There has been much rhetoric from a very vocal independent bumiputera member of Parliament on why the bumiputera are still lagging behind in the social-economic scene. In fact, he has been on the national frontier for few weeks now with the aspiration to protect bumiputera rights.

For this, I admire his courage (if he is genuine but I am doubtful). On the other hand, are the bumiputera leaders addressing the root causes of the issue? The only leader that I can vividly remember that has probably hit the nail on the head is no other than the maverick Dr Mahathir Mohamad

Then again, one cannot expect the former premier to do much as he has proclaimed that he has no power now though his words still ruffle few feathers. So are other bumiputera leaders rolling the sleeves up and getting right down to work on the prevailing symptoms?

Many can only dream about the bumiputera status. Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise for the minority non-bumiputera as they would not be in their present state had they been on the ‘special right crutches’ as provided by the government. One cannot escape the universal law of ‘effort equals results’. It is impossible to get something for nothing.

Frankly, with or without the special rights, we cannot run away from putting the right quantity of efforts into our labour. Good attitudes such as tolerance, prudence and perseverance etc, allow us to sustain our momentum in life. The bumiputera should, in fact, strive even harder given the advantages they are in. This should be their approach in the pursuit of their goals in life.

Many developed countries are swarmed with immigrants from others countries but countries such as the US, Australia and the UK are not troubled by the new skills of the migrants as the locals are more than ready to participate in healthy competition with the newcomers.

The bumiputera in Malaysia should encompass such strong mental attitudes and hold themselves up against others. If the bumiputera are ready to put in the required effort with the right essential values in life, there should be no fear within, not even the dread of losing their special rights.

I have met bumiputera who are excellent in their own fields despite having no advantage to start them off with. The bumiputeras must be nurtured not to depend on ‘special right crutches’ and walk with open arms with no second thoughts of falling over.

The bumiputera must have much more self-belief similar if not stronger than their influential religious faith. They must be daring to walk the distance on their own two good feet and not due to ‘special rights crutches’.

My dear independent bumiputera MP from Pasir Mas, getting to the root of the problem is the smartest way of getting the bumiputera out of their quandary rather than further fortifying the ‘special rights wall’.

You need to help the bumiputera to build on their inadequacies instead of hiding their shortcomings. Some inspirational words of wisdom: ‘Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny’. With this in mind, the bumiputera will not be left lagging behind for long.