Friday, July 9, 2010

whats with the Malays?

Dr Sundram Sivamalai

Associate Professor

School of Medicine & Dentistry

Faculty of Medicine, Health & Molecular Sciences

James Cook University

TOWNSVILLE QLD 4811

Tel: 07- 4781 6062

Fax: 07- 4781 3183

Email: sundram.sivamalai@jcu.edu.au

Dear KSM,

Here's an article I received and I am forwarding it to you for your reading pleasure. Regards. Andrew.

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain."

Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar! SORROW looks back, WORRY looks around, and FAITH looks Up!

"We communicate via emails, but with God we use the Knee-Mail."

An Indian National to a Capricious Retired Prime Minister


Dear Mahathir

China is coming up, India is coming up, Vietnam is coming up and now even Russia is on the rise. In this flat but wired world regardless of whether we are Malaysian Malay, Chinese or Indian, if Malaysiafails to progress, all of us will become history of this country.

Without the Malays, Chinese could not do well in the country and without the Chinese, Malays will not do well either. Both have to work together to uplift Malaysia and mitigate the acute impact that is being brought about by globalisation.

For me, a true leader is someone who has the vision that focuses not just on one particular ethnic group in the country but instead nurture the future for everyone. A good leader is someone who knows what the biggest threat the country is facing and directs the people to stave off that threat. A good leader is also someone who is impartial in his ability to promote harmony in the country for as long as possible.

UMNO is a political loser leading the country to nowhere. They do not have the capacity or unction to understand what is going on in the outside world. They have no serious idea where Malaysiawill be in the next 30 years. With the emergence of the three new superpowers, India, China and Russia, standing tall and alongside the USA and the European Union, UMNO knows nothing of the kind of world it will shape up to be and how Malaysia may or may not be able to share let alone compete for the ever diminishing slice of cake of the world economy.

UMNO only knows how to get the Malays to fight with other non-Malays on insignificant issues within Malaysia, while in the meantime everyone knows all too well that these issues are oftentimes trivial, self-destructive and merely self-serving.

UMNO has no genuine interests in learning how their impoverished Malays will go on living in the future and they have no welfare concern as to what benefits them. UMNO’s chief aim is to garner votes from them. The practical outcome of theNEP is good enough evidence on how the party benefits the cronies but not the huge segment of destitute Malays. Despite all their despicable acts they are still in the power.
As you are aware, the Malays control the rights to all the lands and natural resources in this country. They control all government institutions, GLC and state-owned companies. The Malays also dominate the lawmaking process in Malaysiaincluding the decision-making processes in the formulation of the country’s economy policies.

From statistics we also know now that the Malays not only own the largest national assets but are also freely – and without conditions – allocated shares in public-listed companies. The Malays have also been accorded all kind of priorities when it comes to buying properties, awarding of public contracts, tertiary education opportunities including the granting of scholarships and even securing jobs in any of the government departments and agencies.

Yet with all these privileges and rights enjoyed by the Malays, you still complain that not enough is done to help the Malays to catch up with the other ethnic groups, principally the Chinese? Then what else should Malaysia do to satisfy the Malays? Did the Chinese seize or rob anything away from the Malays or were their accomplishments the result of their hard work?

If it is all due to their diligence, why do you say it is unfair? Many of us don’t quite get your point here. May I therefore ask you what you expect the Chinese to do in the event that your so-called NEPfail to achieve the desired result?

Would the Malays be happier if the ethnic Chinese in your country do any of the followings:

- surrender their assets and hard earned money to the Malays unconditionally;
- not to engage in any business activities;
- not to do well in all sort of school, college and tertiary examinations;
- not to earn more income or achieve greater than the Malays;
- not to advance to higher education; or
- renounce their citizenships and return to China or migrate to somewhere else?

I am a foreigner but I am surprised that your underlying intention is to ultimately divide your own country. It is so obvious that you are mainly targeting the Chinese. Frankly, tell us, what do you expect the Chinese to do in order to achieve what is so called “equality” as you so define it yourself?

Mr Mahathir, after all these criticisms you have railed against the present government, many of us feel that you are beginning to sound irrational because your arguments lack logic. You have basically exhausted all forms of good reasoning because you hardly sound convincing to any of us. Some of us think that your poor conduct might be owed to your ever increasing jealousy of the highly successful Mr Lee Kuan Yew, your former nemesis in Singapore .

I suppose that reality is always hard to accept let alone swallow. No matter how you slice it, you must accept the fact that Mr Lee is rightly regarded the Father of Singapore but given your racist attitudes, you can hardly be called the Father of Malaysia. Mr Mahathir, accept the fact that unlike you, Mr Lee continues to be a force of influence to the government of Singapore and he will likely be until the day he dies.

On the other hand you lost all abilities to influence the government the moment you stepped off the dais as the country’s prime minister.
You also need to tacitly accept that Mr Lee remains intellectually sharp (sharper than you, we think) and immensely popular on the world stage. Mr Lee continues to be an international leader respected by many but unfortunately, try as you may, you are not quite so. Maybe that is why you sought out your popularity in certain African and North African states where some think you are god. That must be good for your ego but Mr Mahathir, it does nothing for your country’s economy though.

