YOURSAY | Empower the bumiputera, not provide a new crutch

YOURSAY | “Those who know they will get bailed out will never succeed.”

Rafizi: New plans for bumi businesses controversial but needed

JusticeNow: As much as I appreciate the need to continuously adjust and empower the Malay and bumiputera economically, there is also a need to revive the economy of the whole of Malaysia!

The key word is empowerment and not subsidies or grants. There must be accountability for every cent used!

If a non-Malay takes a loan from a bank, he or she should better ensure they can repay it and make every cent loaned count or they will be pursued relentlessly by the bank.

If all these agencies are run like a bank except for the interest rates, many bumiputera companies will succeed.

However, if they know that when they fail, their debt will be forgiven, or they will get bailed out, there is no incentive for these companies to ever succeed.

Why are goreng pisang and nasi lemak sellers successful? They use their own money and if they don’t work hard tomorrow, they lose everything.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) must feel the same stress and pressure to succeed, or they will fail.

Most of those who succeed use their own money.

Albert Ponniah: A piece of advice for Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli. First, congratulations on doing your utmost to help out the bumiputera in the country.

Make sure it goes to the right people using a well-thought-out strategy.

Bear in mind that many strategies have been applied for the last 50 years, and yet we hear the same worry.

The bumiputera community needs special attention, yes, but within a given time frame.

At the same time, be aware that lots of other racial groups are just as desperate. There is a huge gap between the wealthy and the poor who are struggling.

You can see there is a need for equal assistance, they are seriously grumbling and frustrated.

Then there is a lack of opportunity for education. Families pawn everything they have to make sure their children get an education. Then they find that employment opportunities are denied.

Just look at all Malaysians with a bird’s eye view, and address their problems simultaneously.

All you do should be to the satisfaction of all without anyone being left out. Show us that this is a better government. Be creative and deliver.

PurpleDragon2199: For more than 50 years, we have been extending a hand to the bumiputera. Have we evaluated the outcome? There’s no change and we are probably worse off.

The most fundamental issue is funds are not well distributed to the grassroots and only a select few at the top get to enjoy this privilege, but it stops there.

This selective support did not work, cost the taxpayers lots of money, and only induced corruption and complication in society.

We should allow competent people to accelerate the economy and remove this tongkat (crutch) so that everyone will begin to work harder and smarter.

Kilimanjaro: Dr Mahathir Mohamad admitted that in his 22 years as prime minister, his biggest failure was to change the mindset of the Malays.

It is going to be a wonder how Rafizi (above) and this government are going to initiate a mindset that Mahathir had tried and failed.

Nothing of what Rafizi says now is workable.

The root of the problem is the constitutional provision that has allowed complacency among the Malays and not posed any real challenges for them to face, unlike a non-Malay would.

The challenge will be to teach the Malays to wean off from the reliance on “crutches” which, if it happens, can be politically suicidal.

So it is the fire at both ends of the twig with no “escape route” and that will make it impossible to change to a level playing field.

All the time, they are mostly trying to convince the non-Malays to step aside for the Malays to seek or reach a level playing field.

The non-Malays probably know that is never going to happen, just like Low Yat 2. It is more of an unending drama that has lasted some 60 years and is continuing.

It appears that Rafizi is already preparing the route to be prime minister one day.

There is nothing grand about the “equality” stand he has always championed. That is an illusion, and he is just making it clear to us what his political priorities are.

But my two cents is that he will fail. Without changing the root dynamics, expecting apple trees to bear oranges is simple daydreaming.

Koel: Sounds like a lot of garbled gobbledegook! What is controversial is the continued and unconscionable taxing of fast-dwindling minorities and non-bumiputera to benefit a state-constructed majority.

All this while neglecting the well-being of many deprived minorities in this country.

Time for those who grow fat on the labour of others to grow a conscience.

They should feel a sense of shame and show some decency.

Chefoo: I thought Pakatan Harapan would be different and act for the whole nation. I was naive to believe this narrative.

When will our government formulate policies and distribute funds for all Malaysians irrespective of race and religion? I dream of that day to come.

It’s still all about “divide and rule” here in Malaysia. Bumiputera fund, Indian fund, Chinese fund, and so on. All with differing ratios.

God bless this country. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has let us down.

Multi Racial: You got 90 percent of the non-Malay votes and all you do is focus on those who didn’t vote for you.

I suppose to get Harapan’s attention is not to vote for them. Sick of hearing about this supposedly “reformasi” government that is still talking about nurturing an apartheid-like system.

They are supposed to make this country merit-based and also focus on helping the poor regardless of their race and religion.

YellowRabbit4250: You are the economy minister for the entire country, not just for the bumiputera.

Are the non-bumiputera who also pay taxes dead? Stop all the nonsense which has failed for 60 years. Focus on Malaysia to move this country forward.

Please learn from Singapore.

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