We should abolish the quota system of the Public Services Department (PSD) scholarships once and for all. Well, maybe not now… but it should be made as a goal that should be achieved in near future.
Why should racial issue came into questions when deciding who is more fitting to accept a government scholarship for further education? It should be based on their academic achievement, the economic background, and to some extend their co-curricular achievements.
Lots of fuss have been created since the government decided to increase the non-bumi quotas from 10% to 45%. The most recent argument came from Umno Youth Education Bureau that it’s not a good idea because increasing the quota for non-bumiputras without increasing the actual number of scholarships has drastically affected the bumiputras.
Read the rest of this post »
Prime Minister and UMNO president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi opened the UMNO General Assembly on Wednesday (Nov 7) at the Putra World Trade Centre. The following is the full text of his opening address [TheStar]…
STRENGTHENING CONFIDENCE – VENTURING INTO A NEW ERA
Alhamdulillah, with God’s will, we are convene for the 58th UMNO General Assembly.
2. Our assembly this year takes place in the glow of the 50th Merdeka celebrations. This is also our first assembly for the next 50 years. Beginning the first national elections, UMNO, as part of the Alliance and subsequently Barisan Nasional, has formed the national government based on the principle of power sharing. It also spearheaded the drive towards independence.
3. The Malayan Government, considered to be lacking in experience, faced myriad challenges. Twelve years after independence, the nation was riven by racial riots that threatened its survival. Thanks to mutual understanding and a strong spirit of cooperation, we overcame this test. That dark time in our history became a valuable lesson that taught us the need to strengthen our unity.
4. In the aftermath of this tragedy, the Government introduced three major measures. First, the Rukun Negara was introduced as a national ideology to ensure national unity and safeguard the integrity of the nation. Second, the New Economic Policy was designed to develop our economy based on fair and equitable growth. Finally, the Barisan Nasional was introduced as an effective and inclusive political vehicle. The implementation of these three measures has brought success, guaranteed our survival and brought us the prosperity that we enjoy to this day.
Read the rest of this post »
I have mentioned a few times that I am supportive of the NEP’s ideology, but not the implementation. Quite often we see that a few Malays are reaping the rewards while most of the others that really need NEP are neglected.
An article from AFP that shares similar point of view…
Nearly four decades of controversial positive-discrimination policies were supposed to lift Muslim Malays like fisherman Maskan Mohamad out of poverty.
But despite the programme, which has alienated the nation’s ethnic Chinese and Indian citizens, Maskan’s family have empty bellies and little hope as they struggle to survive on a handful of dollars a day.
“All I know is how to fish. My family are all fisherman and even my children are fishermen because we cannot hope for anything more,” says the 62-year-old, who earns about 400 ringgit a month (119 dollars).
Read the rest of this post »
Excerpts from TheStar (July 17, 2007)…
UMNO will continue to struggle and discuss the need to keep the New Economic Policy (NEP) to ensure the interests of the Malays are protected, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamed Khir Toyo said.
The Umno supreme council member said the party could only remain relevant in the future if this was among its priorities.
He said, without such a thrust, the Malays could switch their support to religion-based parties such as PAS or other opposition parties including Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).
It is no hiding secret that NEP has become a weapon for UMNO’s political agenda… I am kinda surprise though, to see an UMNO leader stating the fact so blatantly.
I actually think that the concept of NEP is not all that bad… the problems however, lies within the implementation of the policy. It is pretty obvious that only a small number of Bumiputras are reaping the rewards of NEP while most of the poor are being neglected or manipulated.
Besides, it is worse enough to have a racial bias government policy, it is even worse when it is being used for the benefits of a specific political party… even the Malays themselves are being discriminated (UMNO vs not UMNO members).