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Sakmongkol ak 47

ariff.sabri@gmail.com

Tuesday 21 July 2009

If the shoes don’t fit, you must discard!


 

If it doesn't fit, you must acquit!

I would like to see ordinary Bumi-Puteras wear the shoes of the puteras- putera bangsawan, putera raja, putera UMNO etc. experience how it feels to have the power. You have the full force of legislation to prevail on others.

I am sure that wish will be rejected. Similarly we want to reject an economic policy that has failed to uplift the ordinary Malay. I feel like echoing Johnny Cochran's- if it doesn't fit, you must acquit to translate into, if it has failed, you must reject! If the shoes don't fit, you discard.

Why should we believe that a specific economic policy that has failed to uplift the Malays can work if it is now applied with added intensity? Yes I am talking about that piece of legislated economic solution to help out the Malays- the new economic policy. We are now arguing like Khir Toyo- the Malays are left behind because we failed to carry out more Islam, more Malayness and all those camel excretion arguments.

Since the 1970s, the government has forced the private sector to sell/give/transfer RM56 billion worth of equity in businesses that require licenses, quotas, permissions, monopolies etc. From that amount/value only RM2 billion is left. This has been confirmed by the PM.

What has that led to? It led to the creation of a parasitic elite eager to devour more at the expense of an adaptive and dynamic group of economic actors. Why should I agree to have this portion of the NEP fought for and retained? That portion of the NEP has not enabled the larger majority to benefit.

We should be treated as equals, we Bumiputeras. Our wants and desires are the same as those who inhabit the mansions in Bukit Tunku, Damansara Heights or even in Country Heights. The benefits must go to those best able to adapt themselves to external challenges. I mentioned adaptive- yes, its economic evolutionary process- survival of those elements that adapt to their environment.

Back to what's left of the RM56 billion. To me that only show that those Bumiputeras who were given the opportunities to become rich overnight, have cashed out. Let the government publish those who sold out and have them banned for life from having another chance to get freebies from the government.

The only aspects of the NEP that have benefited the Malays were those policies that involved land consolidation as in giving land to FELDA settlers, educational opportunities like giving those 3rd graders at one time, opportunities to go to places like ITM then, or 2nd graders for being able to go into 6th forms. The policies of giving jobs to Malays in the public and private sector and policies regarding scholarship and other forms of financial assistance for education have benefited the Malays. They did because these policies build capacities and empower ordinary Malays to free themselves from shackles.

The problem is, when things go back we want to go back to control- central planning. Central planning means by fiat, by legislation. You legislate prosperity onto Malays, the special Malays that is. The Malays have political control and by virtue of that, they prefer central planning. I have news for my Malay friends, central planning is often practised by communist countries. If the habit of inferring guilt by association is still practised, I would have to say, the Malays are nearer to communism than the Chinese. The Chinese are basically enterprising and entrepreneurs and by virtue of that disposition, are inclined to free market and competition. Not necessarily because they like it, but they have to adapt and survive.

Malays like to play the role of economic commissars ordering this and that. But they themselves do not want to do what it takes to succeed. When we fail, we attribute our failure as a result of some underhand scheming and conspiracy that unite to do us in.

Milton Friedman once came to KL and gave a lecture at the University of Malaya. That was probably in 1963 when he and his wife were travelling around the world. He put forward the idea of the path towards progress by comparing the paths taken by Japan and India. Japan was forced to modernise and to adopt almost a complete laissez faire system. India on the other hand rebelled against free market and opted for central planning ideas. (Nehru was prime architect). The differing economic paths produced contrasting economic achievements and should be an object lesson to Malaysia. At that particular lecture, the moderator was a Malay professor who quickly retorted by saying, if we followed Japan, the Chinese will dominate us. We Malays can't allow that.

That explains the primal paranoia of Malays about having to compete. Just like their politics, they want to control economics. The only way they can control is to have more quotas, more licences, more regulations, and more economic commissars.

