Is Racial Relations stronger than Political?

DAP and MCA have clearly ignored the advice of the Council of Rulers to not question what's stated in the Constitution. The 30% bumi equity in public listed companies is now the hot topic for debate on the pretext of 'liberalizing the markets', as stated by Tony Pua yesterday (can you please fix the pot hole at Tmn Bahagia LRT first before you lecture us about capital market liberalization?). Liberalizing the markets does not completely translate to competitiveness and economic enhancement. The US protects its farmers and steel millers from direct competition with produce from South America and steel from Japan. It is no different with Malaysia where social imbalance is astonishingly lopsided to the chinese. If we're so uptight about racial polarization, why can't the Chinese let go of their vernacular school system?

To add salt to the open wound, both political coalitions are embroiled in internal disputes. MCA thinks they deserve a deputy prime ministership (after getting a strong beating in the last GE) and that the 30% equity should be dismantled. DAP keeps assaulting their partner for wanting to establish an Islamic state in Kedah and on other issues. DSAI can't seem to have a handle of the coalition anymore after crying wolf on the MP hopping exercise. His leadership is in question. Because of this, attempts have been made to reconcile his relationship with Ku Li knowing well enough that his support within Pakatan is dwindling.

Expect this gap in both the coalitions to widen. Now that we've seen both sides governing, I can understand why things never get done in this country.

Coalition cracking
KJ on kahwin muta'ah


28/10/2008 6:07pm

KUALA LUMPUR 28 Okt. — Bekas perdana menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad tidak bersetuju dengan cadangan MCA supaya kerajaan menghapuskan syarat pemilikan 30 peratus ekuiti bumiputera dalam syarikat-syarikat senaraian awam kerana ini bukan masa yang sesuai dan syarat itu juga belum dicapai sepenuhnya.

“Waktu ini saya tak setuju. Kalau capai 30 peratus bumiputera, 40 bukan bumiputera dan 30 peratus orang asing, kalau capai itu kita boleh mansuhlah.

“Kalau tercapai matlamat ekuiti itu patutlah kita hapuskan (ekuiti pemilikan bumiputera itu). Sekarang belum tercapai... banyak lagi nak kena buat. Kalau (kurangkan) 20 peratus hari ini (dan) tak berkembang, sedangkan ekonomi berkembang, (maka) 20 peratus itu akan kurang, jadi ini semua kena ambil kira,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita selepas majlis rumah terbuka Aidilfitri Pertubuhan Kebajikan Islam Malaysia (Perkim) di sini hari ini.

Dr Mahathir, yang juga Yang Dipertua Kebangsaan Perkim, berkata walaupun ekuiti itu boleh diubah, tetapi matlamat pemilikan bumiputera itu perlu dijaga.

- Bernama