'We will be fair to all Malaysians. We will not take away the rights of any race. We have never done it and never will,' said an Umno politician at the party's recent annual assembly.

Well, this rhetoric was apparently to appease the assuming non-Malays following the call to re-implement the NEP . This despite the fact that the NEP has resulted in guinea-pig experiments, mismanagement, corruption of endemic proportions, cronyism, the squandering the ill-gotten wealth, and above all, a self-denial syndrome regarding this massive wastage of public funds.

I really do not know what yardstick is being used to gauge and say that the bumiputeras have only achieved some 19 percent capital equity ownership as opposed to the 30 percent target set by the NEP. With all the Umno-owned entities plus licences and permits dished out generously, this should have surpassed the 30 percent long ago. What happened?

I would say that many of them want to get only the money, they did not want to do the hard work and learn the ropes of the business. I think this is the real problem.

Another issue at the Umno assembly was meritocracy. Why are the rural bumuputeras not doing well? Is there something that Umno has not done to help them to uplift their standard? After all, Umno could have gone to the ground and addressed this issue.

But instead, meritocracy is blamed (even this so-called meritocracy for university entrance is based on skewed selective procedures) and that after all these years of affirmative policies (or failed policies, rather) the bumiputeras have not been given the proper support to succeed and excel.

If the government is sincere in helping the bumiputeras (and count me in for any genuine programme), it has to stop corruption. There also has to be a change in mindset and attitude towards positioning with pride and ability.

Otherwise, even another 10 Mahathir Mohamads or Abdullah Ahmad Badawis cannot change the fate of the bumiputeras. All we will have is another 10 NEPs.