NEP: Did it really help the Malays?
By Viktor Wong
Malaysia, 55 years is over and now our nation is heading towards the 56th year, that is of course next year 2013. The New Economic Policy (NEP) was established and implemented immediately after the May 13, 1969 racial riots. The NEP was the brainchild of the then second prime minister Tun Abdul Razak who had taken over the country leadership from Tunku Abdul Rahman after the bloody riots in 1969 as the result of the Alliance's defeat in the general election during that year.
What is NEP all about? Of course we all know that, but many of our new generations do not even know what was that. Many younger Malaysians today often view NEP as a tool of corruption, power abuse and an easy way to achieve power and wealth. Yes, the NEP has became like that. The NEP has in fact swayed from its original objectives.
NEP was born out in aftermath of the May 13, 1969 riots in order to safeguard the social and economic interest of the Bumiputra communities, particularly the Malays (in actual sense). During the early years, the NEP really did brought up the social and economic capability of the Malays and created many successful Malay corporate leaders and companies, but as years goes by, the NEP was eventually being misused by the ruling party, United Malays National Organization (Umno) as a tool of theirs to obtain wealth and power, then later, a new group of Malays emerged as the result of Umno's monopoly on the NEP, called the "Bangsawan Melayu".
In this case, the NEP has been systematically taken away from the ordinary Malays in terms of distribution of social, economy, wealth and rights (not power - it only applies to some). What has it became then? It has created a string of monopoly among the elite Bangsawan Melayu who are mostly from Umno.
So, what happened to the ordinary Malays and the rest of the Bumiputra communities of which the NEP was supposed to look after? These ordinary Malays and other Bumiputras gained nothing from today's NEP as much of its benefits has been monopolized by the elite Bangsawan Melayu a.k.a. Umno in the name of Malay Supremacy (Ketuanan Melayu) where in actual fact it should be Umno Supremacy.
If NEP is so successful as alleged by Umno all this while and whenever there are calls to abolish the much abused NEP by the Opposition front, where Umno is certain to come out to claim that the Malays are under threat, what would you think of all these racial marks of Umno?
Did all the Malays and the other Bumiputra communities enjoy the fair share of social, economy, wealth and rights distribution all these years? If NEP has done it (as what had Umno said) why the Malays (let us mention the Malays first since Umno likes to bring this up), after 55 years under Umno's governance, are still living in grave poverty, illiterate, with no electricity in their homes or villages, high employment, shortage of basic infrastructures, high crime rate in its community, social and economically backward, and worst still the equity has yet to achieve its targeted desired rate despite 55 years under Umno?
And whenever Umno hold its party general assembly or whatsoever rallies, their leaders are sure to issue the same old warning saying that the Malays are under threat. What threat? Isn't that Umno has been running this country for more 55 years now? So, who is actually under threat here? It is not the Malays but Umno is feeling that they are now under threat as support from the Malays has been eroding since 2008.
The Malays had begun to realize that NEP no longer able to help them in their socio-economic well-being nor to even guard their basic human rights and these are the facts the younger generation of Malays has been looking at today. NEP is no longer part of the Malays and other Bumiputras but the NEP todays is more to be being one of Umno's own policy and benefits. The NEP only champions benefits for Umno leaders and their cronies and not to the entire Malay nor Bumiputra communities anymore.
That is why NEP ought to be abolished as soon as possible in order to avoid further power abuse, mismanagement, corruption and the worst part, the deterioration of the socio-economic well-being of not only the Malays but the entire Bumiputra communities.
Let us not look at this emotionally or racially, but to focus on social, economic and humanity effects on every human being living in this nation of ours.
Malaysia, 55 years is over and now our nation is heading towards the 56th year, that is of course next year 2013. The New Economic Policy (NEP) was established and implemented immediately after the May 13, 1969 racial riots. The NEP was the brainchild of the then second prime minister Tun Abdul Razak who had taken over the country leadership from Tunku Abdul Rahman after the bloody riots in 1969 as the result of the Alliance's defeat in the general election during that year.
What is NEP all about? Of course we all know that, but many of our new generations do not even know what was that. Many younger Malaysians today often view NEP as a tool of corruption, power abuse and an easy way to achieve power and wealth. Yes, the NEP has became like that. The NEP has in fact swayed from its original objectives.
NEP was born out in aftermath of the May 13, 1969 riots in order to safeguard the social and economic interest of the Bumiputra communities, particularly the Malays (in actual sense). During the early years, the NEP really did brought up the social and economic capability of the Malays and created many successful Malay corporate leaders and companies, but as years goes by, the NEP was eventually being misused by the ruling party, United Malays National Organization (Umno) as a tool of theirs to obtain wealth and power, then later, a new group of Malays emerged as the result of Umno's monopoly on the NEP, called the "Bangsawan Melayu".
In this case, the NEP has been systematically taken away from the ordinary Malays in terms of distribution of social, economy, wealth and rights (not power - it only applies to some). What has it became then? It has created a string of monopoly among the elite Bangsawan Melayu who are mostly from Umno.
So, what happened to the ordinary Malays and the rest of the Bumiputra communities of which the NEP was supposed to look after? These ordinary Malays and other Bumiputras gained nothing from today's NEP as much of its benefits has been monopolized by the elite Bangsawan Melayu a.k.a. Umno in the name of Malay Supremacy (Ketuanan Melayu) where in actual fact it should be Umno Supremacy.
If NEP is so successful as alleged by Umno all this while and whenever there are calls to abolish the much abused NEP by the Opposition front, where Umno is certain to come out to claim that the Malays are under threat, what would you think of all these racial marks of Umno?
Did all the Malays and the other Bumiputra communities enjoy the fair share of social, economy, wealth and rights distribution all these years? If NEP has done it (as what had Umno said) why the Malays (let us mention the Malays first since Umno likes to bring this up), after 55 years under Umno's governance, are still living in grave poverty, illiterate, with no electricity in their homes or villages, high employment, shortage of basic infrastructures, high crime rate in its community, social and economically backward, and worst still the equity has yet to achieve its targeted desired rate despite 55 years under Umno?
And whenever Umno hold its party general assembly or whatsoever rallies, their leaders are sure to issue the same old warning saying that the Malays are under threat. What threat? Isn't that Umno has been running this country for more 55 years now? So, who is actually under threat here? It is not the Malays but Umno is feeling that they are now under threat as support from the Malays has been eroding since 2008.
The Malays had begun to realize that NEP no longer able to help them in their socio-economic well-being nor to even guard their basic human rights and these are the facts the younger generation of Malays has been looking at today. NEP is no longer part of the Malays and other Bumiputras but the NEP todays is more to be being one of Umno's own policy and benefits. The NEP only champions benefits for Umno leaders and their cronies and not to the entire Malay nor Bumiputra communities anymore.
That is why NEP ought to be abolished as soon as possible in order to avoid further power abuse, mismanagement, corruption and the worst part, the deterioration of the socio-economic well-being of not only the Malays but the entire Bumiputra communities.
Let us not look at this emotionally or racially, but to focus on social, economic and humanity effects on every human being living in this nation of ours.
