on with the times too. Why are we scared to face the world like everybody else? We should not feel insecure. What is the point of obtaining a contract only to pass it on to the non-Malays to implement it?

The bigger pie lies in the award of the contract or the execution of the contract? This is why we can never control the supply base economy because we don’t directly use it. And since when does strong affinity with a political party ensure government contracts regardless of merit and credibility?

I am of the opinion that the best way for the Malays to succeed moving forward is to make the arena more competitive. Assign policies in accordance to the percentages of the races in the country and with affirmative action, assign a premium to these percentages to reflect the need to elevate any particular race that needs to ‘catch up’.

Assigning a premium would mean to reduce the pie elsewhere so this concept would create a harmonious balance. The Malays, by the mere fact that they are the biggest race will automatically receive the biggest attention and allocation of this new policy without depriving the Chinese and the Indians of what they deserve.

This distribution based on race percentages is perhaps the most transparent any government can achieve and we all can agree up front what is the premium percentage we add to it as a catalyst for the ‘catch up’ effort. If we agree, then no one should debate it anymore and we all must live in harmony forever after! Politics would be better organised too!

Maybe I am being too simplistic in my approach but I am not here to create or implement policies. I just want to drive home a strong message. The Malays must take the responsibilities that come with power and create wealth in the true sense of the word. The concept of wealth-creation is a noble policy. Creating wealth is not just simply making money, worse still making a fast buck.

Politics and economics should complement each other and not at the expense of one another. Strategic creation of wealth leads to a successfully developed nation and not individuals.

The culture of racial-based politics is no longer desired by Malaysians because while we are thought to live in a multiracial country in peace and harmony, the political and economy structures tells us otherwise. This paradox will always create ‘flammable conflict’ and it is this hidden racial sentiment that is more dangerous than the explicit racialism that we all often describe.

For as long as politics in Malaysia is race-based, there will always be a racist in all of us. Only the degree of it makes us different from one another. Let’s accept this fact and face the reality.

Malay rights must ‘right the Malays’ in more ways than just what the policy can provide. The government can only do so much. A weak government can do nothing. It is so easy to start racial tension in this country and the bias is getting obvious by the day. If we really want to help the Malays then let’s focus on putting the Malays on a level playing field first. Make sure the Malays are educated up to the tertiary level.

The less fortunate ones should be given vocational or technical training. We must develop survival skills so that we know how to feed ourselves. If need be, provide loans in ways that would help raise the competence level of the Malay entrepreneur and not just disburse money for the sake of fulfilling a promised Umno policy.

For every RM1 given out, let the Malays have 60% of it. The other races should have access to the balance 40%. But after that, we must all swim or sink together. Once a level playing field is created, then only sheer hard work, dedication, merit and God can help us. This is why only the best will do very well.

Ownership of national assets should not be given to handpicked individuals. Professional managers should be given a chance to own these assets in management groups and encourage spin-offs either from existing or new business models that are grown successfully from the main ‘crown jewel’ organisation. Let them be tested first and they should be disciplined enough to be focussed on that one particular industry or business.

Expand the ‘mother ship’ and do not try to own the kingdom. This way, at least we stand a chance to see Malaysian companies compete globally like the ‘Samsungs’ of this world. Only then can we see a bigger number of carefully-trained and experienced group of people owning a piece of the economy. Politics should be independent of it.

I would go further and say that these groups should not predominantly be of a single race. If an opportunity such as this is given, then let’s encourage common shareholding. Who leads is a different matter. It may be wishful thinking but why make it so easy when such a great opportunity is given? Let the best man win.

Affirmative action should aim to create balance and equilibrium in the economic standing of every group and not antagonise or steal what generally belongs to the common people. The policies may have had a good objective and by all means if the objective has to be met, then continue it but the problem lies in the execution of it, the politics of it, the arrogance of it.

The Malays can govern this country but let’s be fair to every Malaysian. Let’s work in a harmoniously- led policy that benefits everyone.

The ‘Malay Rights’ cause is no longer relevant in my opinion because the execution of the policy does not even support all Malays. Forget about it being a fair policy to all Malaysians, it is not even fair to most Malays. We need to fine-tune it to uphold the true substance of it for the good of everyone and for Malaysia to truly prosper as a developed country.

If we as a country can be a model to the world why can’t we be a model to ourselves? As I had strongly said in my last letter, I do not want to see my Malay race being artificially powerful. I do not want my Malay race to ‘run on the spot’ for the next 50 years.

We must be hungry for true success that no one can take away from us. By all means educate us to the best of our ability so that we can stand on our own two feet to face all of world’s challenges. So that we can be the ‘towering’ Malaysian known globally.

We need to revolutionise our minds and thought process with education, expertise and passionate knowledge. We have to change. We may not see the benefits in our life time but god willing we will create a good platform for our children to be truly successful in whatever they aim to do. Such noble aspirations deserve serious attention. God willing they will.

Shaik Rizal Sulaiman (Managing Director, ArianWorks.)

He was formerly the CEO/ED of DRB-HICOM Information Technologies Sdn Bhd, the IT arm for the DRB-HICOM Group and was responsible for the National IT Special project “KOMNAS 2020”, a project accorded the national status by the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Prior to that, he was the Adviser for New Business Ventures at MIMOS Bhd, Malaysia’s government IT agency.

Shaik Rizal started his career in advertising with Dentsu, Young & Rubicam, and then ventured into corporate finance/mergers & acquisitions with AIMS Worldwide before setting up his own courier logistics company, Vision Courier in 1997. He has a Finance & Marketing Management degree from Purdue University, USA and an MBA in International Business from University of Bristol, UK.