http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticl...IA-POLITICS.xml

By Jalil Hamid

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's prime minister blamed greedy "rent-seekers" on Thursday for the failure of three decades of affirmative action to close a yawning wealth gap for the country's majority ethnic Malays.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told an annual assembly of his ruling party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), that Malays had made major economic strides since the start of affirmative action, born out of deadly race riots in 1969.

But he said some selfish profiteers had abused these policies, which have fallen well short of their target for Malays to raise their share of Malaysian equity holdings to 30 percent.

After 35 years of costly affirmative action, with billions of dollars in state contracts and concessions handed out to Malay businesses, Malays now own 19 percent of the economy, well behind minority ethnic Chinese who dominate business and commerce.

"This is because of the actions of rent-seekers who prioritise short-term gains," Abdullah told thousands of party faithful in remarks greeted by government critics and analysts.

"They sell permits, contracts and licences allocated to Bumiputras to others for quick gains. After that, they ask for more."

Malays, known as Bumiputras, or sons of the soil, think of themselves as the country's native race, live mainly in the countryside and make up just over half the population.

Ethnic Chinese, whose ancestors came centuries ago as traders or as mine workers shipped in by colonial rulers, make up a quarter but hold about 40 percent of the nation's wealth.

FROM RIOTS TO RENT-SEEKERS

In the 1960s, the wealth gap was so large that it fed racial hatred, which flared in May 1969 into riots between Malays and Chinese and set the tone for government policy ever since. Even now, political leaders do not take racial stability for granted.

The gap has narrowed since then, with UMNO-led governments handing out large state contracts to Malay businesses and setting aside Malay quotas for equity in IPOs and places in university.

In critics eyes, this has also created cronyism and a dependency that governments dare not break. UMNO, the political vehicle for Malays and leader of government since independence in 1957, is itself a beneficiary, with a senior party post viewed as a stepping stone for Malay businessmen seeking state contracts.

Abdullah's criticism of Malay "rent-seekers" on Thursday echoed his call at last year's assembly for Malays to put down their crutches because "we may eventually end up in wheelchairs" -- and it met the same mixed response in the corridors later.

Within UMNO, there is tension between delegates who fear losing government work and those who have not received any and feel the spoils of affirmative action are not shared around.

The latter complain about an auto import policy which gives Malay firms a lucrative monopoly over importing cars. Some UMNO delegates have accused the government of awarding most of these import permits to firms controlled by a few select Malays.

"If this practice continues, the rich will become richer and the poor become poorer," delegate Mohamad Zein Ismail said in a debate on Abdullah's speech.

Abdullah sought to soothe fears of a cut-back in government contracts and spoke of 22 billion ringgit in state spending this year on construction, which is struggling after he shelved major projects on taking power in late 2003.

But he hinted that he would not be drawn into pump-priming the economy -- a practice economists believe went on too long under Abdullah's predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad -- and said he would continue to trim the country's chronic budget deficit.

"The government cannot play the role of Santa Claus, perpetually handing out gifts," Abdullah said. "The government has been asked, prompted and even threatened to pump-prime as it has done in the past, but every cycle runs its course," he said.

Now if you followed speech about a new agenda to help bumis. So this is the way to create towering malays - just give them more handouts.

All talk was about helping, read enriching the malays. No one had the balls to talk about the Malaysian agenda. If this is what our future leaders spew, then I shed tears for my beloved country.

Much of so-called leakages of bumi allocation has not gone to other bumis but merely lost. Look at the ringgit depreciation, the loss of Proton, the debt of Perwaja, the bank write offs etc, and you get an idea where they have gone. The non-bumi benefit is marginal compared to the larger loses.

Just look at how more of the Menteri Besar and Chief Ministers reap profit from their position for personal gain, compared to few did not do it. They must be using the same pretext of some noble cause like NEP. But at the end the one benefiting is their closet cronies.

What left to Malaysian is the exorbitant car prices, high toll rate, no viable alternative public transport in cities, ever increasing water tariff etc. Who is suffering at the end? Isn't it the "rakyat" at large and bumis forming the largest portion?

Have they not considered why previous implementations failed? In fact one need not look far to find the answers - CORRUPPTION, and ABUSE of POWER leading to cronyism and nepotism.

A simple solution is to implement an independent judiciary, answerable to parliament and freedom of the press as a starter.

Instead, Umno is asking for more privileges. Who are the main beneficiaries? So long as Malaysia's resources are plentiful, the non-bumis as scapegoats, the use of religious fear factor works on the rakyat, Umno will continue to call the shot.

Unfortunately there is not enough resources to satisfy the greed of Umno, the rakyat will remain poorer while the rich get richer.

For non-bumis, their ultimate aim is going abroad. Those left behind, well, the left over will join the poor including the bumis in Malaysia. Thus denying Malaysia the skill and wealth of the emigrating Malaysians.

Don't forget the call for more help, enriching the malays are actually for Umno, selected few and cronies! Not all the malays!

Do read them carefully and not counting it as every malay or Malaysian! Because of this nature of speech don't count it as 'for all malays' and a case for you to bombast the innocent malays!

With all the multibillions and hundreds of millions of ringgit contracts going to the Umno bumis and crony companies, with all the Approved Permits (APs) going to the bumis (almost), with all the banking licences going to the bumis (almost), with all the big Government-Linked Companies (GLCs) coming under the control of the bumis, with all the government jobs (almost) going to the bumis, with all the petrol stations, transport licenses going to the bumis, etc, etc.

