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Much has been written here criticising the NEP and arguing that it has been and continues to be bad for the non-Malays. I am a contrary stand in this matter.

The NEP (and its NDP successor) has certainly favoured the Malays. A significant proportion of non-Malays, especially the working-class Chinese and Indians, have been the victims. But when seen holistically in the light of the global economy and competition beyond Malaysian shores, we may see things differently. The unfavourable conditions created by the NEP in business, employment, education, housing, etc, have made it necessary for the Chinese and Indians and others to work very hard to achieve results.

The NEP was staged and manipulated by unscrupulous political leaders and civil servants based on their own interpretation of the NEP which was contrary to what was explicitly and unequivocally defined when the NEP was created and endorsed by both Malays and non-Malays in the early 1970s.

The Malays were denied the opportunity to run in this 'marathon' exclusively hosted for non- Malays. The result is that the non-Malays have equipped themselves with invaluable skills and capabilities relating to competition and survival. The non-Malays have become even more resilient and resourceful with the accumulation of these skills (skills noted by Dr Mahathir Mohamad himself in his book The Malay Dilemma).

In the meantime, significant number of Malays have become even more handicapped in the matter of perseverance and ability to overcome obstacles and hardship - essential qualities for any community to achieve sustainable success.

Nevertheless, it would be wrong to say that the Malays have not progressed as a result of the NEP. The question is to what extent, and how sustainable is this progress? An NEP implemented in its true form and spirit will help to create a more resilient and capable Malay community. This calls for implementation of policies based on socio-economic class (rather than on race), the essence of the NEP when it was first formulated.

The poor Malays as well as the poor non-Malays would be favoured over better-off Malaysians and given help and support. But once one has achieved success, he/she cannot continue to seek the same level of support and help from the NEP and would then have to compete with all Malaysians in his/her socio-economic tier with everyone on an equal footing.

But even in such an arrangement, it is possible for evil practices from a previous era to rear its ugly head once again eg, the private sector could once again be biased towards a certain community in such matters as employment, promotion, housing or business deals and contracts. In order to avert such racist practices, new laws should be formulated, with very severe punishment for offenders.

The NEP can still be relevant and be a benefit to all Malaysians provided it is changed from its current 'Not Equal Policy' to 'Necessarily Equal Policy'.

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