This is sensitive. 30% equity.

I really like A. Kadir Jasin's take on the matter of 30% equity for bumiputeras which has surfaced yet again. He writes objectively without giving too much of his opinion or stand on it, although it is clear. Again, as he points out himself, there is a clear difference in the mindset of the older and younger generation simply due to the fact that those who lived in the era of pre-Merdeka or the few years subsequent to it have a nostalgic bond to the principles that make up the constitution and a holistic understanding on how the now highly-debated social contract came to be while the present generation clearly do not. It is to us a series of information that were contained in books and fed by History teachers. In the end what everyone did was to memorize the whole thing blindly. Maybe the students are not to be blamed, logically its hard for anyone to relate to things that they haven't come to experience and are of seemingly no consequence to them. People have said that if something like instilling understanding and appreciation for the principles this country was built upon can't be done even at school level then something is clearly amiss.

Excerpt:

"But as the country grows older and the population becomes younger the knowledge and respect for the past becomes hazier. The older generation that is rooted in history becomes the minority and the new generation that is not schooled in the history of the country becomes the majority.

Without knowledge and wisdom, they become easy targets of hate campaign by unscrupulous and usually ignorant politicians and chauvinists of all shades and colours."



Other views/related comments to the article (some disagreeing with him) which are equally interesting:

penangumnoboy says: "I do not care of whatever race you are, if you can work hard, honest and have a high a commitment, the person, again regardless whatever race he is, should be rewarded with the best job and the best pay.
If you are weak, you lend a helping hand. But if the person does not want to help themselves, it is useless if you want to go a step further.
People say, that I do not give enough opportunity to my own race.
It is not that actually. It is my race who fails to take the opportunity to go a step further."

niger loh says: "All this is the result of progress and if you believe in sticking to those terms...maybe it is better for you to go back to that era and stay there.
For you to argue that the social contract is unalterable or unchallengeable like the term Keling is pure hogwash."




Asia Times

"Judging by Najib's remarks about liberalizing the NEP, the country must grapple simultaneously with long-held and deeply entrenched race-based policies while defending itself against global financial and economic turmoil."