'Ultimately, political power might prove the complete downfall of the Malays.' - The Malay Dilemma, Dr Mahathir Mohamad (1970).

I believe many Malaysians, Umno members (even those kris-wielding ones) included, would agree to the above statement made 36 years ago. Most Chinese Malaysians would rather have rich Malays for fellow citizen rather than poor ones. Its just common sense.

But the NEP, the way it is being implemented, is not helping the Malays in any way. I stand to be corrected on this. A responsible government will surely have thought of a way out of this rut. The way I look at it, it may not necessarily be political suicide should the government plan to gradually do away with NEP.

The reality is most Malays themselves are not happy with the way NEP has been hijacked by a privileged few. What we need is to formulate a system to disqualify rich Malay individuals and companies from enjoying some benefits of NEP. For example:

Children of parents with combined monthly income of RM15,000 or more should automatically be disqualified from government scholarships. Let the truly needy ones enjoy the privilege.

Malay companies that have a solid footing via government projects should be limited to government projects worth 20 percent of their revenue of the previous year. Let the newcomers have a shot at making it with NEP.

No discount to non-first-time house owner; no discount for houses above RM300,000. But give more discount to first-time houseowners for houses worth less than RM300,000 (maybe a bit higher if the property is in KL or JB).

Of course, being just an SPM holder, I'm not qualified to discuss numbers. Its just an idea. At least it sounds like a fair way to gradually do away with NEP without alienating the people who need it the most. I want the Malays to be rich, but above all I want them to have dignity.