UMNO’s affirmative action stays under NEM, but Indian poor still excluded

UMNO’s affirmative action stays under NEM, but Indian poor still excluded

The New Straits Times on 5/4/2010 headlines reported affirmative action stays. But policy will be more merit-based, says Prime Minister.

But the Utusan Malaysia headlines on 5/4/25010 reads “ Dasar afirmatif kekal. Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak memberi jaminan kerajaan tidak akan menghapuskan polisi tindakan afirmatif (yang membantu bumiputera) tetapi melaksanakannya dengan adil dan telus.”

Malay-sian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that the government will not do away with its affirmative action policy but will carry it out in a fairer and more transparent manner to improve the lives of Malaysians in the bottom 40 per cent of the population..

We have read such headlines many times before but it has never been put to practice. We estimate 70% of the Malaysian Indians are either in the hardcore poor or poor category.

This would effectively mean that 70% of the Malaysian Indians would be in this bottom 40% that Najib had announced.

Najib, as the very first step in furtherance of his transparency pledge should admit all the 817 Tamil school pupils who had scored all 7As’ in UPSR a place the elite Maktab Rendah Sains Mara and fully residential schools which has 12,440 places. Why not 817 places for these poor Tamil school pupils who have in any event excelled academically anyway with 7As? whereas Malay students only take a maximum of five subjects.

Then and only then will Najib be taken seriously to implement all the other critical Indian problems.

P. Uthayakumar