Dasar Ekonomi Baru / New Economic Policy spice up.

On top of all, DEB/NEP was meant to reduce the socio-economic gap between races in Malaysia. It targeted 30% of Bumiputeras’ economic share (in all spectra) but ended up reaching an amount not even close to that. Since then, it was replaced by NDP but some of its policies continued up till the present day.

Provocative claims regarding the DEB/NEP exist as early as since the DEB/NEP was promulgated. Some say that DEB/NEP reduces the Chinese minority to second class citizens while others who prefer a more ‘professional’ way to put it claim that DEB/NEP is systematically marginalizing the Chinese. The problem with these firebrands is that they constantly use their conspiracy theories such stated above to foment even more conspiracy theories or such and make sure that these theories are discernible to every being. According to Royal Professor Ungku Aziz, ‘ketuanan Melayu’ is a theory but Social Contract is not. Do the math, put it in the case and you’ll get = DEB/NEP should not be slandered by ‘ketuanan Melayu’ and no one was reduced to second class citizen. But the lot just love theories and anomalies.

NEP is no new abbreviation, coined. The Russians came up with their version of NEP in 1921 to promote a better economic growth. They switched from a centralized to a semi-centralized form of economy. Vladimir Lenin defended the Russian government’s decision at that time by saying that Russia is not civilized enough to completely become a socialist country. Later on, the world witnessed the introduction of ‘Glasnost’ and ‘Perestroika’ but does that mean the Russians are to agree with the visionary notion of Hegel and Fukayama?

Malaysia is conceived by an Islamic form of economy. This form of economy, though forgotten, works in a beautiful and mysterious way in the sense that it is Laissez-faire and moral values, combined. Helping the poor and needy is a moral value.

In Islam, one should work hard to yield a good life and yet, there are concepts of ‘Zakat’ and ‘Sadaqah’ to assist those in dire need of chances, and resources in any constructive ways, and a macrocosmic part of so mentioned assistance knows no difference between a Muslim and a non Muslim.

As all of us agree to the idea that helping those in need is morally right and economical competitiveness is the fruit of a free market, a fine line is drawn between fraudulent acts and acts of charity, between just and unjust, between the need to dump an existing system or the need to alter it and between moral considerations and expediency, and best yet, it draws us together in pursuit of greater goods. Fight for open talks and debates, fight against hot air talks.

If again this issue be brought to public attention by uncivilized ways, maybe the Muslims in Malaysia are not yet Islamic enough or maybe the non Muslims are not yet high-minded enough.

Let’s all be sensibly Pareto-like, stop ‘plaguing’ the goods and start ‘curing’ the bads for roughly 20% of the input errors typically cause the lion's share of defects.

Just my two cents.

“Rich man’s war, poor man’s fight”