YOURSAY | The hateful politics of rich Chinese vs poor Malays

YOURSAY | ‘It is unthinkable that any Chinese Malaysian will ever hero-worship Jho Low…’

Dr M vows to continue representing Malays, joining DAP not an option

XoXo: Yes, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the disparity gap is never good and most unhealthy. That was why we had the May 13 riots. You came in and you had 22 years to put things right, but you failed miserably.

Lest we forget, at that time, Taiwan was in many ways economically behind Malaysia. Look at South Korea’s first car production company, Hyundai. How is Malaysia compared with Taiwan and Proton with Hyundai?

The truth is - the problem is not with Chinese Malaysians but with Malay leaders like you. Look, ask any Chinese Malaysian whether they are proud of their fellow Chinese Malaysian Jho Low for what he did to the country.

The Chinese in Malaysia cannot wait to see the day when full justice is served on Jho Low. It is unthinkable that any Chinese Malaysian will ever hero-worship Jho Low for his greed and getting the country into such a mess.

Please be honest. The problem lies with Malay leaders like yourself who are manipulating ordinary Malays for your own ends. They don't need a "ketuanan Melayu" (Malay supremacy) policy. What they need is better education policy. They don't need handouts, they need good jobs.

In short, they don't need crutches but steady hands of honest and trustworthy Malay leaders. The Malay leaders have failed the ordinary Malay in the country, who are just as hardworking, talented and smart as the other races.

BrownCheetah9736: Many Chinese Malaysians achieved many successes without any government assistance. Whereas the bulk of government money is squandered on cronyism, privatisation and a “race to the bottom” education system.

And if that’s not enough, the previous leadership steals taxpayers’ money largely meant for helping the Malays.

So Mahathir, please stop all this Chinese bogeyman rubbish. You are outdated. The biggest threat to the Malay population is the elites and crony political system that you created that has since evolved into sophisticated theft and pilferage.

Quigonbond: Mahathir, you are so full of yourself.

Firstly, you label all Chinese as being rich, which is an extreme falsehood. Second, you compare rich urban Chinese with poor rural Malays. That's not even comparing like for like. How about rich urban Malays with poor rural Malays or rich urban Malays with poor rural Chinese?

We know why you are doing this. You are staking a claim of your continued relevance and why you should be given another chance to be PM.

Quad: The problem is the big disparity (gap) between the rich Malays and the poorer ones. The rich Malays have the means to give their children the best, including the best education. It is a self-fulfilling cycle that goes round and round and keeps the poorer Malays on the sidelines.

Just take the most important basic needs, say education. The children from the rich Malays get educated either overseas or in private schools. So naturally, they have an advantage.

No matter what Mahathir or other racist politicians say, the reality is the wealth is confined in the hands of the 10 percent rich Malays (just taking that segment only). After 60 years, the problem remains and it does not take a rocket scientist to see the real issue.

Leon Moch: Now by his own admission, Mahathir says he has always represented the Malay segment of the population. He also reiterated his belief that the Chinese have become extremely rich in Malaysia and said that they own practically all the towns in Malaysia.

Yes, many Chinese in Malaysia are living comfortably, but they aren't extremely rich. They may have a condominium unit or a terrace house unit for which they work all their lives to pay off. They may also drive average-priced Japanese cars.

Perhaps many people might see this being "rich" or relatively richer than, say, many rural Malays, but it certainly doesn't make the average Chinese "extremely rich".

The example of the extremely rich could be seen in some of Mahathir's own children. Multimillion-dollar mansions and sports cars - that's extremely rich. And coming from Mahathir, the statement itself is too rich for words.

Hobo60: Mahathir should ask himself what went wrong after 60 years of the New Economic Policy as well as other similar policies for Malays. Despite all of this, you still cannot produce any entrepreneurs of calibre among them.

Instead, Malay politicians only help themselves and not their people.

As for the Chinese, they need to take risks to try to become successful and rich. Most people only see the successful ones. Nobody knows how many become bankrupt and even commit suicide due to business failure.

Black1814: X percent of Malays love it when politicians say they will protect Malays rights as they are scared of their own shadows. These are hardcore Umno and PAS supporters who don't bother to understand the word ‘corruption’.

Y percent somehow agree but have their reservations. They might take a chance to vote for Anwar’s ideology or vote for X% group.

Z percent are educated Malays who know the nonsense our local politicians talk about. It is this group who voted for Pakatan Harapan, the smallest group among the three.

I asked a Singaporean Malay friend that since Malaysia has many policies that are pro-Malay, why wouldn't she consider migrating to Malaysia.

She answered that there were many corrupted and self-serving elite Malays in Malaysia. They are destroying the potential of Malays, not helping them.

Hang Babeuf: It is time for everybody to stop simply and narrowly "representing Malays", and stop exclusively promoting Malay interests. It is time for all serious politicians to start representing and promoting the interests of Malaysians. Full stop.

It is as simple and basic as that. Some people just don't get it.

In simple terms, it is time for people, and especially their leaders, to think and talk and act from the unifying pronoun "kita", not the divisive and antagonistic "kami". "Kita rakyat Malaysia” and not "kami orang kaum Melayu".

Get it now? It is really not that difficult.

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