A question was asked in the parliament whether the government would ever appoint a non-bumi deputy prime minister in Malaysia. It is very natural that this sort of question is asked in Malaysia because it is accepted as natural that government policy and implementation is based on 'Syed' or 'Wong' and not on right or wrong.

The US was known to have pro-white policy until the 1960s. Today we see Colin Powell serving as the secretary of state, and Condoleezza Rice as the national security adviser to the president of United States.

Colin Powell was a strong presidential hopeful if he had wanted to stand. We can be sure the citizens of the US would not have questioned whether Colin was qualified to be president because he is black.

Religion and race were never an issue back in 1957 in Malaya but nowadays it is always an issue to even the purchase of residential properties where prices differ for different races. Are we better today than yesterday? In terms of social matters, no.

The New Economic Policy claims to be similar to other affirmative action programmes practiced elsewhere. It is not. It is against international convention forbidding racial discrimination.

In countries where affirmative action programmes were carried out, the laws of those countries prohibit natural persons or legal entities to discriminate against any person in all spheres of livelihood. In Malaysia, the NEP empowers government to institutionalise favouritism for bumis, and consequently to discriminate against non-bumis.

The NEP has made the population think in terms of 'Syed' or 'Wong' rather than right or wrong. The country has no place in the modern world.