Malays not lazy, says Daim

Updated 4 years ago · Published on 22 Dec 2019 11:38AM · 6 Comments

Former finance minister Daim Zainuddin says Malacca became a successful trading port because of the Malays. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, December 22, 2019.

NOT all Malays are lazy, as claimed by others, Astro Awani reported Daim Zainuddin as saying.

“The ones who are lazy are those who get contracts and approved permits (APs) and then sell them to others,” the former finance minister told the eUsahawan Young Heroes Programme at MITEC yesterday.

“If you look at history, Malacca became a successful trading port because of the Malays. And, when you take the LRT every morning, you see Malays on it going to work.

“The ones selling nasi lemak are also Malays. It’s not right to say Malays are lazy,” Daim was quoted as saying.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has criticised Malays in the past, saying they don’t want to work and expect handouts.

Daim, a close aide of Dr Mahathir, also called on the government to focus on four key areas – cost of living, housing, clothing and jobs – to help the rakyat.

“People are unhappy now because food is expensive and housing is unaffordable.

“The government needs to look into these things.”

On education, Daim advised parents to pay more attention to their children’s interests instead of pressuring them to get good exam results.

The eUsahawan Young Heroes Programme is a joint initiative by the Youth and Sports Ministry and Malaysia Digital Economy Corp (MDEC) to empower 10,000 youths in digital entrepreneurship skills. – December 22, 2019.

Sign up or sign in here to comment.

Comments

  • Malays never ever been lazy but our PM7 happily labelled them lazy because of some of Malays getting government projects or aid but failed including BMF, MAS etc. The ordinary Malays working and earning like others for their family. Its DrM labelled them LAZY and demotivated them.

    Posted 4 years ago by Rjay Rjay · Reply

  • He spoiled them with welfarism and favourism and then accused them of being not hardworking ... never realized his own wrong.

    Posted 4 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • The Malays have been conditioned to think that whatever they need or want the government will and can provide FOC. We, the other non-Malays think otherwise. When we need help we will always find ways and means to stand on our own two feet or at worst get some support from family members or friends as we all know the government is biased against us, and we will get nothing.

    Posted 4 years ago by Rupert Lum · Reply

  • The greatest disadvantage the Malay population had was the New Economic Policy. That policy that was intentionally put into motion to undevelop Non-Malays and push Malays up the economic ladder was a total failure. While non-malays failed Bahasa Malaysia and could not move to Form VI , their resilient parents made sure that their children will go overseas. Malays were in Form VI even with grade II and worse still the quota system in University Malaya (MU) enabled to get a degree. No one today wants a degree from MU. It is like toilet paper like all other Malaysian universities-not acceptable internationally.

    NEP- was like the policy in South Africa and Rhodesia-Bumiputras were given jobs, share allocation, licences, cheaper housing-while the poor Non-Malays had to work hard to have a simple quality of life. Law firms were forced to take on Malay partners ( who mind you demanded mercedes benz, big salaries, nice offices but never did any work) -their job was to bring in work. Many Non-Malays in the profession and other businesses failed.

    The point is this culture of Ali Baba, or freebies and/or corruption is now an inherent genetical condition in many Malays. They believe that they are 'entitled' because of being the 'sons of the soil' ( an assumption created by the politician so that Malay masses would vote for them. In the process, Malays became lazy ( DR M rebukes business men who received licences from taxis, to building contracts and sold them to the chinese folks).

    By the way Daim became a developer because he was given land to develop, and many Chinese companies built the houses that made him millions. Malacca was successful not because of the Malay population-that is an exaggeration and frankly untrue. It was the Indian and Chinese traders who built Malacca historically-and Portuguese 1511, Dutch 1641 and British 1757.

    Today, the Malay is a confused race- it has been diluted by the Indian Muslims politician-Malays now are also Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indonesian, Russian, Arab...and so on. The real Malay is almost
    non-existent. Malays are not used to competing with others-they are ill prepared for the global world.I say this not generally but the majority of Malays are not what the Government wanted. The NEP failed them but the government of DR M and his predecessors say that Malays are on crutches, wheel chairs-all what I say is not a fiction, but a sounding board of waht Malay politicians say. DR M says malays are lazy, Daim says they are not...go figure..the suckers are the Malays themselves.

    Posted 4 years ago by George Washington · Reply

  • The only way forward or out of all these mess created by 60+ years of BN rule is to remove race and religion from identification of Malaysians. Make Citizenship as the only factor in identification of Malaysian. I see the NZ model is the best for Malaysia. I know many Malaysians who have settled there. The way they handled the problems against the Muslims there after the recent shooting, is an example for the world to learn in solving race or religious problems.

    Posted 4 years ago by Citizen Pencen · Reply

  • No race in the world can be labelled as lazy, but too much of easy life can cause people to be over fed and become lazy. Natural laws have fixed the bell-shaped or normal curve for everything natural. Chain reaction will take place if this curve in disturbed. The NEP in Malaysia has upset the balance in a very ridiculous manner. Take the 7% discount for all Bumi house buyers. The poor needs it but the rich does not need it and when he gets it, he becomes more greedy. He has found an easy way to make himself richer. Greed and easy money is the key to make people resort to corruption, laziness and law breaking activities.

    Posted 4 years ago by Citizen Pencen · Reply