THE announcements on the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 and needs-based affirmative action policy provided a clear narrative to drive our nation forward. The narrative promised hope of recapturing the initiative, and navigating away from the distracting race-religion polemics and flip-flops on executive decisions that have dictated mainstream discourse.

The direction of the past 14 months has been without a fixed bearing. Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s announcement on the Shared Prosperity vision and PM-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim’s declaration on a needs-based affirmative action policy has lent hope that, finally, the path will be set straight, and we will witness the rebirth of an opportunity that has gone off course several times. 

Unfortunately, it looks likely to be a non-starter. Again.

What has been trumpeted is nothing new. After Pakatan Harapan’s victory in May last year, the sloganeering of “Bangsa Malaysia” and “Ketuanan Rakyat”, and calls for a needs-based affirmative action policy has been uplifting, but they later fizzled out into mere rhetoric when challenged by the frenzied slogan “Melayu Bangkit”, plus a few by-election losses. Being accustomed to politicians’ lip service and frequent U-turns, Malaysians cannot help but wonder if the PH leadership is serious about needs-based affirmative action.

Generally, the people have no issue with affirmative action based on the needs of all ethnic groups. The previous implementation of a race-based affirmative action policy, along with the New Economic Policy from 1971 – aimed at eradicating poverty and restructuring economic wealth – had many convinced that it was an illusion. We eventually became a notorious kleptocracy in the eyes of the world, and almost a failed nation.

Needs-based affirmative action should not be indefinite. Goals must be set in line with two five-year economic plans, to be achieved by the end of the 13th Malaysia Plan, coinciding with the targeted year of 2030 for the Share Prosperity vision. A 10-year time frame is good enough to instil in everyone the urgent and serious need to eradicate poverty. The policy should ensure that as many people as possible from the Bottom 40 (B40) group join the middle class. And, income status, wealth and business ownership, as well as public servants, should not be defined or identified by ethnicity. During this period, Malaysia should aim to get out of the middle-income trap to become a high-income nation.

To achieve these goals, meritocracy has to triumph, and mediocrity must not be allowed to impede progress. When the prosperity of our nation is shared, meritocracy will, by then, become a norm. The implementation of meritocracy is not “one size fits all”. A two-step approach is necessary to achieve the goals of the Shared Prosperity vision, starting with moving from a race-based to needs-based policy.

All Malaysians must be stakeholders in the Shared Prosperity vision. They must believe they have a stake. They must know the things that are at stake, and what the journey to realise the objectives entails. When goals are set, the course of action clearly understood, and the time frame to achieve the said goals determined; then, the vision becomes a mission. 

Since the Shared Prosperity vision was announced on May 9, exactly a year into the so-called “New Malaysia”, public discourse on the matter has been largely absent. Ministers and other politicians from the ruling pact hardly mention it, indicating that they themselves have only a vague idea of the vision, or lack political will, or worse, do not believe in it. Under these circumstances, the mission is bound to fail.

Politicians have themselves to blame if the mission ends in failure. They seem unable to think outside the box, to demonstrate novel and creative thinking, to be free from assumed norms. When PH leaders trumpet Malay unity instead of Malaysian unity, push a Malay/Bumiputera agenda, and talk about matriculation spots and scholarships awarded based on race, they reveal that they are still trapped in old attitudes.

The unity narrative involving the Shared Prosperity vision and needs-based affirmative action is being threatened by the cloak-and-dagger intra-party/pact rivalry over succession to the prime minister’s post. This has become a preoccupation, and nothing else seems to matter.

Meanwhile, there are several indicators of a global economic downturn. An obvious one is the US Federal Reserve’s latest signal to begin reducing the interest rate, which will start a trend for other central banks to follow, with the hope of arresting the slide. Lowering the interest rate and fiscal spending is a move that has failed since 2008. It won’t be any different this time. Economic doom and gloom lies ahead.

Instead of focusing on improving the nation’s economic standing and social well-being, our politicians are indulging in conspiracies to secure power. They display gutter politics in their shameful gallery. If the rivalry within PH continues, the Shared Prosperity vision and needs-based affirmative action policy will become stillborn, once again just a pipe dream. – August 1, 2019.

* Captain Dr Wong Ang Peng is a researcher with an interest in economics, politics, and health issues. He has a burning desire to do anything within his means to promote national harmony. Captain Wong is also a member of the National Patriots Association.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.