YES but Does He Really Believe It?

We always hear this kind of speech at UMNO gatherings.

“Our political struggles in Umno are far from over. We must continue the struggles for the sake of the Malays, the nation and Islam,” he said.

Is that in order of priority?
Given that Malaysia is a multi-religious and multi-racial country I would have agreed if the order were “the nation, Islam and the Malays.”

Further on in the article, he is quoted as saying,
“We in Umno cannot just shout the words Hidup Melayu or Hidup Umno to become strong as they are only slogans.”

I hope he and other UMNO leaders practise what they preach about stopping the “handout culture” themselves.
If the leaders set the example first I am sure the followers will know they are serious about their speeches.

I think the government’s policy to provide every Malaysian child to have at least 11 years of education is excellent but perhaps more attention and resources should be available to those who have to drop out at year 4 or 5.

Could the following be some of the reasons?

 Child needs to help parents earn income

 Child cannot cope with school lessons

 Other family problems

If the family has financial problems, the authorities should provide after a review a monthly allowance to ensure the child remains in school.
If the child has little academic ability, we should provide vocational training with a link to industries so that these youths can be trained for jobs in hotels, restaurants and factories.

If the government is really serious about changing the “handout culture”, here is a strategic move.

I would set a definite deadline for the end of ALL NEP policies like 31st December 2010.

After that date only the following affirmative action policies will be followed:

I wrote this in 2005 and it is still relevant.

As I consider education the key to the progress of Malaysia, I would support special programs to help Malays and especially the Orang Asli complete tertiary education.

However our universities must give them a quality education and not practise “dumb down” policies that have removed all our national universities from any respectable ranking table.
In other words this affirmative action can be practised indefinitely only as long as the person has not graduated or left school or up to age 28 whichever is earliest.

I believe this is the way for Malaysia to progress.

Photo: Sunset, Victoria Australia