Manifesto silent on national unity, NEP

What we need from Pakatan is a blueprint of execution to tell the people how they are going to rectify the imbalance and get Malaysians to be Malaysians first.

COMMENT

Pakatan Rakyat released its election manifesto on Feb 26. The 38-page document was released online and the part that I have honed in on (my key gripe about our country today) is Item 1 – “The Fraternity of the People”.

The manifesto states:

• eliminate racial discrimination and the incitement of antagonism between community groups to ensure the people’s unity and harmony (Page 8).

“Malaysia is built on the foundation of fraternity among its diverse population, striving together in the process of nation-building. Our wealth should be equitably distributed in order to help the poor and defend the weak. The education system must be based on the spirit of fraternity and to produce individuals who are knowledgeable, capable, practical, socially conscious and respectful of each other.”

• respecting the position of islam as the official religion, guaranteeing freedom of religion (Page 12).

“Pakatan Rakyat respects the position of Islam as the official religion and guarantees the freedom of other religions as enshrined in the Federal Constitution. Islam’s unique position as the official religion of Malaysia fosters a spirit of mutual respect and understanding, and cultivates unity and harmony amongst Malaysians of diverse ethnic backgrounds. By promoting the appreciation of universal values, which Islam and other religions embrace, we aim to produce a virtuous Malaysian society, comprising individuals who possess integrity and diligence.”

Section (2) looks like it has been almost lifted from Article 3 (1) of the Federal Constitution which states that Islam is the religion of the federation; but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the federation.

The key word in the structure of Article 3(1) is the word “may”. The sentence states that other religions in Malaysia “may” be practised in Malaysia.

This is my simple explanation of the use of the term “may” in Article 3(1).

I remember in school when I raised my hand to ask the teacher, “Sir, may I go to the toilet?”
The teacher said, “Yes you may, but you cannot.”

I stood there puzzled. My teacher then explained that “may” and “can” are two different things. You may go to the toilet but you cannot.

May means you have a right to go to the toilet. Can means you have permission to go to the toilet.

Hence, you do have the right to go to the toilet but whether you also have permission to do so is another matter altogether.

Lack of national unity

This means, according to the Federal Constitution, other religions have a right to be practised in Malaysia. However, in most instances they have problems obtaining permission to do so freely and without restrictions (such as permission to build a new church or permission to expand/renovate an old church).

This is the bone of contention to, say, the Christians and even Hindus. They always face bureaucratic problems when dealing with the authorities. While the constitution gives other religions the right to operate freely, this does not mean they can always get permission to do so.

Now, one of the main problems facing Malaysia is the lack of national unity and the two key points affecting national unity are race and religion. In order to achieve national unity, we need to first address the obstacles to national unity and in reality, this means we need to overcome issues affecting race and religion.

Whilst Pakatan’s election manifesto aspires to “eliminate racial discrimination” plus “guarantee the freedom of religion” (two issues that are obstacles to national unity), there is no formula on how this is going to be achieved.

Freedom to propagate non-Islamic religions, freedom to build/expand non-Islamic places of worship, freedom of religious conversions (in particular from Islam to non-Islamic religions), freedom to publish non-Islamic “holy books” in Bahasa Malaysia, freedom for non-Muslims to use the word “Allah” as the name for God, and so on, are issues that the non-Muslims are not happy about, and hence are obstacles to national unity, and which are not being addressed. These issues are even more sensitive today than they were 50 years ago.

Pakatan’s manifesto is silent on these issues, which are genuine concerns to the non-Muslims. What is Pakatan’s formula? Is more liberalism going to be allowed? Or is it “business as usual”?

Pakatan’s manifesto does not provide any blueprint or methodology on addressing these two problems. It will be impossible to address national unity unless we see a plan from Pakatan.

The NEP question

The same goes for racial discrimination. Discrimination is the prejudicial or distinguishing treatment of individuals based on their actual or perceived membership in a certain group or category, such as their race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, age, disability, skin colour, ethnicity, or other characteristics.

