He had his day when his father-in-law was PM, and he had made his pile too when the going was good. Now that he is a full Minister and on his way to realising his dream of becoming PM, he is certainly trying to make himself worthy of his own position within Umno's raison d'etre.
Maybe he is too young to know what a sextagenarian Chinese had been through since the introduction of NEP in the '70s. It was a time when advertisements for job vacancies invariably include 'Bumiputeras only' or 'Bumiputeras are encouraged to apply' or 'Preference will be given to Bumiputeras'. It was most discouraging to non-Bumis indeed, through no fault of theirs.
There were a fair number of non-Malays in government departments then, but for those heads of department, the pressure was on, to find their Malay successors in the shortest possible time. If you were second or third in line, but a non-Malay, you have reached the glass ceiling. Malay subordinates were groomed to take over as heads of department. Some of those who were sidelined decided to migrate because they knew the time had come for their children to face discrimination in education, employment, career advancement and business opportunities.
What was meant to be a policy for a definitive period, turned out to be a never ending one. Because silence was taken as a sign of acquiescence or even weakness, Umno leaders began to be more and more demanding and arrogant.
It is a fact that Malays are already in control of the military, police, government departments, GLCs and public educational institutions. Even public listed companies have to comply with rules to ensure there are Malay directors and shareholders. It is also an open secret that Chinese businessmen are good at making full use of their Malay directors' connections with Umno leaders who are also Malaysia's political leaders from PM, DPM and senior ministers downwards. Mega government contracts are given to those who have Malay partners or participation.
Over the years, the Chinese are quite happy to live their own lives within certain constraints as set out by our government policies. MCA used to be almost an equal partner in Alliance Party, but relegated to become a necessary nuisance in the eyes of Umno. Chinese are basically divided into two ideologies: join MCA and lead a comfortable life or join an opposition party like DAP and fight for basic rights, especially when BN members are given preferential treatment at every turn. BN leaders are likely to make use of positions and connections in everything they do, right down to having special treatment in clubs and restaurants. They are fond of the term 'Who you know' and enjoy being above others.
Like it or hate it, the Chinese are well known to mind their own business (which gave rise to the unflattering expression: the Chinese house windows are shut) in every country they live in (there are Chinatowns in every big city), mixing among themselves and speaking their own language or dialect.
It is now a common complaint among Malays in Malaysia that the Chinese schools are the main reason why Chinese Malaysians are generally weak at speaking Bahasa Malaysia. They tend to ignore the national language whenever possible, even having to use touts at government departments because they are unable to understand enough to fill the forms. But then again, are you going to insist that every Malaysian must know the national language? If this is made a criterion, then there are over 200 million in Indonesia who are eligible.
When Khairy complained about Chinese employers discriminating against Malay applicants, it ruffled many Chinese feathers. Chinese companies and businesses are mainly family controlled. Some of them became large corporations because of connections; some because of thrift and savings invested in landed properties which have appreciated astronomically; and so on. In fact, some companies faced the dilemma of having to open up their companies if they opted for listing on Bursa Malaysia or continue to remain tightly controlled family companies.
Khairy's statement is being felt as an intrusion into the last private turf of the Chinese. Why must Umno intrude into private businesses when they are already in control of the whole country since 1957? That the majority of Malays are still left behind is proof that Umno had failed them while Umnoputras become super rich. Please do not encourage them to envy the Chinese because of your own failing.
There is a big difference between Chinese employers and government employers: the former is not organised and consist of individual businesses having their own reasons for their employment policies, while the latter is institutionalised discrimination. So which is worse? Are they prepared to have an Equal Opportunities Act so that there is fairness across the board?
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Maybe he is too young to know what a sextagenarian Chinese had been through since the introduction of NEP in the '70s. It was a time when advertisements for job vacancies invariably include 'Bumiputeras only' or 'Bumiputeras are encouraged to apply' or 'Preference will be given to Bumiputeras'. It was most discouraging to non-Bumis indeed, through no fault of theirs.
There were a fair number of non-Malays in government departments then, but for those heads of department, the pressure was on, to find their Malay successors in the shortest possible time. If you were second or third in line, but a non-Malay, you have reached the glass ceiling. Malay subordinates were groomed to take over as heads of department. Some of those who were sidelined decided to migrate because they knew the time had come for their children to face discrimination in education, employment, career advancement and business opportunities.
What was meant to be a policy for a definitive period, turned out to be a never ending one. Because silence was taken as a sign of acquiescence or even weakness, Umno leaders began to be more and more demanding and arrogant.
It is a fact that Malays are already in control of the military, police, government departments, GLCs and public educational institutions. Even public listed companies have to comply with rules to ensure there are Malay directors and shareholders. It is also an open secret that Chinese businessmen are good at making full use of their Malay directors' connections with Umno leaders who are also Malaysia's political leaders from PM, DPM and senior ministers downwards. Mega government contracts are given to those who have Malay partners or participation.
Over the years, the Chinese are quite happy to live their own lives within certain constraints as set out by our government policies. MCA used to be almost an equal partner in Alliance Party, but relegated to become a necessary nuisance in the eyes of Umno. Chinese are basically divided into two ideologies: join MCA and lead a comfortable life or join an opposition party like DAP and fight for basic rights, especially when BN members are given preferential treatment at every turn. BN leaders are likely to make use of positions and connections in everything they do, right down to having special treatment in clubs and restaurants. They are fond of the term 'Who you know' and enjoy being above others.
Like it or hate it, the Chinese are well known to mind their own business (which gave rise to the unflattering expression: the Chinese house windows are shut) in every country they live in (there are Chinatowns in every big city), mixing among themselves and speaking their own language or dialect.
It is now a common complaint among Malays in Malaysia that the Chinese schools are the main reason why Chinese Malaysians are generally weak at speaking Bahasa Malaysia. They tend to ignore the national language whenever possible, even having to use touts at government departments because they are unable to understand enough to fill the forms. But then again, are you going to insist that every Malaysian must know the national language? If this is made a criterion, then there are over 200 million in Indonesia who are eligible.
When Khairy complained about Chinese employers discriminating against Malay applicants, it ruffled many Chinese feathers. Chinese companies and businesses are mainly family controlled. Some of them became large corporations because of connections; some because of thrift and savings invested in landed properties which have appreciated astronomically; and so on. In fact, some companies faced the dilemma of having to open up their companies if they opted for listing on Bursa Malaysia or continue to remain tightly controlled family companies.
Khairy's statement is being felt as an intrusion into the last private turf of the Chinese. Why must Umno intrude into private businesses when they are already in control of the whole country since 1957? That the majority of Malays are still left behind is proof that Umno had failed them while Umnoputras become super rich. Please do not encourage them to envy the Chinese because of your own failing.
There is a big difference between Chinese employers and government employers: the former is not organised and consist of individual businesses having their own reasons for their employment policies, while the latter is institutionalised discrimination. So which is worse? Are they prepared to have an Equal Opportunities Act so that there is fairness across the board?
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