Some weeks ago, we were informed about the formation of a unit formed in the Prime Minister’s Office called TERAJU. It officially gives preferential treatment to uplift the lot of the Bumiputera (which has anyway been going on for 40 years!) There is a great deal of “1Malaysia” slogan yelling and hype about “inclusiveness” as part of the NEM. Yet instead of strategizing for the people as a whole, especially to uplift the poor, the under privileged and those left economically behind in every ethnic group, again I see an exclusive effort under the guise of TERAJU to implement strategies for the benefit of one group. It seems to be the NEP of 1970 all over again! TERAJU is mandated to look into “institutional initiatives.” What’s that? Ensuring that no one can question implementation of institutionalized preferential treatment?
Don’t get me wrong. I am all for improving the lot of the Bumiputera population – the deserving, under-privileged Bumiputera, that is. I am all for improving their entrepreneurial abilities. But why this continual exclusiveness when it is the responsibility of a government to ensure that the same effort should be made to improve the lot of ANY ethnic group.
Let me be direct – I am especially asking that attention be given to the neglected Indian poor. In exactly the same areas identified for the Bumiputera. I am talking about those who have been economically sidelined, those who need help with scholarships and places in public universities, those who need skills training, those who would benefit from training in entrepreneurial skills. Is the plan to give vocational training to school leavers under NEM inclusive of all races, or is it exclusively for the Bumiputera? This kind of inclusiveness is what will maintain sustained growth in the nation – not grandeur speeches about it. This is what a good government does – look after ALL people in the nation.
The formation of TERAJU – right in the Prime Minister’s Office, highlights once again that there will be pockets of the population that will be ignored, while special attention and preferential treatment (aka “institutional initiatives”) is given to some. The PM needs to walk his talk of EOQ (Equality of Opportunities), which we hear is now NOT part of NEM as originally planned, and of inclusiveness. Just tired of rhetorics!
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This entry was posted on March 18, 2011 at 6:28 pm and is filed under Malaysia, Political, social comments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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WHAT’S ‘TERAJU’ ABOUT?
Some weeks ago, we were informed about the formation of a unit formed in the Prime Minister’s Office called TERAJU. It officially gives preferential treatment to uplift the lot of the Bumiputera (which has anyway been going on for 40 years!) There is a great deal of “1Malaysia” slogan yelling and hype about “inclusiveness” as part of the NEM. Yet instead of strategizing for the people as a whole, especially to uplift the poor, the under privileged and those left economically behind in every ethnic group, again I see an exclusive effort under the guise of TERAJU to implement strategies for the benefit of one group. It seems to be the NEP of 1970 all over again! TERAJU is mandated to look into “institutional initiatives.” What’s that? Ensuring that no one can question implementation of institutionalized preferential treatment?
Don’t get me wrong. I am all for improving the lot of the Bumiputera population – the deserving, under-privileged Bumiputera, that is. I am all for improving their entrepreneurial abilities. But why this continual exclusiveness when it is the responsibility of a government to ensure that the same effort should be made to improve the lot of ANY ethnic group.
Let me be direct – I am especially asking that attention be given to the neglected Indian poor. In exactly the same areas identified for the Bumiputera. I am talking about those who have been economically sidelined, those who need help with scholarships and places in public universities, those who need skills training, those who would benefit from training in entrepreneurial skills. Is the plan to give vocational training to school leavers under NEM inclusive of all races, or is it exclusively for the Bumiputera? This kind of inclusiveness is what will maintain sustained growth in the nation – not grandeur speeches about it. This is what a good government does – look after ALL people in the nation.
The formation of TERAJU – right in the Prime Minister’s Office, highlights once again that there will be pockets of the population that will be ignored, while special attention and preferential treatment (aka “institutional initiatives”) is given to some. The PM needs to walk his talk of EOQ (Equality of Opportunities), which we hear is now NOT part of NEM as originally planned, and of inclusiveness. Just tired of rhetorics!
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This entry was posted on March 18, 2011 at 6:28 pm and is filed under Malaysia, Political, social comments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.