'Don't question Malay rights'

Sabah Daily Express (8/11/2007): Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said basic matters relating to the sanctity of religion, beliefs and practices, Malay interests and the social contract between the communities should no longer be raised.

The Prime Minister said basic issues that were agreed upon at the time the Federal Constitution was drafted were non-negotiable.

"Umno does not engage in duplicity. We don't change our tune to suit the occasion or the audience. We're ready to seek intelligent resolutions and win-win outcomes when dealing with sensitive issues relating to race and religion," said Abdullah, who is also Umno President, when addressing the Umno General Assembly, here, Wednesday.

He said that for such issues to be addressed effectively, it was more appropriate to have these discussions behind closed doors.

"Sensitive issues must be handled objectively, rationally and maturely. Umno and its colleagues in the Barisan Nasional must never be ensnared by religious and racial issues raised by the opposition parties.

"We're the party that controls the government, we administer executive power. We should never allow ourselves to sink to their level," he said.

Abdullah said other communities in the country must appreciate the sensitivities of the Malays.

"We've been independent for 50 years. Now, those who are born in Malaysia are Malaysian citizens. They were born and have grown up knowing only Malaysia as their homeland. The time for championing parochial interests is over," he said.

Abdullah said that during the 2006 Umno general assembly where the media were allowed to provide live coverage of the proceedings, a small number of speakers had raised issues that had perhaps touched on communal sensitivities but the majority chose to tackle them from a national perspective.

"I believe that similar extremist sentiments are voiced by members of political parties that represent other communities. However, in the spirit of building a unified nation, the consensus of moderation and mutual respect outweighs extremist tendencies," he said.

Abdullah also explained that the act of unsheathing and kissing the Malay keris was part of the cultural heritage of the Malay people.

He said the keris was not a weapon to attack friends.

"But it's meaning has been twisted to spread fear among non-Malays, and the image of Umno and Malaysia has been smeared overseas," he said.

Abdullah gave the assurance that Umno would never breach the spirit of the understanding that had been agreed with the other communities at the time of independence.

He stressed that the harmony between the various communities in the country was not an option but a necessity.

"We have no other choice. Fifty years ago, our independence movement was successful because of the wisdom of Tunku Abdul Rahman and his colleagues who introduced the concept of power sharing," he said.

The Prime Minister also said that maintaining security was a responsibility of the Government, one that could be carried out more effectively with the support from the public.

"The Malaysian society is currently facing a number of fears, among them, crime as well as inter-religious and communal issues," he said.

He said the media played an important role in raising public awareness on how members of society could help maintain security. - Bernama

Malaysia's minority races urged to respect ethnic Malay dominance

AOL (6/11/2007): Malaysia's minority ethnic groups should accept and respect the political dominance of the ethnic Malays, a senior leader of the ruling United Malays National Organization said Tuesday amid rising ethnic tension in this multi-racial Southeast Asian country.

"Don't create imaginary enemy and don't be afraid of your own shadow. Don't get carried away by blunt racial sentiments until you lose the respect built upon years of sacrifices made by the Malays," the head of UMNO's youth wing, Hishamuddin Hussein, said in a speech at the wing's annual meeting.

The youth wing's one-day meet precedes the three-day main UMNO annual assembly that will begin Wednesday with a key speech from party President and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

UMNO's annual assembly is closely followed by the nation as it is the dominant party in the ruling National Front 14-party coalition and the party that produces the most policymakers in the government, including the premier and his deputy.

UMNO touts itself as the leading champion of the Malays, who make up over 60 percent of the country's 27 million population. It has been heavily criticized in recent years for being racist.

Hishamuddin, who is also education minister, angered minority ethnic Chinese and Indians when he brandished an unsheathed keris, a long wavy Malay dagger, at the wing's annual meeting two years ago in what was viewed by non-Malays as a sign of aggression.

The act, which has since been repeated, was made worse when an UMNO delegate remarked last year that "UMNO is willing to risk lives and bathe in blood to defend the race."

That statement came amid increasing unhappiness among the Chinese over the continuation of the nearly four-decade-old affirmative action policy that accords Malays privileges, ranging from from scholarships to government contracts.

The policy aims to give the poorer Malays a leg-up in playing catch-up with the economically dominant Chinese. But critics say it has only served to enrich a handful of politically well-connected Malays, and there have been loud calls for it to be scrapped.

