Post Wawasan 2020: Where to, Malaysia ? Part 1** a word of caution : this blog post is a general statement /opinion of mine based on facts, looking at what is happening in Malaysia, the country where I grew up. There are sensitive issues discussed, which people may or may not agree. Just keep an open mind and think deeply. It will be […]
** a word of caution : this blog post is a general statement /opinion of mine based on facts, looking at what is happening in Malaysia, the country where I grew up. There are sensitive issues discussed, which people may or may not agree. Just keep an open mind and think deeply. It will be in several parts, ending with my story………….***
I was 19 years old when I was sitting in the Parliament on 17/06/1991 listening to our then Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad launching the Dasar Pembangunan Nasional (DPN). It was the replacement for Dasar Ekonomi Baru(DEB) which was a 20-year plan introduced in 1971. I was in Upper Six at St Paul’s Institution, Seremban and this was our educational tour as part of our “Pengajian Am” subject. DPN supposed to be part of Wawasan 2020 (1991-2020) to elevate us from a developing country to a developed country. Wawasan 2020 was just introduced 5 months prior on 28/02/1991.
At that young age, listening to the word “Bangsa Malaysia” and becoming a high-income nation was mesmerising. As a student, I wasn’t very much interested in politics then, except to accept the fact that we have something known as Bumiputera and non-Bumiputera terminology. I know that we need to fight to enter local public universities just among the non-Bumiputeras, due to quota system. Among the 3 of my school’s Form 6 Science classes there was only 1 Malay student. Every Malay science student was accepted into matriculation after completing SPM. We accepted the fact that we have to fight for whatever we need as we will never be treated the same. But Wawasan 2020 gave us some hope.
Along the way, the country took the wrong direction. Instead of uniting the people as a single race, we decided to divide it further. Instead of building more public universities to cater for all citizens, we decided to keep the quota system and different entry system into the public universities. We decided to privatise education in 1997 to make more money and to make every single citizen of the country to become a debtor, by making someone else rich. PTPTN was established for both private and public university students. Generally public university fees are heavily subsidised and most do not need to take any loans. Civil service, which forms the backbone of a nation was pre-determined to be run by a single race. From a 40% non-Bumiputera containing civil service in 1970s, we became almost 95% (some say 98%) consisting of a single race. To provide more jobs to people, we became one of the largest civil service in the world, based on population ratio. The financial burden to the country was and is exorbitant.
Malaysia was considered as one of the most successful post-independence countries in the world. Within 30 years after our independence in 1957, we were the most progressive and industrialised country in SEA. We discovered oil in 1970s and formed Petronas in 1974. By the 1980s, we were an oil producing nation. This, together with rubber and oil palm were already making Malaysia a rich country. With industrialisation and investment from Japan etc, we were going in the right direction. We were known as the Tiger of Asia! BUT we have forgotten an important part of our history! Migrants!
One of the reasons I always ask my kids to read about history (not for exams but for knowledge) is because through history you will learn how not to repeat a history. History teaches us a lesson so that we do not do the same thing again. Unfortunately, history nowadays is thought in school as just a “point form” text to pass exams. During my time in 1980s, history books are like story books, not in “point forms”. If anyone bother to read history, you will know that the most successful countries in this world are countries who embraced migrants. They made migrants as part of their country and equal citizens. Every country that chased away migrants after independence has collapsed. Look at the African countries which did this after their independence from colonial power. Every one of them went downhill. Zimbabwe chased away all the whites who were doing farming. It was the biggest agricultural producing nation in Africa at that time. See where they are now. All these farming lands were taken over by cronies of Robert Mugabe and successfully destroyed it for money. Sounds familiar?
Malaysia was gifted with almost 40-45% migrant population at independence. These were migrants who were brought by the British to work at mining sites, roads, railways, plantation etc. They worked hard for pea nut money, many died of infectious diseases but without these migrants, Malaysia would not have been where it was 30 years ago. My grandparents worked in rubber plantations, roads and railways. When they were given citizenship, they were happy and continued to dedicate their life serving the country in whatever capacity they could. The Chinese even helped the military and police to defeat the communist. Who worked as spies for the Malaysian police and military? Without the Chinese help in Malaysia, it would have been impossible to defeat the communist. Malaysia was one of the most successful country in the world to defeat communism. Who thought the children in schools? It was the missionaries and Indians. Most of our teachers in 1970s and 1980s were non-Malays. My Headmaster was an Irish missionary guy, Bro James Macken. Did they not teach our children without any prejudice etc? Racial and religious matters were never an issue. What happened?
In 1981, someone took over the reign of our country. He was a smart doctor and a cunning politician. His motto is very simple. Malaysia belongs to the Malays. Thus, everything that represent Malaysia should be by the Malays (please read his autobiography). These includes the civil service, military, police and sports. Have you ever wondered why we were once a football powerhouse of Asia in 1970s up to mid 1980s, after which we just went downhill? Politics! Many politicians were appointed to sporting agencies. Their duty is to make sure that majority of those who represent Malaysia in sports must come from a single race. Token of appreciation can be given to a few non-Malays. The non-Malays can do whatever they want in the private sector and the government will collect their taxes. Malaysia is the only country in the world that I know which has a different tax structure for civil servants and the rest of the population. Civil servants do not pay any tax for their allowances, which most of the time can be higher than their basic pay (which is the taxable income). But this blame does not go to Dr M. It was by his successor Abdullah Badawi. The government should always set an example as being fair to everyone. Unfortunately, in Malaysia that is not the case.
Nothing was based on merit. Quota system was introduced in the universities in late 1970s (guess who was the education minister?). Matriculation was introduced as a short cut pathway into university for certain race (he himself had admitted this in 2018!). We even have a race-based University, funded by the government via tax payers money! Talent and merits were thrown into the drain, not only in civil service, sports, university intellectuals, graduates but in almost everything that made Malaysia great once. All in the pretext that Malays can do it if given the opportunity (from his autobiography) aka short-cuts. He undermined the very capability of the Malays to succeed on merit. Crony businessmen cropped up overnight with directly negotiated contracts. Open tender became a dirty word. Many instant millionaires of a particular race were created, all in the name of creating Malay entrepreneurs to compete with the Chinese. Did these people help the rest? History would have given you the answer by now. He was a man in a hurry.
In the process, he wasn’t interested on what the non-Bumiputeras wanted. You want to go to university; I give you private university. Sorry, overseas scholarship is not for you except for a few tokens of appreciation. Overseas JPA scholarship to do Medicine and Dentistry was only reserved for Bumiputera till late 1990s. Lower merit individual from certain race were given priority. Obviously, migrants will always find a way around. They will work hard and sell whatever they have to educate their children. They will send their children overseas and ask them not to come back etc. The exodus started in 1980s and still ongoing. Many best brains left the country gradually, not that they want to, but forced to. Our failure is another country’s gain. I wonder why our newspapers keep reporting of “Malaysian born” so and so is a Hollywood director, international star etc. They have left Malaysia and are not even a Malaysian citizen anymore. If at all, we should be ashamed that they did not achieve this for Malaysia. Why did we chase them to be somewhere else achieving their glory?
TO BE CONTINUED………………………………
Source:
Post Wawasan 2020: Where to, Malaysia ? Part 1
