Uniting a country. (1)

When I started this blog, I did not wish to write on politics. However, as time goes by, certain happenings in my country took my attention and I felt it is time I share my feelings and ideas on the progress of my own country.

Letely, Tun Dr. Mahathir, ex-Prime Minister of Malaysia had talked on a topic which I had written about in letters to the press. Unfortunately, most of such letters had been suppressed. the topic concerned is the reservation of places in public universities in Malaysia.

Leaders of a country must govern the country with all citizens considered equal. If there are citizens who are too backward financially or mentally (if that is possible), then there are so many other ways to help them without dividing the country's citizens into races or communities.

When the leaders of a country do such divisions, how can they ever pretend to unite the people. By such division of a country's citizens, those who lose out will certainly realise that opportunities which ought to be theirs were robbed from them and given to other less deserving people. Of course, those less deserving people who got the opportunities could never understand the injustice endured by the deprived ones as they were never in the position to feel such injustice.

Take for example, places for further studies in our public universites. Each year, there are many bright Chinese and Indian students who have to forgo a university education because their parents are not rich enough to send them to private universities while students with not so good results get places in public universities. For such bright students who know this and find themselves unable to progress further academically, how can anybody blame them should they feel that great injustice had been done them?

Merit should be the only criteria for places in our public universities for all citizens, regardless of race or religion. Politicians would argue that Malay students will not be able to afford private university places if the government do not reserve places for them. Such reasoning is obviously false when we see Malay public univerity students whose parents live in posh houses with cars bigger and more expensive than so many Chinese students who were unable to continue their education.

As a Residents' Association secretary for about thirty years, I have the opportunity to talk with some of the politicians in Kedah on solving the people's problems. On education, I have told them that this is the wrong way to level the field. In fact, in one Parents-Teachers Association Secretaries' (I was a secretary then)seminar in Alor Star where an UMNO politician who was also a USM lecturer talked on this topic, I took the opportunity to tell all those present, about 95% of them Malays, that poverty knows no boundary. I told them that I do not hold against anybody deserving of help to be assisted by the government. However, it must be done not through division of race. Help the poor and no one would oppose. And if fascilities in the rural areas are insufficient for the rural students to advance as fast as the urban kids, then bring the necessary fascilities to the rural areas.

In a rural school in Kuala Ketil, for example, the teachers know how vocal I am about getting the government to build libraries so that the latest books and knowledge as well as appropraite and conducive environment are available to the children. Since the people are supposed to be poor in the rural areas (You will be surprised at how rich some of them are.)give them free membership. In each and every rural area, construct places for free tuition on all subjects. Construct roads and provide water and electricity to the poorer areas. Yet, the truly poor Malays in the rural areas told me, despite development committees in almost every rural area, hardly any change to their areas was made. Of course, there is no evidence I can produce, but I have been told that unless development committee heads gain something personally, no project will be initiated.

Look at the rural villagers in Kuala Ketil and see how much they have benefitted from government Bumiputra policies. This, after more than fifty years. Apparently, those who have benefitted most from these Bumiputra policies are people who entered active politics. Look at the many rich Malay poliicians. Some of them even think they are beyond the law and have been bold enough to expose their great wealth with majestic palaces.

If better education fascilities are available to the poorer areas, education of these people are bound to improve. The poorer rural people with results as good as poorer urban folks (If there is anyone who believes that there is no urban poor, I am ready to show such people to them. My parents in Penang were poor and I know where they live.)can then compete on the same level playing field with dignity. Changes will be fast and education will bring progress to the people. However, politicians may have a different agenda, for when everyone is educated enough with computer skills to help them reach the truth, certain politicians can no longer hookwink all the citizens and still cling to power.

Since our country's policians have started the 1Malaysia policy of uniting the people it is time to take better education fascilities to the rural areas and then open places in our public universities to every citizen based on merit. In giving our rural poor better education fascilities, the government must not drag its feet any longer. Fifty years of inertia is just too long.

And whatever disunity that exists among the people is created by the politicians. Among ordinary folks, there is no disunity. There was a time when all the races in Malaysia could sit comfortably at a table in any coffee-shop; not a coffee-shop belonging to a particular race; to enjoy their food and drinks. Not today because politicians have been brain-washing some Malays through religion and race through their race supremacy. These politicians have their own agenda and in doing so, have divided this country in certain aspects.

When the 'father' of a country practise favouritism and divide the citizens into Malays, Chinese and Indians as well as others, how can he expect all the 'children' to look upon him as their 'father'?