We have failed since 1970 to correct the economic imbalances between races. We have to examine the central command edicts that we have used- from NEP to picking winners as TDM himself did. It is curious that TDM should now assail the policies that he himself used in creating economic mandarins among the non Malays.


 

27 comments:

Anonymous,  21 July 2009 at 20:51  

Great piece by anyone!
But then you are not UMNO so you probably don't know what you are talking about!
I mean who can resist just taking all the goodies-fat profitable contracts or hefty commisions.
OK so they make you lazy and unwilling to go for difficult challenges. So who care as long as you can party and jetset while the suckers toil! Hey you are the prince of the earth man!

Anonymous,  21 July 2009 at 21:26  

Sak,

I am spot-on. There you go again, demonizing TDM.

Must have gotten extra bonus eh from master KJ!

Anti-parrot

Pak Idrus 21 July 2009 at 22:09  

To me Education is the only solution.

Had they not closed down all the English School the Malay mindset would have develop to better understand the culture of Trade and Commerce. And today after 51 years we would have more successful Malay entrepreneurs then ever before.

Giving crutches is what made so many failed.

Take care.

pakteh adam 21 July 2009 at 22:12  

sak

Tul tu SAK. Semua orang cakap cam ni kalau dah tak dapat. Cam nuar gak. fighting for the PEOPLE.

Greenbug 21 July 2009 at 23:10  

Those days Dato, we had a choice. I was the only Chinese student in a class of 35 other Malay students in SRJK Inggeris Sri Menanti (NS). There was a Sekolah Kebangsaan next door and they have much lesser students than us. Those in the English medium are everywhere today, overseas and local entrepreneurs. Those in the Malay stream are mainly civil servants today. We just had a 45th reunion and the divide is clear.

Suci Dalam Debu 21 July 2009 at 23:14  

Sir,

Another good piece.

Boleh tahan anak Kuantan ini menulis dalam bahasa Inggeris. Kalau dia lahir zaman sekarang, sudah tentu dia akan mempertahankan DEB dalam bentuk yang sedia ada.

Ariff Sabri 21 July 2009 at 23:56  

suci dalam debu.

saya sokong DEB. yang saya tidak sokong ialah pengekalan angka ajaib 30% yang telah mengujudkan kumpulan parasite Melayu.
aspek2 lain seperti yang saya terangkan dalam artikel2 saya sebelum ini, saya setuju dan sokong kerana ianya semua capacity building.

anon at 20:51.
i AM an UMNO member, i know and have seen is going on.

anti parrot.

i am spot on about you and yr kind. that is why i have allowed yr comment. but of course you didnt get it, did you?

Anonymous,  21 July 2009 at 23:57  

Dato'. This is so true. In addition, this handout and crutch mentality is so steeped into the malay community that getting projects even appears in an advertisement in Astro. When this mentality is unconsciously picked and used this way, there is something seriously wrong. This is so scary.

Anonymous,  22 July 2009 at 00:08  

there's no perfect model..and having to tune that to an affirmative action program and it gets more complicated.

watever one can say about TDM's policy but that era created a lot of entrepreneurial Bumi professionals with real hands on experience of managing big companies and projects i.e not those so called tycoons (the Daim boys??) but those in senior mgmt posts.Those guys worked under real pressure ..completing major undertakings and gaining lots of training in pressure cooker environments.

However,Pak Lah's GLC went back to the bureaucratic mgmt structure with an almost sleepy work ethics of meetings and reports.Thats why nothing was actually created over the last 6 years.

The govt shld forgo the GLC mode and harness the experience of those involved in the hectic pace of nation building in the nineties...not as tycoons but as hands on managers paid a decent crust with some small incentives.Definitely NOT the millions paid to the current batch of substandard GLCs CEOs/CFOs who does next to nothing to build up businesses.

Thats the only way to go i.e knowledge and hands on experience.

Are You Gonna Go My Way,  22 July 2009 at 01:25  

I can compete with the chinese...i have no problem with that...im clever and hardworking enough..

its the competition with the putera-bumi that im afraid.....

