Angry Malays cry treachery in debate on special rights

MALAYS in Malaysia are angry at the prospect of losing their special rights, branding as traitors those who suggest that they give them up.

This was demonstrated clearly in the debate in the Malay media with readers and newsmakers coming out strongly with their stand on the issue of special rights.

It started last week with a call by Malaysia's most influential newspaper, Utusan Malaysia, for an end to the special rights enjoyed by Malays.

It argued that the three-decade-old affirmative action policies had made the Malay race soft and fostered a subsidy mentality among the community that was counter-productive.

The call for slaying the sacred cow was met with a bagful of reactions from readers and Malay groups, some going as far as to call the Utusan Malaysia columnist who wrote the editorial a traitor to his race.

One of the Malay groups which was most vocal against any dismantling of affirmative policies was the Federation of Peninsular Malay Students (GPMS).

An Umno leader, who did not agree with the suggestion, posed this question to the editor of the newspaper: 'Do you think the Malays are ready for such a shocking scenario?'

The newspaper said that there were Malays who felt that non-Malays should not be allowed to be in a better position than Malays.

The affirmative action policy could be considered a success only if and when Malays were in a better position than Chinese or Indians, they say.

Despite the criticisms, the Malay daily continued to push the same line in the debate.

In a Sunday editorial written by one of its senior editors using the pseudonym Awang Sulung, it noted that 'the reaction to what Awang wrote last week shows clearly that it is difficult to be frank with Malays'.

It pointed out that Malays must not forget that it was the ruling party that decided that science and mathematics be taught in English.

Also, it was the Malaysian Cabinet headed by the Umno president Mahathir Mohamad who decided to allow 10 per cent of places in junior colleges to be set aside for non-Malays.

'Are these people going to say that Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir is a traitor?' the writer asked.

The paper's editorial comes in the midst of a roiling debate over planned changes to the education system.

Dr Mahathir and senior members of his administration argue that it is important to open up all-Malay institutions such as government junior colleges to Chinese and Indians to inject a competitive element.

At the same time, they point out that it is necessary to place more importance on the learning of English in schools if Malaysia is to compete in the global market.

These changes have spooked Malay nationalists, Umno politicians and segments of the community.

Some argue that Malay rights are a non-negotiable issue while others say that Malays will fall further behind if quotas and special privileges are taken away.

Royal Professor Ungku Aziz, in an interview with Utusan Malaysia published yesterday, said he opposed the move to allocate 10 per cent of seats in government junior colleges to non- Malay students.

'It is unfair if the changes are made that would deny bumiputeras of their special rights,' he told the newspaper in commenting on the changes to the education system.

He added: 'The strange thing is that the basic problems and the deficiency of the Malay student is not being given priority. Instead, we are busy talking about competition.'

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi told Malays that if they hoped to be on par with non-Malays, they had to drop their crutch mentality.

'The time has come for us to give up the crutches and start walking independently.'

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It argued that the three-decade-old affirmative action policies had made the Malay race soft and fostered a subsidy mentality among the community that was counter-productive.

Bingo!

The affirmative action policy could be considered a success only if and when Malays were in a better position than Chinese or Indians, they say.

So, after thirty years, and the position of Maylays has not improved under this program, are "they" ready to call the affirmative action policy a failure?

NOT ON YOUR LIFE!

Things like affirmative action are BEYOND reality checks. As Tom Sowell has said, to some the world is divided into three classes, the heartless, the helpless and the wonderful people. Affirmative action is one of the wonderful people's heart-felt programs to help the helpless against the heartless, and as such it is a matter of good against evil. No criticism allowed.

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