Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 39, Number 16, July 12, 1976.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The political and economic structure of Malaysia is still basically neo-colonial. In other words, the people's destiny is dependent upon those powerful colonialists. Since "Independence" in 1957 until the present day, 60% of the country's economy is in foreign hands. Our markets are systematically controlled by the big foreign investors. Our most fertile lands are owned by outsiders. All these manipulations lead surely to a tremendous amount of capital outflow. That is why the majority of the people in Malaysia have never been emancipated from the yoke of hardship and oppression.
Dr Mahathir's attempt to reverse the tide of history, to avoid looking at the real root-cause of our backwardness should be strongly condemned. His argument is racially and emotionally biased and credely over-simplistic and lacks foresight and hindsight. He should have at least attempted to familiarise himself with the trend of historical development of British colonies I before he put pen to paper on his 'Malay Dilemma' which reflects nothing more than the dilemma of his own muddled - thoughts.
In fact the poor workers and peasants in Malaysia can be easily distinguished as a class by itself but so far have not yet been able to unite and act as a class for itself. It is because the Malaysian government by all ways and means, (eg via repressive laws and regulations) tries not to promote class politics and ideology and therefore that class consciousness has not been able to gain a foothold. This is a fact which has also escaped the attention of the Malaysian intellectuals at home and abroad
To the Malaysian Government, the students' responsibility is to make the best of a formal education. Social change has nothing to do with these "immature" students. This is surely sound advice for the selfish few. We should always bear in mind that "...we are all in the university at the expense of many others. Remember our responsibility to society, our responsibility to justice, equality and freedom". [Tan Wah Piew, former President of the Student Union of Singapore University].