Dont let racism cloud poverty eradication, says consultant
Overt racism in Malaysia has hampered rural and urban poverty eradication efforts over the years, leading to neglect and the creation of pockets of the poor from minority communities, a national conference was told.
One of the weaknesses identified in the different poverty groups is the lack of specific targeting across the Malaysian social spectrum regardless of ethnic group or religion, and the New Economic Policy did not help either.
Though no reference was made to the policy, Dr Vijay Shanmugam (photo), a former consultant to the National Unity and Social Development Ministry, said that discrimination and disadvantage for ethnic minority groups were common in many, if not most, societies.
"(And) certainly there is overt evidence of 'racism' similar to that found in Malaysia," he said during a special panel on 'Housing the urban poor and urban safety for the urban poor' at a national conference last Friday.
"But widespread evidence of racism elsewhere in the world should not be a reason for Malaysia to overlook the particular features and causes of the racism scenario in our society."
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