It is a misleading idea to depict the NEP problem as one of `implementation' only. The problems come from NEP's conception.

The NEP's ethnic focus has caused the country to be segregated ethnically in social cultural dimension while the economic restructuring goes on. Its high cost is there for all to see with national unity remaining elusive after 35 years of `ethnic restructuring' which was supposed to bring more unity.

NEP's ethnic focus has also contributed to widening inequity and polarisation within each community as well as across all communities. It can be said that NEP's focus on ethnic equity has been achieved at the expense of a wider equity.

While ethnic equity shares among the ethnic groups are closing, equity in other areas eg, income, social services etc are widening in tandem. But if all the equity share of an ethnic group are held by a few cronies a la the AP recipients , then how meaningful is this to the ethnic group members?

A direct distribution method to uplift all deserving citizens irrespective of their ethnic background remains a method avoided by Umno for political reasons.

NEP is focused on corporate restructuring which involves only a narrow band of the population no more than five to 10 percent of all ethnic groups. A better policy would preferably leave the corporate elites to work out their `share' of corporate equity without manipulating ethnic insecurities in the process.

NEP inherently breeds political rent seekers the Ali Baba syndrome is not an implementation problem which cropped up incidentally. When there is so much premium given to the name of an ethnic group, selling and renting their name can be good enough to make money.

However, this is not contributing to the national economy at all and only increases the costs of doing business with our competitiveness suffering. No amount of bureaucratic surveillance will weed out the rentier class only a systematic solution is effective.

The NEP is aslo corrupt-friendly political solution to social and economic problems. Any attempt to marry these two heavily interested fields always end up in inviting serious corruption. Politicians will take advantage of their role in dispensing social-economic benefits to look for political support.

This motive will supplant the original intent of the social-economic programs and allocations. Once this is accepted, the people will sell their political support for aid. 'Know who' become more important than 'know how'. In better political set up, political and economic interests and their actors must be strictly separated to prevent conflicts of interest.

The NEP is an Umno project even though it is done in the name of all 14 component parties of Barisan Nasional. Many projects are run by Umno leaders to the exclusion of all other component parties eg the allocation of the APs, bumi shares, bank loans, licenses etc.

In a better situation, the separation of legislator and the implementer is preferred. And all parties should be involved in the entire process of policy formulation, implementation and review.

The NEP is Malay-based whereas there are other bumiputeras in Malaysia. The focus on Malay equity share gives away the real intent of NEP it is more a sectarian pursuit by only one ethnic community even though it claims to act in the name of various ethnic groups. This is certainly not fair to these other groups.

The NEP discriminates against non-bumi local businesses compared to foreign investors. Foreign investors enjoy tax breaks and many other benefits denied to the local non-bumi corporate sector.

The second class status of non-bumi corporate sector has made them wary and the better companies, in fact, have moved their operations overseas. The NEP therefore slows down the development of true national integration within the Malaysian corporate sector even though there is much Ali-Baba type cross linkages. This will not help Malaysia's economic competitiveness.

Malaysians of all ethnic backgrounds will sooner and later find their own way to reject the racially exclusive, pro-elite NEP. True equity will come to Malaysia without the need to instigate ethnic insecurities among the citizens.