Help These Poor Malays, Not Millionaires.
When one reads of the lofty ideals of the New Economic Policy and the subsequent 'editions' of it, one can't be blamed for thinking that all the Malays in this country must be well off or at least lead comfortable lives. Unfortunately that does not seem to be the reality.
With the government's fixation on 30% corporate share, the emphasis seems more to be on the wealthy and well-heeled. Apart from creating a couple of thousand nouveau riche and Felda millionaires there is really nothing much to shout about for the lower income Malay. By right if the problem is a question of racial inequity, then the reform and empowerment of the Malay should be from bottom-up and not confined to the rarified confines of the very top.
To illustrate this point let us take the professions. The government creates a matrikulasi course and exam to allow backdoor entry for Malay students into the universities for the various professional courses. Once the Malay qualifies as, say a lawyer, the pampering and privileges should stop there, after all he is already on a level playing field. But no, it goes on and on! The bumi lawyer is given preference to be in the panel of lawyers for banks and other such lucrative bodies, and earns gaji buta signing sales and purchase agreements. The same thing happens among Malay doctors as well. Are they so stupid or unable to take care of themselves that they should be plied with government-linked company panelships like Tenaga, Telekom, Petronas, Pos Malaysia etc. etc.? When does the mollycoddling stop and personal responsibility and pride in ones own ability begin? Laughable is the fact that many of these ingrates that the government went out of its way to help, supported and canvassed for Keadilan and PAS in the elections following Anwar Ibrahim's sacking.
While this sort of ridiculous protection and indulgence exists at the higher level what about those Malays in the lower strata? Are they just victims of lip-service? Just read of one such case here.....
......"I'm both mother and father in this family," said Azmi Khairuddin, 22, who has to care for his four brothers and an old grandfather who can no longer see. He has assumed the role since his mother, Rohana Awang, 39, left them three months ago. Relating his woes, he said his father, Khairuddin Mat Saman, died four years ago and he and his five brothers lived with their mother and grandfather. "I never thought that after losing my father, my mother would leave with our youngest brother, Azizi, aged 7."
Azmi now lives with his other four brothers, Mohamed Azam, 19, Hakiki, 13, Azizul, 11, and Firdaus, 8, and their grandfather, Ismail Mamat, 85, in a government-funded house in Kampung Langkap near here. He said Mohamed Azam had to drop out of school before sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination while Hakiki only studied up to Std Six. Azizul and Firdaus are now in Std Five and Two.
Azmi said that when their mother was still with them he only had to tap rubber to meet the family's expenses. "But now I have to do all the work like cooking and getting my brothers ready for school besides taking care of my aged grandfather," he said. To supplement their income, Mohamed Azam helped him to tap rubber on the 0.4ha of rubber estate left by their father and another 0.8ha belonging to other people.
"On average I earn RM10 a day but if it rains I don't get anything because I can't go out to work. "I hope that our mother will return home because my brothers are still small and they miss her," Azmi said with tears running down his cheeks. He said he had tried in vain to look for his mother in the nearby villages. He hoped that someone would help them. Mohamed Azam said he hoped that their mother would return so that they would be a happy family again. The other brothers refused to talk.
Just ask your conscience. Whom would you help? The pampered wealthy businessmen and professionals or the likes of this poor family? To whom do you think that the government gives priority to? You can answer that here if you wish to.
With the government's fixation on 30% corporate share, the emphasis seems more to be on the wealthy and well-heeled. Apart from creating a couple of thousand nouveau riche and Felda millionaires there is really nothing much to shout about for the lower income Malay. By right if the problem is a question of racial inequity, then the reform and empowerment of the Malay should be from bottom-up and not confined to the rarified confines of the very top.
To illustrate this point let us take the professions. The government creates a matrikulasi course and exam to allow backdoor entry for Malay students into the universities for the various professional courses. Once the Malay qualifies as, say a lawyer, the pampering and privileges should stop there, after all he is already on a level playing field. But no, it goes on and on! The bumi lawyer is given preference to be in the panel of lawyers for banks and other such lucrative bodies, and earns gaji buta signing sales and purchase agreements. The same thing happens among Malay doctors as well. Are they so stupid or unable to take care of themselves that they should be plied with government-linked company panelships like Tenaga, Telekom, Petronas, Pos Malaysia etc. etc.? When does the mollycoddling stop and personal responsibility and pride in ones own ability begin? Laughable is the fact that many of these ingrates that the government went out of its way to help, supported and canvassed for Keadilan and PAS in the elections following Anwar Ibrahim's sacking.
While this sort of ridiculous protection and indulgence exists at the higher level what about those Malays in the lower strata? Are they just victims of lip-service? Just read of one such case here.....
......"I'm both mother and father in this family," said Azmi Khairuddin, 22, who has to care for his four brothers and an old grandfather who can no longer see. He has assumed the role since his mother, Rohana Awang, 39, left them three months ago. Relating his woes, he said his father, Khairuddin Mat Saman, died four years ago and he and his five brothers lived with their mother and grandfather. "I never thought that after losing my father, my mother would leave with our youngest brother, Azizi, aged 7."
Azmi now lives with his other four brothers, Mohamed Azam, 19, Hakiki, 13, Azizul, 11, and Firdaus, 8, and their grandfather, Ismail Mamat, 85, in a government-funded house in Kampung Langkap near here. He said Mohamed Azam had to drop out of school before sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination while Hakiki only studied up to Std Six. Azizul and Firdaus are now in Std Five and Two.
Azmi said that when their mother was still with them he only had to tap rubber to meet the family's expenses. "But now I have to do all the work like cooking and getting my brothers ready for school besides taking care of my aged grandfather," he said. To supplement their income, Mohamed Azam helped him to tap rubber on the 0.4ha of rubber estate left by their father and another 0.8ha belonging to other people.
"On average I earn RM10 a day but if it rains I don't get anything because I can't go out to work. "I hope that our mother will return home because my brothers are still small and they miss her," Azmi said with tears running down his cheeks. He said he had tried in vain to look for his mother in the nearby villages. He hoped that someone would help them. Mohamed Azam said he hoped that their mother would return so that they would be a happy family again. The other brothers refused to talk.
Just ask your conscience. Whom would you help? The pampered wealthy businessmen and professionals or the likes of this poor family? To whom do you think that the government gives priority to? You can answer that here if you wish to.
posted by The Malaysian. at 7/14/2006 01:59:00 PM
1 Comments:
Really amazing! Useful information. All the best.
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