Anonymous,  22 July 2009 at 01:44  

Kalu pihak cerdik pandai dan celik Ekonomi yang ade dalam UMNO diam diam saje,bermaana
1.UMNO tidak berubah dan tidak mahu berubah kerana ahli UMNO yang ade jawatan dan kepentingan tidak akan bantah.
2.UMNO akan di lihat sebagai menjaga kepentingan peribadi UMNO dan bukan pejuang hak orang Melayu dan Bumiputra.
3.Pihak pati lawan dan pembangkang dapati kerja nya dipermudahkan kerana kalu ade PRU dan PRK mu,kemungkinan 2008 di ulang dan lebih teruk lagi perbedzaan undi.
4.Sekarang siape bolih jaga kepentingan Melayu ...UMNO ?
kesian UMNO.
kesian melayu
changkat lobak
arjuna waspada

Anonymous,  22 July 2009 at 09:21  

1. The list of Richest Malaysians is far from accurate.
a.Kuok made most of his money without the help of Msia Gov and from out of M'sia.
b.If all the hidden wealth that has been plundered from the people are taken into consideration, The Top 40 will look very different, it might consists solely of politicians and their Kin..and submarine and helicopter agents, Iran Nuclear reactor parts suppliers, Yatch race organisers ....

2. While you guys talk about who is No.1 and Who is No.2, please consider that the Malaysians whose ancestors originated from India are still in last place. Oops....sorry...one made it to the very top...Thanks Tun M, for making us proud.
But what was worse for the indian was we had no champion. Our "Public servant" who we paid considered himself our master and explioted us. But...things have changed

telur dua 22 July 2009 at 10:05  

Indeed, what is so magical about the 30% they keep talking about? The parasites keep 29% of it anyway.

Remember, 100% of zero is 0. I would rather have 1% of a million.

Anonymous,  22 July 2009 at 10:43  

I grew up in an era where every other vacancies in the newspaper said,'for Bumiputera only'. The malay applicants had a good time picking and choosing which to consider. I was a bright student.I told myself i would not settle for leftovers.My job hunting landed me in a sales career where few malays ventured. My father was a little upset but nevertheless, he was a great mentor. Told me to start at the lowest level. SO i did....as a van salesman!! I travelled the length of the country. I leave the reader to guess what life was like. Today, I can say that i am better off than many of my Malay classmates who got the reserved vacansies. But then, they are better off than many malays from other states cos we are Penangites and cos the Penang Malays have a good mix with the other races since young, they speak better english and have better working attitudes. Just last week I met an old malay man in balik pulau market. He started the conversation in PERFECT English!!! During my traveling days as a van salesman, I have never met an orang lama in an old kampong you spoke English like this PakChik did. We chat a lot. Said he was also an old boy of my school St Xaviers. Yes i remember my school days. Malays, Chinese, Indians, Eurasians, etc we were all a big circle of friends....until we were old enough to read the Job Opprotunity column in the newspapers.

Anonymous,  22 July 2009 at 10:54  

setuju dgn pak idrus dgn greenbug.

zaman saya dulu, org kampung yg pentingkan pelajaran anak-anak akan hantar anak ke sekolah org putih. jauh sikit takpe. org yg fikir asal anak sekolah sudah lah akan hantar anak ke sekolah kebangsaan.

yg sekolah orang putih sekarang ramai boleh di kata kan berjaya.

betul juga, sampai bila nak 'di lindungi'? satu hari kita kena keluar bersaing juga. bukan setakat bersaing dengan bukan melayu di malaysia, tapi peringkat dunia.

Anonymous,  22 July 2009 at 12:05  

Sak,

Yes i definitely got it! You're KJ's no. 1 fan, lapdog, machai, etc etc etc.

I could spot KJ's lapdog a mile away!

I bet you're not going to publish this, ha ha!

Anti Parrot

Anonymous,  22 July 2009 at 13:50  

Pak Bloger

Saya ingin bagitau Pak. Masih ada satu Melayu yang pada hari ini buat berniaga tak pakai satu sen pun kemudahan pinjaman yang diberikan pada Melayu. Semua pakai modal insani dan kudrat diri.

