Congratulations is in order the Malaysian younger generations whom achieved excellence in their education in undertaking the challenges ahead for themselves and the nation.
These pool of right minded populations are deem to play an active role with past graduates in welcoming the Eleventh Malaysian Plans, which is projected to escalate the nation and it's people transforming to High Income Population and High Technological power house, expected to kick start in the year 2016 - 2020.
Despite it all, the attached news cutting, has brought light to several underlying issues requires to be addressed, prompt and seriously.
Malaysia with it's diverse ethnicity, cultures and religion has proven, what the world fail to promote. The Bumiputera (the origins of the land; Malay, Sarawakian and Sabahan) not forgetting the Orang Asli (aborigines) together with the other communities, largely the Chinese and the Indians could and would live harmoniously and in particular shoulder to shoulder in developing Malaysia, 58 years since MERDEKA.
Facts 1. The Dasar Ekonomi Baru (New Economic Policy) adopted in 1971 after the racial discord on the 13th May 1969 was succeeded 20 years later with the Dasar Pembangunan Negara (National Development Policy) in 1991. It was formulated to develop and close the gap between the Bumiputera (and Orang Asli) with the other communities, economically.
Yet, truth be told, despite the best efforts by the Government, it has fallen short of acceptance or practiced. The nation as with the rest of the world is divided into two hemispheric influences/sectors. The Government administration; the Public sector and the opposite by the Private sector which predominantly enjoys the Land of Free trade.
It was reported in 2014, there were 1.6 million citizens engaged with the Public sector, where the Malays represents 78.8%, Sabahan at 6.1%, Chinese at 5.2%, the Sarawakian at 4.8%, Indians at 4.1% and others at 0.7%. The figure has now further improved to 2.0 million employment since then.
Facts 2. The other communities has devoted or rather swamped the private sector in search for better pay scale and job promotions. They occupy most key posts and dominates the higher echelon of the corporate ladder from the middle upper management/class. Some of the corporate firms has scaled from rags to riches and enjoys the protection policy established and introduced by the Government.
There are unwritten standards and practices of nepotism despite calls for merits, to prepare the Bumiputera in the corporate world. In the same note, they are inclined to employ the Bumiputera where best suited their requirements and interests ie., in the Procurement departments, Government Relations, Human Resources posts. News of the new employments or promotions, however is unsubstantiated since done behind closed doors or not pursued by the related Government agency/ies, whom will not fathom the issues to avoid stepping some interest or toes.
They blatantly claimed being sidelined of opportunity and cried for employment based on merits in the public sector.
Facts 3. It is believed and proven the economic agenda on the ground is a far cry from planned with the significant attitudes of certain Bumiputera corporations or companies whom practices acquisition of main projects on paper BUT not physically involved. The Government linked corporate (GLC), noticeably "hand picked" individuals into the senior management. Again, the knowledge and correlation of knowing Who's Who? comes into play. What then becomes to the majority, we produced from local and external institutions? A classic example, an O&G corporation has inadvertently forced a subsidiary company of the Malay community to closed it's operations.
The banking and financial assistance too are selective and unwelcoming to seed initial funds projects and in niche market areas. They are too stereotyped or alienating the Bumiputera towards nation building in leveraging as productive community and self sustaining in the lager market and industry. These executives and surely has a different perspective of and thus rises the question of competency and values. They too lack the core and integrity which then ended with collusion.
Facts 4: The crisis or beckoning rise of the unemployed graduates rises, when the Government raised the pension age in year 2013. Simultaneously, the private sector has stopped new intakes to replace vacant positions in line with efficiency and productivity practices and layouts due to global economic influences. Thus, an avenue of placing the graduates in the work force has halted until solutions could be found.
In doing so, particularly the graduates has to resolved searching and creating new markets as self employments to compensate the paper chase. As mentioned and reiterating, emphasis must take place in preparation and acquiring soft skills for wider demands than usual. The Bumiputera pool of fresh resources are biggest hit compared to their peers as the ever changing standards and practices are enforced.Looking back at the charts and references, one will admit the loopholes and failures to measure up with the growing global and local needs and intrusion of cultures.
As recounted by YAB Dato Sri Najib Tun Hj Abdul Razak on the 11th November 2013, "This is not simply a matter of economic justice; it is also of national stability. Poverty and inequality have a destabilising and corrosive effect on societies. Why should law and order mean anything to people hardly benefit from them? Why should the marginalised support a political system if it only widens the gap between the rich and the poor".
The Malays has to fend itself not just the exterior outlook but internally too. How can we best suited up against corrosive minds and better streamline not only tangible aspects but more importantly the intangibles. Preparatory classes has to mold not merely industrial requirement but soft skills eg., Leadership, creativity of the right mind, are to too rigid in the problem solving...etc within the Malay community and not to be a lackey.
It is pertinent and of importance, the Malay groups to consolidate their efforts and push forward the agenda of enhancing and protecting the interests and essence of the Constitution is met. All the above resulted from institutional failures to grasp realities or to fathom the spirit of the Federal Constitution.
In the vast ocean, there lives two very contrasting sea creatures. A whale, an "endothermic" creature of a different vertebrae, with skeletons made of bone, that provides a massive body structure. It breathes oxygen through it's lungs as it swims frequently to the surface. The female whale gave birth to a calf, nurtured closely and fed milk from the mammary glands as any mammals does. Whales at large swims in a school from one breeding ground in their migratory routes, are actually docile though physically are enormous.
In the case of the shark, it is a predatory fish covered in scales with rigid backbone. The skeletons of a shark is made of cartilage. It has gills to absorb oxygen and stays submerged underwater. A shark is cold blooded or “ectothermic, which limits their inability to regulate the body temperature, thus usually found in temperate waters. Newborn sharks are hatched without parental care and to survive, shark produces a small number of eggs within the body before giving birth.
The whale a massive creature, appears formidable but compensates us with grace in the ocean. The reverse of the shark, smaller in numbers is aggressive, menacing and dominating! In the same retrospect, the Malays, a majority of the nation and the origin of the land, as allowed the rights spelled in the Federal Constitution, shared their culture, religion, language and the Malay Rajahs with other communities from far away lands beginning to be ousted or removed.
Could it be 'deja vu' of the Conquistador over the Mayans in the Americas? The bloodshed and massacre of the great Indians up in the Northern America. The stranglehold put on the Aborigines in the Australian shores by the white pilgrims and bandits?
The Malays presently as a results of misconception and violent assimilation through the media and "evolved and cultured" upbringings has begun to lost respect and identity of it's civilization and space. Remedial actions must include the exercise of having the correct policy mix - evade or eradicate discrimination thus closing the divide and trust. Review and improve present policies or initiate an enhanced version. Promises and pledges must materialized under any circumstance along the rights of the Malays that were accused to piggy back an easier path or protectionism. Article 153 of the Federal Constitution articulates the rights of the Bumiputera as is the rights of the others, will be exercised.
