The Naked Malay...

I am often asked why UMNO has evolved into what it is today. I do not think that ‘evolved’ would be an appropriate adjective to describe what UMNO has become – I would say the right question to ask would be “Why has UMNO let the Malays down?” From as long as I can remember UMNO has always been a conscious part of my understanding of how the Malays has developed. From the early days of RIDA, Pernas, Bank Bumiputra, MARA, ITM, FELDA, MIDA, UDA – all these were once tangible milestone of real progress for us Malays. And there was no more a finer example of Malay progress then in Education.

 

I have seen many Malays, my Father included, who went into business and succeeded because of the NEP, because of the opportunities that UMNO have provided for Bumiputras. Our lives become comfortable and we started to look at the Chinese as our equal in business. There was pride in being a Malay Businessman. You had something to offer to the Nation and there were real partnership forged with the Chinese in joint ventures to do business together.

 

As the Malays developed commercially and took their rightful place on par with the others in Malaysia, there was genuine affection by the Malays for UMNO. The Malays voted for UMNO and in return UMNO championed the Malay cause – to bring us up to a level where we could and would compete on par with the others. That was necessary if we Malays were to achieve the objectives of the NEP – which at that time, as was agreed by all, was necessary if we are to live together harmoniously.

 

For me the paradigm shift started when we Malays who were already in business found ourself in competition with other ‘Malay” quasi government firms in supplying tendered items to the government. We found ourselves in competition with Pernas. With other companies in Joint Venture with UMNO, with KUB, with Police Cooperatives, with UDA with LTAT. We were quoting to provide services and goods to principals who had their own JV companies also quoting for the same item. The Government controlled Banks too had many subsidiaries and vested interest in companies that competed in the open market against other Malays. I remembered that in one construction tender we were in competition with a ‘preferred’ bumiputra company because they had their ‘taraf bumiputra’  with a larger equity then we had in our joint venture with a Chinese company. Price was no longer a criteria then. But then these Bumiputra Status and Equity holdings in businesses was being manipulated with ease.

 

Bumiputra companies were going head to head with other Bumiputra companies –and it was the one with the stronger ‘cable’ that would always win.

 

This need to have Bumiputra status and the ‘preferred bumiputra status’ started the “who you know’ not ‘what you know’ shift requiring us to build bridges with UMNO and the relevant Bumiputra whose very presence on our Board of Directors could make or break a tender. We had to familiarise ourselves with the importance of knowing how many  ‘variation orders” were possible before we quoted so that we could make our money even when we quoted low. Lobbying tender boards, the KSU and Ministers became something that we needed to do. ‘Lobbying’ became the buzzword of that time. ‘Up front fees’, negotiated tenders, close tenders, ‘mark up’, ‘saya setuju’ letters from Ministers and the PM, ‘orang kita’ were the preferred parties to win tenders, EPU, ‘tender evaluation, tender board chairman, …oh so many new terms having nothing to do with business came into our consciousness. In one instance I gave away my Seven Series BMW that I was driving to a quasi government tender board member at a give away price just so that we could win a tender.  

 

For us Malays the overriding consideration was how high could we go to influence the decision making process in the award of tenders. In Malaysia you cannot go any higher then the Prime Minister. So our ‘cable’ to the top was paramount to any joint ventures with the Chinese and with other Malays. Gradually my focus was to develop this new skill where in the words of Dale Carnagie you need to know  “How to win friends and influence people”. The people being Politicians. What was distasteful about this required skill was that you are dealing with Politicians who know only how to take, take and take without consideration of where the money was coming from and while you are bleeding money you have to make a judgement whether what the politicians was doing was worth the money you were spending.  

   

With the advent of this culture UMNO and the Malays entered a new era of ‘I scratch your back you scratch mine” and the rot started to happened. UMNO have never recovered – neither have the Malays. It was not possible to recover from a situation where the politicians dictate all facets of the ‘business transactions’.

 

The majority of us Malays were still locked into that mentality that there was only UMNO if the Malays were to survive in a Malaysia where the other races dominate economically – a mantra enthusiastically promoted by UMNO – and we Malays believed that until recently - especially at the last General elections. Then we saw what was possible. Then we knew that there was a way out of our quandary. That UMNO could be discarded and a new alliance forged with the other races where a level playing field was critical for new Malaysia that we all want.

 

But first we had to rid ourself of UMNO. A thing easier said then done. Over fifty years of UMNO and Malays being one could not be easily removed but the process have moved to a stage where we know that there is no going back to a past where we Malays have allowed UMNO to use us as a crutch to their lengthy and now unwelcome stay in Government.  If we take out the Malay equation from within UMNO, we take out UMNO from that niche which UMNO seems to claimed to be it's own in perpetuity.

 

The Malays now stand naked. In unfamiliar territory as they sought to forge new alliances with newly found friend.The Malays are still uncomfortable standing shoulder to shoulder with the others without the all too familiar ‘bumiputra’ status. We are still unsure if we want to rid ourself of the ‘preferred’ or ‘first among equals’ tag that we have had all these while in doing business with the others, in asking for licenses from the Government, in asking for Petronas Petrol station franchises from Petronas, in getting discounts in buying houses…so many ‘privileges’ that makes life a bit more easier for them. But this they also know – without a level playing field – there will not be a brand new beggining for everyone.

 

For myself I no longer want to be referred to as a Bumiputra because that status denotes that I am inferior, not superior to those with whom I interact. But this I ask of the ‘other’ in this country who are not Malays…we Malays, rightly or wrongly,  still feel that we have a bond closer than the ‘others’ to this county of ours we call Malaysia – can you prove through your deeds and actions that this is also your calling. Many of you already have done so. For we must remember that we need to do this because our survival as a nation depends on it. We must also be mindful of the fact that there are amongst us, Malay, Chinese, Indians and the others – there are amongst us those who will go out of their way to create mischief and they, for their own vested interest, will want for the status quo under UMNO and Barisan to remain. Our only comfort is that their numbers are few.