Bukan semua Melayu layu. Melayu yang satu ini hidup tak kaya. Rasuah pun tak pernah makan, tak pernah beri. Tapi hidup alhamdu lillah. Rezeki Allah yang beri.

Anonymous,  22 July 2009 at 14:39  

Dato'

I agree with the comments of "Are You Gonna Go My Way". I have seen so many capable Bumi businessmen lose out because they were not "connected". This applies to 100% Bumi companies and genuine Bumi and non-Bumi partnerships (real partnerships not "ali baba" types). It is exactly this dishing out of jobs to the boys that is really retarding the development of Bumi entrepreneurship.

Salam
SSS

Sukhi Nahir,  22 July 2009 at 14:54  

Sir,
I am a Malaysian of Indian origin. I was one of the first to feel the impact of the NEP as I was unable to secure a place for Form 6 in a Govt. school near my home. There were a no. of Malay students less academically qualified than me who were accepted. I must add that I was also a top sportsman at State level, Head prefect and President and head of school societies and a uniformed body in the same school in Form 5. It was quite disheartening, especially when I had to travel at 6.00 in the morning to another town to a private school for my Form Six. It was quite a burden on my father, a Govt. servant in a small town. My parents laid dowm the facts very simply- I had not done what was necessary FOR ME to qualify for Form Six. Forget the rest. But they also went on to state that each one of the Malay students "less academically qualified" than me were from poorer families without whatever advantages I had. I must state that there were Malay students who performed much better than me. The point is , this rationale of the goernment than was accepted by me. But of course, there were many other non-Malay students from poor families who also did well academically who were left to fend for themselves and they could not understand this discrimination. Whatever said and done, I am proud to say that each and every one of the Malay students in that Form Six class made good use of that opportunity and are very successful people now, contributing as educationists, professionals and in the corporate arena. I have not done too badly myself and each year when we all gather (about 50 of us) we are glad to compare notes.

The sad part of the NEP is that along the way the political leaders, using the govt. machinery let it warp beyond imagination for personal and vested interests to such an extent that only a select few has benefitted from it and caused others to depend on it so much that to take away the "cructhes" may seem like tearing away the actual limbs. The quantum of money that you have mentioned is unbelievable.....and for TDM to state the things he has is ironic given that he was THE decision maker during the long and material period that the policy warp took place. From my personal experience I am proud to say that we have a beautiful country made up of good people of all races who are hardworking, clear-thinking and religious who accept people of other races and religions as human beings and are willing to help each other. I am very proud to belong to this group of people from my town and school. But when I see some of the poiticians and bloggers (whoever they may support)writings, sayings, actions and opportunism, it is digusting. There is a deep and underlying problem in this country and until it is pulled out by its roots and destroyed forever, we are just going to be watching one "drama" after another. I believe the PM is trying but the 'actors' that surround him and those bent on attacking him will hinder him.

gram.kong 22 July 2009 at 16:21  

Dato Sak,
Yes, if it doesn't fit discard it.In this respect I agree with you but Mahathir is still bemoaning the changes Najib is trying to introduce.The NEP has lost its purpose and is now only a gravy train.

Anonymous,  22 July 2009 at 16:27  

For all of TDMs rhetoric, he has yet to let us know where he went wrong with his policies or to put it in another way, why he did not succeed in raising his Malay brethren from poverty in the 22 years that he was in charge. Now, he still wants to go back and do the same old thing.
Does he mean even with all the privileges he lavish on his blue eye boys and 'well-connected' friends, the non-Malays still managed to do better ?
I remember seeing him crying and saying that he has not managed to change the Malay's attitude during one of the last UMNO GAs. How ironical ! He is again calling for the same policies. 22 years is a long time. Perhaps somebody else should be given a chance without having judgmental comments being made by an ex-PM. I sure hate to be in DSN's shoes, whatever his faults may be.

