KUALA LUMPUR, December 20: “The NEP is adversely affecting the Malays”,
said Amir Sari, one of the speakers in a panel invited to speak about the New
Economic Policy.
Earlier, he stunned the audience when he spoke about how the “official” record
of the infamous May 13 May incident has distorted the purported reasons for the
NEP. Sari also gave alternative accounts of the tragedy which are inconclusive
due to the lack of credible historical research into the incident save for a
book by Tunku Abdul Rahman and a thesis by a researcher from the University of
Berkeley, California.
Apart from Sari, who was an active student leader and project co-ordinator of “Institut
Kajian Dasar”, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and Khoo Kay Peng further discussed the
NEP critically.
Nik Nazmi, a prominent blogger who graduated with a law degree from King’s
College London and now a Special Assistant to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, opined
that the NEP only favoured the elite few in Malaysia and felt that the policy is
unfairly driven by racial considerations. Today, Malaysia is losing her
competitive edge due to the NEP despite Malaysians having the minds capable of
challenging the best in the world.
Whilst confessing to being a beneficiary of the NEP when he received a
government scholarship to pursue his degree, he emphasised that
poverty-eradication schemes should now look beyond race-based criteria.
Khoo Kay Peng, a political analyst with local think-tank, Sedar Institute,
presented the NEP today as being nothing more than a political tool which has
swayed away from its original aims. He felt that whilst the NEP rose from the
ashes of the racial riots of May 13, the NEP was meant to fight poverty of all
Malaysians, and not merely of just one race.
Khoo reminded how in the 1970s, Malaysia was perceived to be a growing economic
tiger together with Taiwan, Korea and Singapore; but today, those 3 countries
have moved far ahead of Malaysia.
The panel discussion, moderated by Lee Khai Loon (convener for Y4C),
nevertheless acknowledged some positives of the NEP such as creating a Malay
middle-class. The night ended with an interactive session with the floor.
Organised by “Youth for Change” (Y4C) and aimed at reaching out to younger
Malaysians, the event saw the launch of a DVD containing a series of lectures
held previously on the NEP.
This event served as the forerunner of the “Siri Pemikiran
Kritis: Kursus Alternatif Berkenaan Dasar Ekonomi Baru” set of 4 talks
commencing on 11 January 2007. (Please click here to download the leaflet)
It will be co-organised by Y4C, Persatuan Bahasa Tionghua
Alumni Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Humanity Library and the Bar Council’s
National Young Lawyers Committee.
Among the confirmed speakers are Dr Lim Teck Ghee (former Director of the Centre
for Public Policy Studies, Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute [ASLI]) and Tan
Sri Khalid Ibrahim (former Guthrie Group CEO and Treasurer of National Justice
Party).
REDRESS THE FAILURE written by Stephen Tan Ban Cheng,
Wednesday, December 27 2006 09:03 am
These far-reaching declarations attest and confirm my strongly-held convicton that the future of the country lies in the vision of its youths - a fresh vision umimpaired by the personal baggage of the past.
Youths must be allowed the room to dream their dreams of the future. It may well have flaws, but they must have that much more latitude to operate.
That the eradicaton of poverty is one of the two planks of the erstwhile New Economic Policy cannot be disputed. That it has been hijacked is crystal clear. That there is an underclass of Malaysians today also cannot be denied.
Something must be done to bridge an unhealthy trend - the growing gap between the rich and poor. We enjoyed the stability of a bulky middle class at Merdeka. Where is it today? It is getting thinner and thinner. Somewhere along the time, we have failed in this area.
Paradigm Shift written by Nicole Tan Lee Koon,
Thursday, December 28 2006 04:58 pm
A very good move indeed even though these people are treading on thin ice by discussing the deeply entrenched Article 153. Sections 3(1)(f) and 4 of the Sedition Act prohibits such discussion. However, I feel that we should move with the times. The social contract maybe effective in one era but with the advent of IT and globalisation, it may not be effective. Further, most of us were not around when the social contract was agreed upon. We need to seriously review it before we lose out in the long run.
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KUALA LUMPUR, December 20: “The NEP is adversely affecting the Malays”,
said Amir Sari, one of the speakers in a panel invited to speak about the New
Economic Policy. 
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These far-reaching declarations attest and confirm my strongly-held convicton that the future of the country lies in the vision of its youths - a fresh vision umimpaired by the personal baggage of the past.
Youths must be allowed the room to dream their dreams of the future. It may well have flaws, but they must have that much more latitude to operate.
That the eradicaton of poverty is one of the two planks of the erstwhile New Economic Policy cannot be disputed. That it has been hijacked is crystal clear. That there is an underclass of Malaysians today also cannot be denied.
Something must be done to bridge an unhealthy trend - the growing gap between the rich and poor. We enjoyed the stability of a bulky middle class at Merdeka. Where is it today? It is getting thinner and thinner. Somewhere along the time, we have failed in this area.