Great Bumiputera fallacies

This needs to be written, read and said openly.

But first, a disclaimer. I will use the term “Bumiputera” to include all those defined under the terminology, including the Dayaks simply for ease of writing since they have willingly voiced out not wanting to be in this category. Sincerest apologies.

There is a fallacy in the belief that Bumiputeras receive rights instead of privileges. There is an even larger fallacy in the belief that as a Bumiputera myself, we will not survive without our current leaders.

First, while we are granted privileges as Bumiputera, it is clear that these are not accessible to everyone. The access to any version of housing, of which Bumiputeras gain a significant discount percentage, only benefits those with access to funds.

The recent report by the Khazanah Research Institute on housing mentions this indirectly when it speaks of down-market penetration in Malaysia. Furthermore, it also mentions that housing is "seriously unaffordable" for Malaysians as a whole.

While annual median incomes of a Malaysian household was RM55,020 in 2014, the median price of a house was RM242,000 – far above the rule of affordable housing being only three times the annual median salary.

But what truly proves the Bumiputera fallacy in this case is that the median Bumiputera Malaysian individual earns a median salary of RM1,725. Thus, a Bumiputera couple would earn a median income of RM3,450 a month and RM41,400 annually.

If so, not only would a house in 2014 be seriously unaffordable for Malaysians. At a ratio of 5.8, it is severely unaffordable for a majority of Bumiputera Malaysian couples relying only on wages for a living.

So, no. The so-called housing discount does not benefit the majority of Bumiputeras, nor do the quotas allocated to us actually help anyone other than those with wealth.

The same goes with education. With the recent decision to undo the English mandatory pass for SPM – the examination to determine placement in universities and colleges – the government might insist it is helping the Bumiputera agenda to generate more graduates.

But again, this is yet another fallacy.

In multiple surveys done by Jobstreet, employers have constantly highlighted that fresh graduates face issues when it comes to interpersonal skills and their command of English. By removing this so-called Bumiputera barrier in a mandatory pass, the government is subsequently giving less time for the next generation of graduates to improve their language skills.

And this will subsequently lead to yet another glut of unemployable graduates and economically, a continued slump in salaries and wages for the next generation of fresh graduates as it becomes a race to see who can accept the least amount of wages for the most menial work.

This, in turn, will push the government to create a generation becoming more and more dependent on social welfare, such as the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) scheme as well as others, and thus increasing government expenditure which, without proper checks and balances, leads to leakages.

Now for the second fallacy I highlighted at the beginning, would the Bumiputera privileges (not rights) fall victim to amendment with a change in ruling coalitions and current leaders?

The question is valid, especially since our prime minister alleges the largest Bumiputera ethnic group – the Malays – will be bastardised without Umno.

Cynically and sarcastically speaking, since Selangor has been under Pakatan Rakyat rule since 2008, none of us Malays has had his parents tell him he is a bastard in the state.

But realistically speaking, no we won't. The truth is that Bumiputeras are the majority, and thus will decide who rules this nation as a whole.

While Umno under the past prime ministers have created a humongous middle class, they have also created many who have been left behind in the "Bottom 40", who are among those most dependent of government expenditure.

Subsequently, it is this group that has continued to be the government's so-called safety deposit in terms of votes and support. The only way to disprove this campaign is to show the uplift and affirmative action done by states ruled by Pakatan Rakyat parties for Bumiputeras.

Sadly, I do not have the list of programmes and successes to give you. I would leave that to the politicians to expound upon.

The bastardisation of the Bumiputeras is not through the loss of political power. Instead, the bastardisation process of the Bumiputeras and the entire Malaysian population is through actions of threats, violence, and continued marketing of stupid remarks with the belief that Malaysians will still believe them.

And that is the greatest fallacy marketed by this government and its supporters: the idea that the Bumiputeras are stupid enough to still believe them. – September 7, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.