Ethnic Indians, meanwhile, are furious over a recent spate of demolitions being carried out on Hindu temples purportedly built illegally on state or private lands.

Non-Malays are also dismayed by what they viewed as creeping Islamization in schools, in government agencies and even in courts.

Despite the outcry over the keris, it again made its appearance Tuesday to loud applause from the delegates.

Hishamuddin defended the keris act, saying it was not just a symbol to defend the Malays but the other races too.

"The Malay keris is the protector of all just like the government of today. Come seek shelter under the protection of this sacred Malay keris," he said. (Kyodo)

Malaysia's ruling party tells ethnic minorities not to fear loss of rights

IHT (6/11/2007): Malaysia's ruling party urged ethnic minorities Tuesday to respect the leadership of the Malay Muslim majority and not fear any loss of their religious and economic rights.

The United Malays National Organization, which spearheads the multiethnic National Front ruling coalition, is holding its annual congress this week amid tensions over the recent demolition of a Hindu temple by authorities — an incident that reignited concerns among the Chinese and Indian minorities about the protection of their welfare.

For the third consecutive year at the congress, UMNO Youth Chief Hishammuddin Hussein unsheathed a Malay traditional dagger and kissed it, defying criticism by minorities that the practice symbolizes aggression.

Hishammuddin defended his action, claiming it represents a pledge to "defend the interests of the nation, not only for the Malays but also the other races that shelter in this nation."

"Don't create imaginary enemies and don't be terrified of shadows," Hishammuddin said in a speech. "Don't be too caught up with racial sentiments that you lose the respect built thus far for the sacrifices of the Malays."

Open friction is rare between Malays — who comprise some 60 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people — and the minorities, whose faiths include Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism.

But frustrations have grown among minorities in recent years over a wide range of issues, including accusations by activists that authorities are unfairly destroying non-Muslim places of worship.

Authorities tore down a decades-old temple in a squatter settlement in central Selangor state last week, triggering rare criticism by the Malaysian Indian Congress, which is one of UMNO's biggest allies in the National Front.

Other racially sensitive subjects include an affirmative action program that gives Malays privileges in government jobs, bank loans and housing, as well as the inability of secular courts to overturn verdicts by Islamic courts in cases where non-Muslims are involved.

Hishammuddin did not highlight any specific grievance, but stressed that Malays "have never made a fuss about what is not within their rights, but they provide space and opportunities to everyone."

Malaysia's politics are built on a unique, race-based power-sharing arrangement that gives UMNO virtual control over top posts in the government, supported by parties representing the Chinese, Indians and other ethnic minorities.

Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz, who heads the UMNO women's wing, urged members to emphasize national unity to ensure a big victory in the next national elections. Polls are not due until 2009, but Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is UMNO's president, is widely expected to call elections before mid-2008.

"Small groups should not be allowed to jeopardize the interests of the majority by disrupting stability, unity and understanding among the multiracial population," Rafidah said. (AP)

Govt defends 30% bumi equity quota on foreign businesses

The Sun (5/11/2007): The government has defended the move to introduce a guideline requiring 30% bumiputra participation in wholesale distribution business by foreigners.

Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk S.Veerasingam said the 30% bumiputra equity ownership contained in the guideline had been approved and accepted by the Cabinet on Oct 20, 2004.

"It is in line with the national development aspiration, which is to rectify the economic and social imbalance and pay attention to the development of a bumiputra industrial and business community," he said in his winding up to points raised by MPs in the Budget 2008 debate in the Dewan Rakyat (Parliament) today.

He however added that the guideline requirement could be negotiated, whereby the ministry could provide such companies a grace period to find the necessary bumiputra partner or investment company.

On the move to set RM1 million as the minimum paid up capital of such companies, Veerasingam said the move was to ensure that foreign companies seeking to set up shop in the wholesale distribution sector are genuinely competent in terms of finance and their ability to manage the business.

"The ministry has also had to take into account the interests and competitiveness of local investors if business opportunities are opened up without any restrictions," he said.

On the guideline relating to racial composition of the directorship and composition of personnel in such companies, Veerasingam said the move was to ensure that all Malaysians, irrespective of racial background, would be able to benefit from such foreign investments.

On the price increase of steel bars and its shortage, he said the government had allowed the importation of the commodity to stabilise the price and ensure sufficient supply.