Ex-M

Anonymous,  22 July 2009 at 16:51  

ada juga benar cakap are you gonna go my way .
Yang masalah dalam trade biasanya untuk SME Melayu sendiri ialah untuk melawan GLC Melayu sendiri.Kenapa sampai sekarang , kerja yang SME boleh buat dengan kos yg lebih rendah dan lebih cekap sebab 'rice bowl ' mereka sendiri pun GLC nak sapu.Sepatutnya GLC dah kena keluar dari Malaysia untuk compete pasaran luar yang lebih besar dan membawa sekali SME kecil untuk grow bersama.Yang heran ada business yang bukan core pun nak buat , lepas dah buat lingkup juga pasal makan gaji.jatuh pun bukan heran sebab gaji jalan lagi.Kami SME tak mampu sebab pikir overhead dan paling penting gaji pekerja.
Kalau kerajaan jujur lagi bantu bumi rendah dan sederhana , beri mereka beli peluang , biar ramai berpendapatan 4 atau 5 angka bukan membantu segelintir saja 8/9/10 angka.

Jamal JB

Anonymous,  22 July 2009 at 18:12  

The HUGE amount of RM54 billion if it were to be divided and given to all the 'so-called' bumiputeras, Malaysia will hold the record of having the most 'Malay Millionaires' in the world.

However this is clearly not the case and it is the politically connected few Malays who profess to be God fearing people that is raping their fellow countryman. Malaysia Boleh!


Malaysian in Jakarta

dua sen,  22 July 2009 at 20:43  

NEP will only work if it's focus middle income group. How do we do that ? EDUCATION.

The saddest part is BN screwed up our education system big time. Don't agree, which era did Dato Sak, Pak Zawi, Pak Idrus, Dr Musa Bakri come from ? Yes, the era before BN started dismantling the missionary schools. The rest is history.

Now TDM had 22 years to make good of NEP but did he do ? He decided to choose the elites within the circle ie Halim Saad, Tajuddin Ramli, Wan Azmi,...these are the very people you mentioned that RM54b went to. Where are they today ? Just imagine what RM54b can do to educate the malays to be better fishermen instead of giving fish to those elites.

As for the non-Malays, TDM still don't get it [perhaps, intentionally to stir racial sentiments], he practically used the same formula ie selected cronies like Ananda Krishnan, Vincent Tan, Francis Yeoh, to name a few and gave them money making machines. No wonder, you can one of these guys brag, it's no brainer this and that. So if you take out these cronies and the average non-Malays are only slight better than Malays!

Anonymous,  22 July 2009 at 22:48  

This new NEP with no expiry date is an UMNO dilemma that only UMNO can solve for the moment. It will be UMNO's problem till the the next GE to come up with a working solution. Your side created this mess, your side clean up this mess.

All lot of people in parliament, especially those on the BN side, seem to have conveniently ignored the fact that they have a duty of care to an entire nation, not just a subset of people within a particular group.

I bid you farewell.

kuldeep 25 July 2009 at 10:32  

When one is earning about 60k per annum...a lumpsum of RM 2million is lots of money i.e enough to retire on.But when ur spending RM 2m/annum u will need a RM 50m lump sum.

Thus,those days the well connected who are happy lobbying for RM 50 m contracts,now needs RM 1250 m contracts to feel adequate.

But if you give a RM 20 million project to a genuine contractor ,he can possible net RM 2m.Thus,essentially one "rent seeker" deprives 60 odd genuine contractors.

And there are thousands of rent seekers at every level...each depriving 60 genuine,hands on entrepreneurs willing to work and apply their skills.

Wat the govt fail to do was to introduce genuine meritocracy amongst the Bumis.. compete internally dulu amongst Bumis for last 20 years.If that was done..we would have the best who are ready for watever competition.

Now..wat shld govt do?My suggestion is we look for all Bumi businessman who have DESPITE not getting APs,direct nego jobs,land etc HAVE managed to survive over the last 20 years >>>These are the ppl we need to help and grow cos they have learnt the hard way.

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