MOST fair-minded and thinking Malaysians, especially non-Malays, will enthusiastically support the Group of 25 for their bold agenda for action by the Economic Action Council (EAC). We would also want the EAC to act fast on its substantive and comprehensive agenda for action that has been provided by the group of Malay intellectuals and proven professionals, who have contributed immensely to the development of Malaysia since Merdeka.

Like many thousands of non-Malays who served our country faithfully, we would all like to strengthen the voices of our Malay brothers and sisters, who have boldly and patriotically come out with an agenda for action for the prestigious and dedicated members of EAC to seriously consider and act upon.

Solid G25 recommendations

As the G25 rightly and courageously points out, “there is no shortage of recommendations on the measures that Malaysia must take, to inspire confidence in the economy and enable the country to move out of the middle-income trap and become a developed country”.

The problem is slow action and whether we have the strong political will to think out of the box and to look at our long-term needs to face the new global challenges posed by the digital economy.

The main recommendation of the G25 pertains to the fundamental need to review the New Economic Policy. It is now outmoded after 60 years of headstrong application, during which time it has been considerably abused . After the initial credibility of achieving its many goals earlier, the NEP added to our problems by providing more opportunities for corruption and widening our income disparities. This consequent unequal distribution of income and opportunities has also caused both intra- and inter-racial disparities.

In fact it can be argued that the present major concern over the high cost of living is largely due to the NEP’s uncompetitive policies and practices!

All this has therefore also brought about more uncertainty for the future and for national disharmony and disunity!

Hence, the G25’s recommendation to reject race-based policies and to adopt and effectively implement needs-based economic policies must therefore be the first priority of the EAC.

All true and sincere Malaysians should therefore welcome the continuation of affirmative action for the poor of all races. Then we will experience a surge of national unity and national wellbeing and a better quality of life for all Malaysians.

Agenda for action

The G25’s proposal to reduce the role of government-linked companies (GLCs) is most welcome. Many GLC’s have been too protected and have crowded out the private sector – both Bumiputeras and the non-Malays.

There could be new policies to include small and medium industries to work with GLCs, or we could disinvest some of the weak GLCs altogether.

The GLCs could be made much more efficient, competitive, and meritocratic. This way the economy could be freed of some of the shackles to promote greater productivity, with more competition. The non-Malays will also feel more inclusive in helping to realise the full potential of the economy.

Similarly, the EAC could devise ways and means to be more inclusive in the private sector where there is some dominance of the non-Bumiputeras. The serious brain drain could also be reduced if more opportunities are given to all Malaysians – regardless of race or elitism.

The education system will largely be responsible for our success or decline as a nation in the future. The recent dialogue organised by Asli showed the frustration expressed by many over the slow pace of education reforms.

There should be much more teaching of science and technology, the English language, and arts and culture to produce more rounded and better equipped students to meet the challenges of the future. Religious teaching and the cultivation of good value systems are vital. But they must be given the right balance in reasonable proportion in terms of time and priority.

Foreign labour has been excessive. And now the G25 has indicated that it is due to much lobbying by vested interests and even corruption. So the EAC has to investigate this matter and quickly introduce some solutions to solve this long-standing decay in our society. Again, will there be the right political will to act fast or will the EAC delay action?

Other agenda items

The G25 has an impressive agenda for the EAC to act upon and hopefully at a faster pace. We hope its report will not be put away like some other reports.

I would only add a few more items and there can be many more to give the EAC to adopt, act fast, and increase public credibility and confidence.The new items are as follows:

1. The public service should be made more multiracial and multireligious and better represented geographically. There can be more Sabahans and Sarawakians and especially Orang Aslis in the public service.
2. Economic development should be more decentralised so that the poorer regions in the country and the pockets of poverty could get higher priority for more rapid development. Local elections will help ensure better performance of local government.
3. The United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals could be adopted as our underlying goals to enhance our quality of life on a consistent and long-term basis.
4. Extremism and bigotry of all kinds can undermine our socio-economic development and must be rejected stoutly from whatever quarters, as this will undermine our national unity and progress.
5. The UN human rights conventions should be adopted soon to eliminate discrimination and to improve our faith in our future.
6. Our national institutions must be further strengthened. This would include, inter alia, the independence of the judiciary, the press, the civil service, and religious freedoms etc.

Conclusion

Obviously, we the people know what we want, and that is to build a united, strong, and progressive country. The able members of the EAC know very well that it’s not the economy alone that needs improvement. It’s actually the whole socio-economic and political system and institutions that need to be reviewed and revised.

But the crucial question remains in the minds of most thinking Malaysians – how much will the EAC be able to do and how fast will it take to deliver – at least on the low-hanging fruits and the higher priority issues that worry all Malaysians?

We hope the EAC has enough issues for a good agenda for action and that it can deliver quickly.

* Ramon Navaratnam is the chairman of the Asli Centre for Public Policy Studies.

* 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.