Monday, March 8, 2010

New Economic Model = 1Malaysia???

The past one year it's been 1Malaysia here 1Malaysia there!!! It's been bandied about and proclaimed at every opportunity. However like everyone else who is of sound mind and intelligence, all it is just empty promises and mere slogans. Here again the present UMNO/BN government fails to understand that the rakyat has matured tremendously more so after the 12th general elections. No longer does the general public depend on the Main Stream Media for updates or news on what is happening on the political front. Even housewives have their laptops or net books to browse the internet for the latest gossips on artists. I know this because my wife has a netbook herself and she keeps herself abreast with the latest news and gossips not only on gossips of Malaysian artists but also on the political front.
How sad it is to note yet again the New Economic Model will again most likely fail miserably when it is eventually unveiled. Of course it isn't fair for me to comment on it as it is yet to be unveiled (further delayed apparently for fine tuning konon!!!). One only has to keep abreast of the latest happenings and the demands being made by the newest peer pressure group threatening yet again that the Malay and Bumiputra rights must not or never be threatened or cast out. It's an open secret that only selected well connected Malays and Bumiputras actually benefit from affirmative action which has been practiced under the New Economic Policy since the 70s. Those not who are not well connected have to work as hard as any other Malaysian to earn a living competing with all races. Those who don't depend on the government must be really humiliated and ashamed with the actions of this group of NGOs claiming to protect the interest of the Malays and Bumiputras. At the end of the day we all know all they are interested in is protecting their own interests. I know of many Malays who face the open and brutal market for business opportunities and they in fact are one of the few who have actually done well enough or even better than any other. To say that these Malay Malaysians should and must be further protected is an INSULT to the highest degree. Well, that is how I would personally feel.
In finality the world is getting smaller day by day. If we as Malaysians still profess and insist in practicing affirmative action it is just a loss for the Malays in particular and all Malaysian irrespective of race and creed in general. There is no way for us to compete in the international and open market if we still practice protectionism. Will the New Economic Model be just another slogan like 1Malaysia?? Unfortunately I believe it will. It will be just another slogan to harp on to garner support to benefit the UMNO/BN government and those who are well connected to get richer while the poor Malaysian on the street who aren't as lucky or well connected - terus berada di takuk lama!!!!!!

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