Because of your jealousies toward Mr Lee, your views become blinkered and unbalanced as you continue to train your personal hatred at him across the border. All these eventually manifest themselves into a series of diabolical attacks against your successors in your own country.

We may be foreigners but we can see so obviously that you are unhappy whenever your successors become more popular than you. Is there any good in doing that? What is your intention? Can’t you take a back seat and chill out? Your time is over. Retire gracefully and enjoy your sunsets. Most political leaders around the world do that. Why don’t you do the same as others? Why do you continue to meddle? I don’t get you at all.

During your “rule,” you were critical of most of the developed countries aiming more specifically at the western sphere usually out of jealousy. And then after you had stepped down from office, you criticised (and continue to do so) every single minister who served you and still remained in the cabinet simply because you believed they didn’t listen to you. Mr Mahathir, when will you ever stop criticising anyone? Can’t you respect the decisions of others?

Back to your recent blog, is there anything wrong with the Chinese in this country?
Do they seize or rob the money away from the Malays?
Do they have the ability to come out with any policies to marginalise the Malays?
Do they dominate the lawmaking process of this country?
Do they formulate the economy policies in this country?
Do they control the government departments and agencies in this country?
Do they control the state-owned companies andGLC in this country?
Do they control the country’s largest resource (oil) companies and banks?

Of course you know the answers, right?

Malays are the one who dominate the lawmaking process of this country;
Malays are the one who formulate the economy policies in this country and in so doing, shape them to exclusively favour the Malays;
Malays are the ones who control the government departments and agencies not to mention also the state-owned companies, GLCs as well as the country’s largest resource (oil) companies and almost every single major financial institution;
Malays are the ones who control the funds in this country.

With all these exclusive non-negotiable rights enjoyed by the Malays, what else do you want the Chinese to do?

Do you want them to surrender their homes and savings including their wealth that they earned with their hard work to the Malays?

Or do you want to ask all the Chinese to return their citizenship and leave the country? If you condone your fellow Malays in accusing the Chinese of being squatters (pendatang) in your country, I guess that is what it amounts to, right?

Mr Mahathir, have you ever stop to think why 30 years of implementing the NEP had not brought about the desired results or should I say, not achieved the principal objectives and that is to economically equip ALL the Malays in the country? Maybe the NEP could have but you and your cronies denied it the ability to; instead allowed the system to carry on for more years than it ought to so that others can call you god because of the illicit money you funnelled to them.

Under the NEP there is a complex series of policies that favours the Malays. And despite these policies, the Malays still can’t get what they want – again the question is what else do you want the Chinese to do? Do you blame the Chinese simply because they are industrious and focused? Or should you level your blame at those Malays who do not treasure the opportunities that you claim you have given them? Having asked that did you or did you not give them these opportunities?

You definitely are aware that the NEP has been misused for at least 23 years (while you were in office), benefiting only your cronies and those who aim to stroke your ego as they seek favours from you. Since it is apparent that the NEP was reshaped by you to serve and benefit you and your cronies, then refrain from blaming the Chinese when the average Malay continues to languish in your country. It has nothing to do with the Chinese but NEP and the Malay themselves.

This is a globalised world, Mr Mahathir. The Chinese and Malays should not be fighting against each other because Malaysia needs to focus on competing on an international scale.

China used to lie in the backwaters, lagging seriously behind Malaysia but that seems a long time ago now. Today they have not only caught up but have sped past Malaysia to compete with far larger economic rivals like the USA , Japan andEurope. Mr Mahathir, do you think you can ask them to slow down their development so that your country can play catch up? If the Chinese government refuses to listen, will you then make a complaint to the United Nations that China is developing too fast and this is unfair to Malaysia , which adapts a more passive approach? Who gives you the right to prevent others from progressing?

Who do you think you are? This is a flat world – obviously, Mr Mahathir, you did not read the book named “The World is Flat” but I encourage you to. The problem with you is that you are so narrow-minded that you level your sights on only the Chinese and/or Malays in your country.

You would be doing Malaysia a larger favour if or when you learn that in the end we’re all living in a flat world. In other words, look farther and more horizontally askance at the bigger world out there. That’s the world that Malaysia continues to flounder so long as you and the blinkered UMNO have exclusive say over how your country is run. And if Malaysia remains in its doldrums state within the next few years, believe me, it will be irrelevant whether you are Malay or Chinese; because the country will then have to fight for scraps withSomalia. Imagine that.

Have a God-blessed day.

P.S. Mr Mahathir, you are not even Malay but an Indian at and by birth. In other words, you criminally exploited the NEP to your own advantage. You helped UMNO to facilitate Barisan Nasional to rob the country and claim the wealth for your own. You made yourself out to be god but you were instrumental in destroying the integrity of the poor Malays who needed government assistance. Shame on you

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