It involves restricting members of one group from opportunities or privileges that are available to another group, leading to the exclusion of the individuals or entities based on logical or irrational decision-making. Discrimination means one race is allowed preferential treatment above another or one race plays with a handicap as opposed to another.

The Federal Constitution states in Article 8 (1) and (2) that:

• all persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law; and
• except as expressly authorised by this Constitution, there shall be no discrimination against citizens on the ground only of religion, race, descent, place of birth or gender in any law relating to the acquisition, holding or disposition of property or the establishing or carrying on of any trade, business, profession, vocation or employment.

Article 136 states:

• all persons of whatever race in the same grade in the service of the Federation shall, subject to the terms and conditions of their employment, be treated impartially.

The New Economic Policy (NEP) officially ended 23 years ago in 1990. As far as its origins which stem from Article 153 of the Federal Constitution culminating in the events of May 13 1969, are concerned, the intent of the NEP has never been successful.

In fact, the 20-year policy has unofficially been extended to 43 years although it is not officially being called the NEP; rather it is called the National Development Plan (NDP). The NDP/NEP is set to go on forever.

Even Pakatan refers to it as the NEP. The NEP is one of the causes of racial discrimination. If Barisan Nasional retains the government, the NDP will not only continue for another five years, it will enrich the Umnoputras further.

Despite stating that all persons shall be treated impartially in employment, there was no mention in Pakatan’s manifesto about the redistribution of jobs within the public and private sectors. How does this benefit already displaced non-Malays who have no opportunity now for progress?

The myth that every Chinese person is an entrepreneur or a businessman or every Indian is a lawyer, doctor or engineer is exactly that – a myth. Not every non-Malay is self-sufficient or has the resources accorded to them to provide for their families and loved ones.

Pakatan did not promise in its manifesto that if it comes to power at federal level it is going to officially declare the NEP ended. In fact, the NEP is a bone of contention among the non-Malays. So, would the NEP still be retained and still be enforced if Pakatan forms the new federal government?

On Feb 27, PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli said at a press conference at Pakatan’s headquarters, “We are going to move from race-based to needs-based policies and that will automatically phase off the NEP.”

Unfortunately, the NEP is affirmative action gone mad because it hasn’t benefited the masses, only the privileged few.

Blueprint of execution

The Federal Constitution has all the necessary hallmarks of good governance. Pakatan’s manifesto did not need to rehash the intentions of the Federal Constitution in a “Buku Jingga”.

What we need is a blueprint of execution to tell the people of Malaysia what you are going to do to correct our imbalance and get Malaysians to be Malaysians first.

Pakatan has to develop a more comprehensive policy document which has clear and precise actions. What we don’t need in the next five years is more motherhood statements from our leaders. Barisan Nasional has already had its fill of slogans – 1 Rakyat, Janji Ditepati, Rakyat Didahulukan, and so on.

National unity is built on the principle of inclusion. Pakatan will have to dig deep to create a government that is not paranoid and suspicious of each other based on race, religion and creed.

In the 21st century, a truly successful multi-racial country can only exist with an agenda of meritocracy combined with strong institutions. This can be observed in countries like Canada and Australia which are embracing their immigrants and cultivating the second-generation migrants to be leaders by providing equal opportunity.

Lack of national unity is not the problem. It is one of the symptoms of a bigger problem. In order to solve the problem, we need to identify and solve the cause of the problem, not the symptoms of the problem.

In simple language, we cannot cure the disease without understanding the symptoms. We cannot dispense the medicine without knowing the disease.

Stan Vlasnic is an ex-investment banker who has resided overseas for the last 15 years and has now returned to Malaysia. He is eagerly awaiting Election Day. He is watching both political parties and has no political affiliation with either. Email: Stan.vlasnic@gmail.com