NEP or No NEP?
Feb 7th, 2007 by Tian
Y4C (Youth for Change) had its last session of the Courses for Critical Thinking (Kursus Pemikiran Kritis) on New Economic Policy yesterday 6 February.
The final forum held in Bar Council Auditorium at 20:00hr 6 February, was titled ‘Adakah Dasar Ekonomi Baru mampu menghadapi globalisasi?’ (Does NEP have the ability to face challenges of globalization?). I was one of the speakers. Others included: MP Kulasegaran (DAP), MP Kamaruddin Jaafar (PAS) and the outspoken UMNO MP of Johor Baru Shahrir Samad.
Each of us was given to 15 minutes presentation. Kula was first to speak. He touched on the issues of losing competitiveness and racial tension as a result of NEP. He also raised the particular problems of Malaysian minority “Indian dilemma”. (read his blog)
I was the second speaker after Kula. Since we were given the title in Malay, I decided to do my presentation in Malay. (Read in next posting)
I was then followed by YB Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar, PAS Secretary General and MP of Tumpat, Kelantan. Kamaruddin criticized the NEP for its failure for to achieve its very basic target such as eradication of poverty regardless of race, as well as equal educational opportunity for every child.
He also reiterated that race-based economic policy must be replaced by a new program which takes care of all people in Malaysia.
The NEP aimed to elevate the less-advantaged so that they are compatible with others in a competitive environment. However globalization is the opposite. It is based on the capitalistic logics and commercial values. Now we are negotiating Free Trade Agreement with the US and so on.
Since we are concerned that globalization undermines equity and fairness, there must be the same concern on domestic policy. While criticizing globalization allows the few strong and powerful destroy the less-developed nations, we should also look at NEP with the same type of concerns. The NEP has been abused to enrich a small number of special privileged elite; we must show a consistent stand against this injustice.