"As a long-term plan, the government is also looking at an automatic price mechanism to determine the price of steel bars based on the cost of secondhand iron/steel in the world market," he said.

Veerasingam also said that the government had also agreed to introduce a similar automatic price mechanism to determine the price of cement from Jan 1.

"Through the automatic price mechanism and continued strict enforcement, it is hoped that this would be able to stabilise the price of both cement steel bars in the domestic market to fulfill development needs," Veerasingam said.

Malaysia's positive discrimination policy hurts many Muslim Malays

ABS-CBN : Nearly four decades of controversial positive-discrimination policies were supposed to lift Muslim Malays like fisherman Maskan Mohamad out of poverty.

But despite the programme, which has alienated the nation's ethnic Chinese and Indian citizens, Maskan's family have empty bellies and little hope as they struggle to survive on a handful of dollars a day.

"All I know is how to fish. My family are all fisherman and even my children are fishermen because we cannot hope for anything more," says the 62-year-old, who earns about 400 ringgit a month (119 dollars).

That's barely enough to feed his wife, three children and elderly parents. Maskan's two teenage sons had to drop out of school at 11, and the whole family labours to process their daily catch.

"The government say they are helping us but I have not gotten much help from them," he says.

"Where is the government money and projects to help us live a better life, to help my children get jobs and have a better future than me?"

Malaysia's population of nearly 27 million is made up of 60 percent Malay Muslims who dominate the government, 26 percent ethnic Chinese who are prominent in business, and eight percent ethnic Indians.

Two years after race riots broke out in 1969, the government launched the New Economic Policy (NEP) with initiatives to narrow the wealth gap between the Chinese and Malays.

But by 2004, 8.3 percent of Malays were still living in poverty -- earning less than 190 dollars a month -- compared to just 0.6 percent of Chinese and 2.9 percent of Indians.

Critics say the main beneficiaries of the policy have been Malay entrepreneurs who cash in on an array of perks including discounts on property purchases and specially allocated government projects.

Meanwhile, the village of Seberang Takir outside the northern city of Kuala Terengganu is home to 20 fishing families leading a hand-to-mouth existence, living in rickety homes that are a patchwork of wooden planks and pieces of tin.

Women in brightly coloured batik work salting fish and shrimp in the hot sun, shrouded in dust from trucks rumbling to a reclamation site where the state government is building a new cruise ship terminal.

The fishing folk are unlikely to benefit. Instead, half the village has been demolished to make way for the new project.

"They now want us to move away from the beach. How can we do that as this is our livelihood? They are not paying us much for this land and they have yet to tell us where we will be shifted to. Is this helping the poor?" asks Maskan.

Terengganu, which until 2004 was held by the fundamentalist opposition Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), is expected to be a key battleground in national elections likely to be held by early 2008.

One out of every five people in Terengganu lives below the poverty line, and many say they are disappointed at how little the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) which has ruled Malaysia for 50 years has done for them.

"We really need the government to help us boost our earnings," says Alias Ismail, 45, whose family makes fish crackers in their simple home in Seberang Takir.

"See over there," Alias says, pointing to the lights of Kuala Terengganu. "That's where all the rich people are. We in the villages don't get any money."

Some of the fishermen say they support the government's development plans for the region, but the green-and-white PAS flags that flutter in the windows and doorways of most houses tell a different story.

Development experts say that economic aid is badly needed in rural regions like Terengganu and neighbouring Kelantan, which is the only state now held by PAS.

"There has been a massive structural underdevelopment in the east coast states of Malaysia," says Professor Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, director of ethnic studies at the Malaysian National University.

"The fact that east coast states have been in and out of opposition hands has meant that there has been very little interest or investment from the federal government."

The ruling National Front coalition has begun gearing up for the elections, launching a series of big-spending development masterplans across the nation.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi last month unveiled a 33.5 billion dollar plan to transform Terengganu and the other eastern states, with hundreds of projects targeting tourism and the oil and gas sector among others.

"Now is the turn of east coast states to experience the winds of change," Abdullah said at the launch, promising that the 12-year plan will create 560,000 new jobs.

However, local UMNO lawmaker Razali Idris says there is no magic bullet for Malay poverty and that what is really needed is a change in mindset.

"We give them oil subsidies, subsidies for their engines, replace the skins of their boats, but many just turn round and sell the oil or squander the subsidies. Too many are only looking for handouts," he said.

