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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Vol. 37, No. 7. April, 17 1974

A piece of cake for everyone

page 13

A piece of cake for everyone

Dear Sir,

For an overseas public that has been warned on a 20-year news diet of Malaysia's grim jungle skirmishes, racial tension and confrontations with Indonesia, success is an unusual concept in Malaysia. The impressions made by Malaysians, especially students, overseas are not always favourable because in most cases the critics tend to be obsessed with their own prejudice preconceived ideals. They often overlook a new force that has permeated every walk of lives in Malaysia now. This new inspiration it prosperity—a piece of cake for everyone to share.

The economy is booming as never before. An upsurge in exports last year has boosted the national out-put by 15.5% etc. In some states such as Sabah and Sarawak, economic growth is phenomenal. In 1972 Sabah had the highest trade record deficit since the Second World War. However, in 1975 it was a completely different story, the economy recovered dramatically and resulted in an all time trade surplus record; an increase of about 50%.

I do not for one moment suggest that Malaysia has no problems. Malaysia, perhaps more so than many developed countries, has many pressing delicate and urgent problems. The restructuring of Malaysia's wealth, with the ultimate aims of eradicating poverty and restructuring Malaysian society in order that the identification of race with vocation and location may be avoided; is not simply an exercise in figures. It involves breaking down attitudes which to some extent are a legacy from the British rule. Thus the critics of Malaysia must bear in mind the recent socio-economic development trend and the unique situation Malaysia is in when they embark on grossly exaggerated allegations and one-sided criticism; as most critics writing in the Salient do. Take this one taken from last year's issue for example. "The Razak regime was groomed and installed by British imperialism...to indulge in various forms of bribers and corruption, swindling and plundering and formed a comprador feudal bureaucratic, capitalist class possessing enormous fortunes. The regime has been going all out in consistency implementing a Malay chauvinist policy with a view of undermining the broad anti-imperialist unity of the people of all nationalities and diverting the people's attention from the target of their struggle so as to maintain their fascist rule." This type of baseless allegation or biased criticism is uncalled for; not only because it sounds more like a James Bond movie but even more so because it is a pure 'white' lie.

To most overseas public racial equation may sound strange but in Malaysia it is a reality Malaysians have to face, a basis for a long-term political stability. It is a known fact that the Malaya comprise 50% of Malaysia's total population, hold the political reins but only have a 2% stake in public companies; the Chinese who make up 37% of the population hold a 20% share (the remainder 60% is in the hand of private foreign investors). The new economic policy is aimed to correct this social and economic imbalance between traditionally rural Malays and urban Chinese. The idea was conceived from the May 13, 1969 riot when the boil of resentment wept blood in the street. This is so not simply because the Malays and other indigenous people are in the majority, not only because the existing racial imbalances are fertile ground for political and social tensions, but fundamentally because it is the right and just thing to do.

The myths inherited from the colonial era still exist in the mind of a considerable number of Malaysians; that each race was graded according to economic status. A white man was called "Tuan" meaning master, a Chinese man was called "Tawkey" meaning merchant or rich man while a Malay man was called '"Inched" implying simplicity with a connotation of being lazy and only fit to be a driver. The government is trying to dispel these myths and had pledged to help the country's five million Malays in own and control 30% of the economy by 1990 with other races owning 40%. This assumes that Malaysia's spectacular economic growth will continue and foreign private investments in estates and tin mines, which account for 45% of all-foreign holdings, will decline steadily.

Malaysians, however, should not be too optimistic about this development plan but at the same time and by the same token should give it a fair chance; after all most countries think we are doing better than most developing nations of the Third World.

Henry Lawhutt