Perhaps one reason that Umno Youth perceived that the bumis are not faring too well in the economic field is that the wealth that is now in their hands is not well shared out, and is concentrated in the hands of a small number of elite and crony bumis.

If you look at the number of government contracts going out to bumis is really discriminating against the non-malays.

Until now, I have not heard of one malay who has the courage to admit, that about 90% of the government projects and assistance that went to help the malays has gone to waste - Huge squandering and wastage.

It is the reason why they are not being respected by other races.

That is their huge weakness. No matter how much monetary assistance you give to the malays, somehow or rather it doesn't improve their character and attitude towards work. It doesn't improve their knowledge on any business they are in.

Their business ethic is the lowest among Malaysians. Their wealth will never improve. Later down the road, they will be spending theirs most of their money if not all-on material gain rather than on building values, skills and knowledge.

That is why, 90% of the student scholarships, or 90% of the government projects goes to them, has gone to waste. They didn't take the opportunity to enhance their knowledge, skills but merely for material gain.

They have no confidence in themselves after so many years of independence. No confidence and faith in themselves to do their best and compete in the world. None at all.

Because most of the time, they spend their money and time on politics, and material gain. I would say malays place more importance on the form rather than on the substance.

Look at the amount of protocol they have to follow in their daily life. Most of it is not practical at all.

In short, we are stuck in medieval concept of balance of conflicting interest rather than those about moving forward to be become one.

So long as we are stuck in such medieval thinking, so long as we will be paralyzed by our fears and insecurities, and honestly as a low class nation.

this is what I called "talam dua muka" , depan tunduk² , belakang kutuk² . Like Butterfingers sing in their song "Jilat bontot depa"

If Malays need crutches and are so stupid why the hell are we the only race creating important technologies for Malaysia ? WHY !!!

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~EDIT~

Pak Lah said that ?

Could you point to a local newspaper report for this ?

I can't find it anywhere.

Troll Banned

whatever....
the thing is..it's easily spoken...
try to change it..just don't second your emotion..
bla bla bla...

It is undeniable that malays are stupid, incapable and lazy. Why don't they just humbly admit the facts and repent and learn from other races especially Chinese?

What is the point to argue here and wasting time again?

From the first onwards we were merely telling the truths. It wasn't us who think that way but their own Pak Lah as well.

All malays should go and read the newspaper, even Pak Lah is ashamed of maintaining the NEP after 34 years of implementing it and these malay baboons are still asking for it.

Even Pak Lah wanted them to compete on a level playing field.

So what does all these tell the world? It sends a very clear message that it is malays themselves who are incapable and lazy and they don't even want to admit it and make a change!

That is the biggest shame of all.

Can't you see, it is all back to square one. Year in, year out, some talk for half an hour, some one, some two. Some sing, many belt out their most recent released 'pantun'.

After all. Malays are good at that. Suggestions after suggestions, some good, some impossible to realize.

But, do you see any of these materialised? Hardly. Why, why and why???

Because the malays can never change. Never! Why?

The leaders forgot or were it they simply didn't want to admit and address that the actual disease is the malays and the remedy itself is also, the malays. They can never change. What is it about the malays?

Firstly as you all know, they are a lazy species. Since the beginning of time they have been like that. Even the encyclopedia called them as lazy people. I think those British with their accent tried to call them 'malas', and if you put 'y' in, it becomes 'malays'.

Embracing Islam make them a worse lot. Now they have a license to kill anything that gets into their way.

Malays are ungrateful lot. In reality, they just can't live or open their minds for others. When Mahathir said that they are complacent, they put him in jail. When Mahathir encouraged them to learn English language, they got angry with him, saying it is a 'bahasa penjajah'.

When other races 'maju', they got angry with them too. That was why at the end of Mahathir his regime, he said this, "I have achieved greatness as a prime minister, but I only fail in one thing, changing the malays."

Well, nothing to be surprised about anyway since Mahathir is not really a malay, and I guess that was why the malays were angry with him.

Drug abuse, hate, incest, liberal extremism (culture of miniskirts and gay marriages), murder, racism, rape, religious fanaticism, parochialism, snatch theft, spoilt-bratty behavior, tribalism, wife abuse, child abuse, all that is associated with the malay race.

To them, malay is the biggest impediment towards building a truly Malaysian nation, and should be chucked into the dustbins of history.

A genetically flawed race cannot be fixed by politically. Nature will take its course and globalization will put them out to pasture.

What have we got now?

Brain drain, economic disparity getting wider, poor education system, racial segregation, widespread corruption, inefficiency and uncompetitive on the government departments and others.

Sad. Sad. Sad. The question asked by many of my fellow Chinese is this - Why can't you just tell the malay peoples to adopt Chinese culture which is superior?

From research, this peninsular was part of the Siamese empire way before these malays from Indonesia invaded it.

Still so thick skin, don't want to go back to Indonesia!

Here we go again....

Naaah i don't think so, these chinese person just jealous to Malay success story when the more chinese left the country so difficult for them to claim the credit of it, his only resort he keep bashing and ranting telling repeatedly Malaysia will doom since like decades ago. Yeah right in your dream.

Closed as requested