"Positive discrimination can work if the people are willing to work hard and reap the benefits of the advantages instead of wasting them.

Housing quota questioned

The Sun (29/10/2007): The imposition of a bumiputra housing quota is unconstitutional and is one of the property sector’s most pressing issues, Datuk Jeffrey Ng Tiong Lip said today.

Ng, the immediate past president of the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia (Rehda), said Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, which allows for positive discrimination in favour of Malays and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak, does not include housing at all.

"The positive discrimination (in Article 153) covers only the specific areas of employment in public service, education, training or special facilities given by the federal government, and business permits.

"Housing is implicitly excluded," he said at a "Property Rights under the Malaysian Constitution" panel discussion at the 14th Malaysian Law Conference.

Ng noted that the sub-clauses under Article 153 made it apparent that the positive discrimination enjoyed by bumiputras should not deprive any other persons in the same areas of enjoyment.

"The positive discrimination allowed in our constitution is not done at the expense of others and is not a zero-sum game," he added.

He said it was highly problematic from a constitutional perspective when bumiputra quotas are imposed on all housing developers by the state authorities.

"In my opinion, a state’s imposition of bumiputra quota in our housing industry, if it was made into law, can be challenged on the grounds of Articles 8 and 153 of the Malaysian Constitution," he said.

(Article 8 states that all persons are equal before the law).

Ng added that Article 4 also stipulates that the constitution is the supreme law of the land and any law passed which is inconsistent with it shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.

He said that when the bumiputra housing quota policy was implemented in the 1980s, property developers had to reserved 30% of available units in a housing scheme for a limited period of six months for purchase by bumiputras at a discount of 5%.

"Surely, the understanding then was based on satisfying the government’s social agenda and after enduring the six months reserved period, such unsold bumiputra allocated units can be released back into the open market for resale at prevailing market prices.

"However, today’s guidelines imposed by various state governments and local authorities have changed drastically at the expense of housing developers," Ng said.

He cited how the bumiputra housing quota imposed by all the states now ranges between 30% and 70%, the discount imposed varies between 5% and 15%, and the reserved period of six months is extended without any definite period of release.

He also said some state governments have introduced heavy monetary penalties and compensations before release of unsold units is granted.

For example, Ng said, the Selangor government and Kuala Lumpur City Hall recently introduced a new system of levy where an amount equivalent to the

discount given to bumiputra buyers must now be paid to the authorities in exchange for the early release of unsold bumiputra quota units.

"What is unsold after a fixed period must be rightfully returned to us without making further contributions. After all, such units are rightfully owned by us as provided for under Article 13," Ng said.

Article 13 states that no person shall be deprived of property except in accordance with the law, and no law shall provide for the compulsory acquisition or use of property without adequate compensation.

"There is absolutely no justification for imposing such levy or contribution and such guidelines must be reviewed in accordance to our constitution," he said.

Ng said Rehda continues to struggle to convince state governments and local authorities to streamline conditions for release of unsold bumiputra quota units via an automatic release mechanism which is time-based.

He noted that certain state governments have also taken to inserting and endorsing a condition for bumiputra reserved lots on land titles, and marking bumiputra lots on layout and pre-computation plans.

"The restriction endorsement on land title is permanent whereas under the marking method, plans will be unmarked and restriction lifted once release of unsold bumiputra reserve lots are approved.

"Endorsing land titles with such restrictions by state governments is tantamount to creating de facto Malay reserved land and without obtaining consent from the landowner," he explained.

Ng said many well-educated bumiputras avoided buying bumiputra reserved quota lots in urban areas, where land titles have been endorsed, because they are less marketable upon resale in the secondary market and the market value of property is generally lower due to its restriction.

He said the National Land Council and National Council for Local Government have a big role to play in streamlining government policies and existing legislation which have been inconsistently and inappropriately applied in the housing industry.

Time to do away with bumi housing quotas

Malaysiakini (30/10/2007): Many Malays are in agreement with the view that this is a bad and unnecessary policy which encourages a hand-out and subsidy mentality as well as rent-seeking and other abusive practices. Malay friends, in fact, tell me that there are ashamed of this requirement, and that there is no good reason why the requirement of a bumiputera housing quota and the accompanying discount to purchasers should be imposed, let alone continued. (Full text)