Forty-six years ago, LKY said in the Malaysian Parliament:-
In the 1965 session of Parliament, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew (who was also a Member of that Parliament) questioned the implementation of Malay rights as proposed. Lee asked, "How does the Malay in the kampong find his way out into this modernised civil society? By becoming servants of the 0.3 per cent who would have the money to hire them to clean their shoe, open their motorcar doors?" and "How does telling a Malay bus driver that he should support the party of his Malay director (UMNO) and the Chinese bus conductor to join another party of his Chinese director (MCA) — how does that improve the standards of the Malay bus driver and the Chinese bus conductor who are both workers in the same company?"
Lee closed with "Meanwhile, whenever there is a failure of economic, social and educational policies, you come back and say, oh, these wicked Chinese, Indian and others opposing Malay rights. They don't oppose Malay rights. They, the Malay, have the right as Malaysian citizens to go up to the level of training and education that the more competitive societies, the non-Malay society, has produced. That is what must be done, isn't it? Not to feed them with this obscurantist doctrine that all they have got to do is to get Malay rights for the few special Malays and their problem has been resolved."
The Old Man makes tremendous sense, and his use of words was very apt. Of course, those in other camp proposing racial discrimination claims the Old Man is championing the Malaysian Malaysia under the guise of discrimination in favour of Non-Malay. I don't think so. Singapore's model is the best practical model of an attempt at meritocracy. Due to the political nature of "Us" and "Them" (aka Malay vs Non-Malay), it becomes a question of influencing one's perspective to see as a zero-sum game. Hence if you argue that it doesn't 'benefit', it has to "benefit' the other race. It is kind of a tautology that gets nowhere, besides inflaming fear and hatred.
The use of "sons of soil" argument to provide racial discrimination on behalf of one "race" holds no logic when examined carefully. Mixed marriages are and always been the order of the day, and will be even more in this age of globalisation, and even the so called "Malay" race is a convenient holding for a group of people, mixed with all kinds of blood, comprise of people that could be arab, indonesian origin etc. Dr Mahathir is as much as a son of India and as much as a son of 'Malay" - look at him, he looks more like an Indian. Conveniently, many Indian muslims are now classified under the Malay race. In Singapore, we even have a race called 'Other". Obama himself got white blood, yet classifed as a black?
Race is a political social contruct, and over here, it has especially used to promote ideologies depending what political claims you wish to make, to fight for your power.
Ironically, the new generations of Malaysians are gradually now waking up to the facts that nepotism, cronyism and corruption are flourishing under the pretense "sons of soil" arguments. The votes of this generation will be pivotal in years ahead in changing feudalistic political structure. Egypt's revolution is just a beginning of what will spread over to Malaysia. Oil is not a given in Malaysia anymore, and the present political elite know that if they cannot generate wealth in other ways, their rule will be threatened.
Interestingly, LKY's recent comments only attract the attention of Dr M's criticisms. I reckon he is looking into clues whether it will provoke any outcry in Malaysia. Najib and most present politicians are quiet in their response these days. The economic impetus in Malaysia is far more urgent than going back to old political ploy of divide and rule used by old Malay politicians like Dr M and his likes.
Brandishing keris to defend these so-called dumb rights only signal threats to the non-Malays and it was a common display in UMNO Youth conventions ...no wonder the Chinese in Malaysia are so staunchly against the ruling Barisan Nasional especially in this modern age when information is so freely available...it is in UMNO that it is fashionable to champion such malay causes to rise to the top.
Effort should be made to eradicate poverty irregardless of race, language and religion. I reckon Singapore's model is closer to this goal than the Malaysian model.
