Baby walking chair being turned into a wheelchair?

As a nation, we are 51 years old, going 52. I believe it would be fair to say that Malaysia has matured and grown in all these years. She has become more secured in her identity and with maturity, she should be expanding into new territories. And by doing this, Malaysia would have become a dynamic and progressive nation. However, this may very well not be the case. Why is that? You might ask. Well, to explain means we have to go back a little into our upbringing.

When Malaysia was in its infancy (known then as the Federation of Malaya), there was a need for an "understanding" that we will assist the then "economically disadvantaged" to rise to a level where all can compete as equals. And this understanding was very quickly taken as a "social contract" to be manifested in the birth of the NEP. This is the proverbial "baby walking chair". It was a necessary tool then to help the infant nation onto her feet, ensuring all her people will walk together, side by side as family.

However, as logic would dictate, if we insist that the infant whose walking abilities have outgrown the need for a walking chair, is still being kept in the chair (not given any other opportunities to move without it), the child would grow up to be handicapped!

The question that begs answering is, why does those who say they are the guardian and protector be insistent on the continuous use of a growth equipment that is no longer relevant. Not only is this tool irrelevant, but is actually slowly being turned into a disability equipment - a wheelchair. Why?

The infant nation has grown, Malaysia has a people (all race, color & religion to be included) that would have been good enough to compete on a global level, if our "guardian" government had removed the "walking chair" when it should have been removed (when we were 15?). But because of the personal agenda of the few, the walking-chair is to be turned into a wheelchair, leaving Malaysia forever crippled, not knowing that she actually have very strong legs that just needed stretching!

Is this what we want to be as a nation? A CRIPPLE! We were born perfect with amazing potential and capabilities, but being brought up to permanently rely on a chair for mobility, never to be completely free to be ourselves and fulfill our dreams!

No.... we, the rakyat, must take a stand, WITHOUT THE WHEELCHAIR!(showing that it is no longer necessary)

Every rakyat must take a stand on THEIR OWN FEET and proclaim that we are ready to take our first real steps together as Malaysians, as a nation with a wonderful future. A future that ALL anak bangsa Malaysia can prosper in!

We are grown.... let us remove the wheelchair and move towards a future that we can be proud of.

To conclude, I would like to leave you with this article from one of the longest serving Vice Chancellor of University of Malaya. An educator of many anak bangsa Malaysia. Seriously think about the steps to removing this wheelchair.

No social contract among races says Ungku Aziz
Monday May 12, 2008 SHAH ALAM:

There is NO social contract among the country's multiracial communities, opined Royal Professor Ungku Abdul Aziz Ungku Abdul Hamid.The former Universiti Malaya vice chancellor said the social contract was "a fantasy created by politicians of all sorts of colours depending on their interest".Ungku Aziz, who did not elaborate on the subject further, said this at a forum organised by the Alumni Look East Policy Society.

The other panellists at the forum, which was moderated by Berita Publishing Editor-in-Chief Datuk A. Kadir Jasin, were former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Public Service Department director-general Tan Sri Ismail Adam.Speaking to reporters later, Dr Mahathir disagreed with Ungku Aziz and said a social contract did exist although not in written form."There is no written social contract. But there was an understanding among the founders of the Alliance that we should share."Tunku (first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman) gave one million citizenships to the Chinese, and in response, he expected the Chinese to give some support to the demand for independence and to the sharing concept. He didn't spell it (the contract) out 100%, but there was this understanding, not written," he said.

Dr Mahathir said the social contract was a social understanding, which included sharing the economic cake with the bigger portion given to the bumiputras "so, eventually they can catch up with the non-bumiputras."
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/12/nation/21222850&sec=nation