Racial protection cannot make an Asian Tiger

LETTER | Education Minister Maszlee Malek continues to draw criticisms and truly through no fault of others apart from himself.

His latest mess relates to the reasons why he must maintain the race quota for matriculation entry for Malaysians.

The minister must know that thinking with the blinkers of racial interests will never make Malaysia an Asian Tiger.

He must be told in no uncertain terms that the economy of this nation is not driven solely by the bumiputra or Malay Muslims only.

Mazlee must know that it takes all races of every religion and social stratum to keep this nation moving forward now and into the future.

If a single language (Mandarin) is what the Chinese employers are singling out as a prerequisite for employment, the education minister must be completely blinkered not knowing that the economic engine of the future that is now driving the whole of Southeast Asia is a Mandarin-speaking China.

So why is Maszlee determined to not only remain blinkered himself, but he is resolute in continuing to bandage the Malays with crutches?

By right as an educationist himself, he must know that empowering the Malays must be the commitment of the New Malaysia.

And, empowerment demands that the Malays can only transform themselves without the crutches.

And mind you, sir, the Chinese Malaysians are not given jobs within the cushy comforts of a sprawling, administrative centre that gives out handsome bonuses.

There are millions of Chinese Malaysian boys and girls working in backyard and SME industries doing the dirty, dangerous and demeaning (3D) jobs to progress.

And it is this determination by the Chinese Malaysians, Indian Malaysians and a small but admirable group Malay Malaysians who are willing to free themselves from the cages of racial protection who are the true champions.

They are the ones who will resurrect the weakened Asian Tiger, not Mazlee's crutched Malay Malaysians.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.