YOURSAY ‘If Chinese rich because of BN, then Malays poor because of BN, too.’
'Why not say Chinese are 'rich' due to BN?'
SRMan: Communication and Multimedia Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek, when you keep on blurting that "certain people and a particular state are hiding behind the policy of meritocracy to subtly discriminate the Malays (in Penang)", you are in fact looking down on your own race.
You are telling them that even after almost six decades of Umno's rule they still cannot compete on a level-playing field and need to be given further help.
GMK: Let’s assume Chinese are rich in Malaysia and Malay are poor in Malaysia. Let’s say Chinese are rich because of BN. But why then Malays are poor?
Was the fact Malays are poor because Chinese are rich or Chinese are rich because Malays are poor? So which comes first? Was it Chinese become rich because of BN, then Malays become poor because Chinese are rich?
If that was the case, since Chinese are rich because of BN, and Malays are poor because Chinese are rich, and since BN has made Chinese rich, then Malays are poor because of BN.
Odysseus: Shabery, you and your Umno goons have to discard the racial mindset. Every word that comes out from your mouth, it's either race or religion meant to create more confusion and ill-feelings among the people.
Why can't you think or do something positive for the people as a whole? In your heart, you know the non-Malays are being deprived of a lot of things for many years. They survived because they work hard and sweat blood in this land which they proudly called their home.
If you aren't sure, please look at housing discount, scholarship, entrance into public universities and residential schools, government contracts, and employment in civil service.
Tan Kim Keong: Shabery, what part of Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari's statement was biased and racist? In fact it was yours that was when you alluded that the state of Penang is only for one race and that Malays cannot go there.
You may be the minister for communication and multimedia but that does not give you the privilege to purposely misread and give a spin to another person's statement.
Bemman: If any Malays are poor, help them. If any Chinese are poor, help them. If any Indians are poor, help them. If any Malaysians are poor, help them.
What's so complicated about this? Who is the one who adds a racial dimension to this in the first place?
Blackmoon: The successful salesmen know that the most convincing way of lying is by mixing lies with half-truths.
One of the DAP’s proudest boasts is the claim that they have magically eliminated poverty in Penang. What they cleverly and cunningly conceal from their audience is that back in 2008 (when they assumed power) the incidence of hardcore poverty was a mere 0.1% and that Penang was already the second richest state in the country.
Reducing the hardcore poverty from 0.1% to 0% by 2012 is hardly an achievement that is worth crowing about, especially since there were three other states that achieved “zero hardcore poverty” well before Penang.
FellowMalaysian: I couldn't agree more in saying that BN is responsible for Penang's economic plight as the state has been under the control of BN for 51 years since independence.
What Shabery claimed that Penang Chinese has prospered under BN rule is utter gibberish. Under the MCA and Gerakan led BN governments, the people of Penang, irrespective of Chinese, Malays or Indians, has suffered untold miseries as the state was continuously ignored and neglected by the federal government.
Penang was treated like a stepson by the grovelling MCA and Gerakan chief ministers who were more eager to please Kuala Lumpur or Putrajaya than fighting for the people in Penang.
It is still fresh in the memories of Penangnites what atrocities and neglect the last of BN-led CM, the incomparable Koh Tsu Koon, has done to chasten the state.
In short, Penang folks, any race included, are just too pleased to see the demise of Umno BN in their beloved state.
Mushiro: Shabery's statement "that the Chinese are successful because they are good and smart and that the Malays are the way they are because the government is at fault" is true.
Umno has not done really good work for the Malays other than PTPTN (National Education Fund) and absorbing Malays into government jobs. Taking full advantage of the NEP (New Economic Policy), Umno elites are filthy rich.
Look at the families of Mahathir, Daim Zainuddin. Abdul Taib Mahmud, Pak Lah (Abdullah Ahmad Bawadi, PM Najib Razak and his brothers and every Umno leaders. Many are not businessmen and yet they have billions of ringgit.
Why can't they teach the Malays to be only half as rich? PM’s wife Rosmah Mansor's son shamelessly bought a RM100 million apartment in New York and the Umno members dare not question them.
Why is Shabery jealous of some rich Chinese and close his eyes on the corruptedly filthy rich Malays. If the Umno elites are genuinely self-made rich billionaires, be proud and praise them openly. Why hide the fact - unless these are thieves.
CNHT: The government of the day will always find a way to counter every statement. And will always blame it on others for their failure.
I used to read The Star and watch TVs but now no more as I find that the news is bias. And I moved on to online news because I don't want to be brainwashed by the authorities.
Telestai!: Not just the Chinese but enterprising Malaysians will make money because doing business is a zero-sum game of passing the costs to the consumer.
Business is such that one buys at a price and sells at higher price to cover the cost of goods, cost of doing business and to yield some profit. As the Chinese saying goes "one doesn't go into business to lose money".
With a good government, the cost of doing business is lower hence the people benefit through better quality of goods and services. With a bad government, business people will pass the additional cost of doing business (read corruption) to the consumer through cutting corners.
So Shabery, if you come across a lot of people cutting corners and the government seems helpless, it is a sure sign that Malaysians have a bad government. Simply put, a good or bad government has nothing to do with the price of fish.
Bluemountains: Chinese became rich because of BN? The answer is "Yes". Because of Umno-BN policies discriminating against the Chinese, they have become very resilient and can survive well under the most unfavourable circumstances.
Thank you, Umno-BN. The more you try to suppress the Chinese, the stronger they become.
Opah: Shabery is absolutely right. Some Chinese are extremely rich because of Umno's policies and practices. It goes to prove that Umno, despite what it says, serves the wishes of the elite, regardless of race.
The reality of millions of poor Malays just shows that Umno pays lip service to race-based policies. In reality, rich Malaysians get richer while poor Malaysians get left behind, thanks to Umno's 57 years of misrule.
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