Comments On Dr. Azly Rahman's Article - Rethinking The Malay Problem

Dr. Azly Rahman's article on Rethinking the Malay Problem gave a fresh insight into this issue. And in this regard considering the position of the Malays in Singapore, they are doing very well regardless of the fact that they are given the same treatment just like other Singaporeans.

Also look at the situation in the United States of America today. For the first time in its history, it has got a Black president, Barack Obama. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for the Blacks to be given equal opportunities. His dream was for Blacks to enjoy the same prospects like ordinary Americans.

In Malaysia the context is different and as mentioned by Dr. Azly,this might be due to historical, political and cultural influences. However, it appears that the concept applied in Singapore and the United States are working effectively for the Malays and Blacks respectively.

So the question, what is it? The answer is equal opportunities and the human spirit. The Malay Dilemma by Tun Mahathir disproves the myth that Malays are not smart or intelligent people. What they required is to have equal opportunities in terms of facilities, etc. so that they will be able to compete fairly.

The other point is the human spirit. The indomitable desire to succeed. It is race blind and is part of every man and woman. This spirit will only blossom if it is nurtured positively. Otherwise it will just lay dormant. And serve no useful purpose at all. The Malays need to be given the right motivation and their leaders must play a role in this.

Dr King had a dream that the Blacks would one day be a great race and play important roles in the corridors of power. That dream had already been realised in this century.

All Malaysians too had a wish - to see their Malay brothers stand on their own feet not because of helping hands. But because of their belief in themselves, that they have the capability to succeed in whatever they wanted to achieve.

And as Dr. Azly put it - Rethinking the Malay Problem may be necessary to enable the Malays to meet local and global challenges. And also to put to rest Hang Tuah's fear "takkan Melayu hilang di dunia".