Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's race to make the Malays successful through the NEP has certainly created a number of well-known Malay tycoons who made it big in the Malaysian corporate scene. Whether his legacy remains is another question and this shall be seen in the next couple of months as the war of words unravels between the former premier and the current one.

The last 22 years of Mahathir rule have seen a large group of Malay businessmen gaining centre stage. Some of them still have businesses around the world while some are struggling to survive. Among the names are Tajuddin Ramli, Halim Saad, Samsudin Abu Hassan, Anuar Othman, Rashid Hussain, Wan Azmi Wan Hamzah, Amin Shah Omar and Nasimuddin Amin. Perhaps even Daim Zainuddin? The collective income and assets of these individuals is proof that the NEP under Mahathir was very successful depending on how one defines success.

How many have heard of Ahmad Hafizal or Jamal Harun? No, they are not the tycoons of the NEP past. Neither are they tycoons of the NEP present. They are the two stories of Malay families living well below the poverty line. They represent the many who live in rural Malaysia struggling to make ends meet. I shall never forget the stories of these two individuals highlighted in the newspapers last year.

Ahmad Hafizal who was arrested for not attending National Service and it was later revealed that he and his mother lived on a meagre income. Without his income, the family would starve. Jamal Harun who had put his baby up for sale so that he could give treatment for his other sick child. How many more Malaysians live in such dire straits?

Not being racial, how many more Indians and Chinese live below the poverty line or are just struggling to make ends meet, living from day to day? When our ministers talk about building sports complexes in London or the millions to be paid out to Gerbang Perdana or about their Masterpiece or Kompressor, it certainly puts it all in perspective.

If one were to get a proper perspective of the effects of the NEP, one should read this article. I would also echo Anwar Ibrahim's statement: 'It is important for us to think anew, discard the discriminatory practices of this new economic policy and use this to propel growth for all Malaysians.'

And also Marina Mahathir: 'The original intentions were good; it was about equality, bringing up people so that there was a level-playing field, but I think maybe nobody foresaw some of the psychological side effects [...] like a sense of entitlement. Making a level-playing field should be really about economic levels rather than based on race'.