It was on the front page page of The Star yesterday, Umno Youth chief Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein waving a keris in the air as he called for the return of policies "favourable" to the Malays in the NEP.
- to allocate 30 per cent equity to Bumiputeras;
- to ensure that Bumiputeras dominate in the bio-technology, farming, aero-space, defence, information technology, halal food manufacturing, petroleum and gas, finance, automotive, services and tourism sectors;
- for the Entrepreneur and Co-operatives Development Ministry to redouble its efforts to create capable Bumiputera entrepreneurs;
- to increase allocation for rural infrastructure development;
- for the performance of government-linked companies to be judged on their contribution towards the Malay agenda;
- for civil servants to fully understand the importance of the Malay agenda when awarding contracts or tenders; and
- to monitor the implementation of the NEP.
Instead of helping the Malays, the Government should be helping the needy. Instead of placing a quota on who gets what, let market forces, let fair competition and merit decide. Instead of making the playing field an uphill battle for non-Malays, let it be level, and focus your energies on ensuring laws, check & balances are in place to ensure a fair and equal opportunity.
UMNO Youth shouldn't have to worry about us Malays. The best of us will always rise to the top, help or no help. The worst of us will (and should be allowed to) to fall to the bottom. And the mediocre, the average amongst us, they are the ones who will have the most incentive to improve if equal opportunity policies govern our nation.
For too long, its been a case of "help ourselves, and screw the rest" with people like Hishammuddin. How short sighted is that: a leader who deserves respect is he who sees what's best for the nation, and not just for his constituency.
Certainly, UMNO Youth has a role to play -- yes, the Malays need help, but no, quotas and "leg ups" is not the type of help they need. Helping someone shouldn't cause the hardship of another which is what Malay-friendly policies in the NEP will do.
I'm sorry, Hishammuddin, but there is nothing special about you, not as a politician at least. You're just another keris-wielding Malay boy pandering to the whims of the masses.