Leadership and Malay self respect
by
I am trying to rationalize some people's fixation with the NEP. I am certain that Ibrahim Ali isn't that stupid to know that the NEP has officially ended in 1970. Yet he and many others still speak of the NEP even though, the NEP is officially dead. It is no more.
They may be talking not about NEP but of and about NEPish policies. The policy is understood to be a collection of policy tools to jumpstart Malay participation and involvement in the economy. That agenda to them, has no time limit.
I am therefore inclined to think that for some Malays, the NEP represents something much more. I am thinking, what Malays feel is no longer just about getting 30% share in listed companies or that Malays control 30% of certain industries. I think, Malays expect much more than just digits and numbers.
I think the fixation with the NEP is the idea behind the NEP. What could be the idea?
The NEP is a symbol of Malay power. it's a symbol of Malay self respect. The NEP represents the Malay amour propre ( amoor proper) hence when Malays demand 30% of this and that, those are symbols of Malay self respect. Take that away from a Malay- he flies off the handle.
Today what they see is that this self respect is being denuded with wanton contempt. They see their self respect being ridiculed. Malays can accept that as Malaysian citizens we are all equal, but we are first among equals. Whether Malaysians think this is unjustifiably so, is immaterial. The Malay public thinks so and expect the world of others to adjust to it. I am merely stating it as it is.
When Malays demand this, it's not irrational. It's totally in tune with eastern filial piety to be respectful the elders, the learned, powerful. It certainly is not childlike for the Malays to demand this. They can justify this on grounds of historical and cultural bond with this country which prevail over the like claims of other Malaysians.
And they see the denudation of the Malay self respect chiefly as a result of a weak and clueless Malay leadership. It didn't happen over one or two days. It is caused when the Malay leadership, especially by those in power coming out with stupid nebulous policies and its over-compromising actions. It is caused, sad to say, by an ineffective UMNO leadership which has failed to monitor the increasing emasculation of Malay self respect. The ascendency of such groups like Perkasa for example is clearly a reflection of weak Malay leadership.
Malays are discomfited when the Malay leadership lets its guards down. Perhaps intoxication with power or being in power for too long has blunted its sensitivities. We, both the supporters and party leadership have been silent over issues like Malay participation in the private sector. We have been silent over issues such as increasing encroachment and indeed colonization over Malay reserve land.
We keep quiet and turn a blind eye when housing and commercial developments in city centers violate and mocked the rules on Malay ownership. We are easily led to believe developers when they say- tuan dan dato and kawan kawan- there are no Malay takers. Cincai cincai lo. So we are forced to open it up to non Malay purchasers.
Which lead every self respecting Malay to question the role of our GLCs as to why they don't buy the Bumi units and hold them 'on our behalf'. If they can hold assets and wealth creating resources on our behalf, yes, we asked- why can't they do the same with Bumi units?
The answer is, the government that controls the GLC has lost sight of the Bumiputera agenda. The leadership is disconnected and has de-sensitized itself on the seriousness of Malay self respect. UMNO leadership is the chief culprit. This is why Perkasa has become the spokesman for the alienated and disenchanted. UMNO has forfeited its legitimacy as the custodian and guardian of the Malay soul.
When Malays see the proprietorship over the usage of the term Allah is compromised, when they see a slew of concessions given to non Malays in economics and in politics, when they see Malay leadership goes around bowl in hand begging for the support of non Malays- all these combined to lead to a general distrust on the capability and resolve of the Malay leadership. Again, the chief culprit is UMNO. Ibrahim Ali has yet to say it explicitly- he is in effect, condemning the leadership of Najib Tun Razak.
NEP is no longer seen as a failure of an economic policy model. It has become the symbol for the failure to guard and protect Malay self respect. As a result, the growing influence of groups like Perkasa is actually an expression of a collective demand by the Malay public, that the leadership of the party which prides itself as the vanguard and custodian of Malay agenda to not flinch its responsibility over this sacred almost religious-like duty.
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