YOURSAY ‘Malay backwardness is a strategy to keep Umno perpetually in power.’

Dr M: 'Chinese' DAP doesn't like sharing

Proarte: We know it is Umno’s policy to keep Malays insecure, relatively poor and uneducated so they will never threaten its hegemony.

Malay backwardness is a strategy to keep Umno perpetually in power. Umno has nightmares of the emergence of a highly educated and independent-minded Malay population.

Let us look at Mahathir and BN style of 'sharing'. We have about 20 public universities in Malaysia which are funded by taxpayers. Mahathir himself has said that Chinese pay most of income taxes in Malaysia but yet all the vice-chancellors (VCs) are Malay.

Where is the fairness and example of Malay 'sharing' in this case? More importantly, Mahathir has tacitly admitted that these VCs would not have a hope in hell of being appointed if there was meritocracy or no discrimination against non-Malays.

If there was meritocracy, Malays would not get a fair number of places in higher education commensurate with their numbers. Mahathir must ask why this is the case even now?

Is it because of Umno's failed education policies and the deliberate 'dumbing down' of the education system by Umno which makes Malays incompetent and unqualified to compete?

Or is Mahathir saying that Malays are a hopelessly inferior race due to their genetic endowment, which was implied in 'The Malay Dilemma'?

Quigonbond: It's so like Dr M to mischaracterise his opponents. Meritocracy brings out the best in people, motivates them to dig deep into their reserves of talent, grit and values - and to become better than the generation that came before them, instead of regressing into generations corruption, cronyism and nepotism.

When people work hard and do well, they make more money for the economy. The cake is growing. It is then the responsibility of the state to ensure taxes are collected and redistributed to the poor, the marginalised or those in need.

I think, and it seems obvious, that Dr M is speaking from his own experience - he has merits, and he takes almost all - that's why he's superimposing his own world view on what DAP is fighting for.

Mushiro: Mahathir is very shrewd in his arguments but in this age of instant news and instant rebuttal, even the Malays will not believe him.

Mahathir has failed and played out the poor bumiputeras very badly in his 22-year rule and made all his children and cronies super billionaires.

And he conveniently put the blame for his failure squarely on DAP and his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim. Mahathir has left a legacy of a very corrupted Umno which only knows the language of easy money.

The real reason that Mahathir is still speaking up for Umno and screaming loud at Anwar and DAP is to save himself and his family from facing real justice.

Ipohcrite: Meritocracy will put an end to government sweetheart deals for Umno and its cronies. That's why Mahathir has to bad mouth meritocracy and yet, in the very next breath, he laments the lack of real talent in Umno.

By virtue of turning its back on meritocracy, Umno attracts and promotes only those without talent but are ever willing to sell their souls for political gain and vested interest. If money politics is the order of the day for Umno, it is thanks to Mahathir.

Pemerhati: When people send their children to schools they want them to be taught by good quality teachers and at universities they want them to get an education and degrees that are respected worldwide and by the private sector.

When they go to the hospital, they want to be treated by competent doctors who can give them the correct treatment to make them well. They will not be concerned with the ethnicity of the teachers or doctors.

Unfortunately Mahathir went all out to destroy the quality of the education, medical and the other services by implementing racist policies which enabled many sub-standard Malaysians to become professionals, especially through the ‘matrikulasi’ system.

The biggest victims of these policies are the majority Malays because they get the services of the lousy and incompetent professionals.

The rich Umnoputras and the royalty are aware of the very low local standards and so they use the services of the well-qualified professionals in the private sector or go overseas.

100% Truly Malaysian: Chinese had shared more than all they need to. Chinese was never in authority to decide on the affirmative policies.

Chinese has to allocate 30% of their company shares to bumiputera if they are to go public listed. Chinese has been the bashing boy to racist Umno for decades. Chinese has been blamed for the backwardness of bumi.

It was not Chinese that want to see their fellow Malay countrymen suffer, it was the overly proud ‘ketuanan’ ego that makes bumi “paralysed in their mind”, “begging” and hoping for endless government subsidies. Bear in mind, no one owes the bumiputera a living.

Awakened: I hope DAP leaders will take up Dr M’s challenge by proposing to share all the wealth of Chinese DAP members.

Start by declaring all the assets of Umno members and DAP members. Take the total and divide by the total number of members from Umno and DAP.

Then we will see who are the ones do not want to share their wealth. If Dr M take up this challenge of sharing wealth, all DAP members will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Apache: Mahathir, why don't you share your children's wealth with the poor Malays? I am sure your kids can afford to give all these poor Malays RM2,000 a month per family for the next five years from their own pockets.

Dr M, ask your billionaire sons to share wealth, too

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