HELPING the poor and needy shouldn’t be based on race but should be income-based, said the Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) president.

MCCC president Tan Yew Sing said affirmative action policies should not be only limited to the Malays.

“Of course, the affirmative action of helping the poor, we do that all over the world. But it should not be race-based, it should be income-based.

“I don’t think anyone in Malaysia in the right mind will say all Chinese are rich, I think those are relative terms.

“So I also believe the right policy is to help all poor people,” he said after the MCCC annual general meeting in Kuala Lumpur today.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad on June 26 told Channel News Asia that the affirmative action policy to help the Malays will continue to avoid conflict between the majority Malays and “richer” ethnic groups like the Chinese.

Tan, however, said the solution is to encourage the Bumiputeras and non-Bumiputeras to work together to boost the economy.

“It is important we should encourage more Bumiputeras and non-Bumiputera entrepreneurs to work together.

“Take for example, the MCCC are representing all Malaysians.

“When we go to Dong Guang, China, 1,000 businessmen go with us and 200 of them are Bumiputeras.

“We are taking concrete steps to encourage non-Mandarin speakers to do business in China too,” he said.

Eugene Roy Joseph, 46, said it isn’t easy to come up with policies that benefit all races.

He said it was more of an issue of Malaysians accepting that there is a need for balance in affirmative action policy in Malaysia.

“I think Pakatan Harapan is going in the right direction but it is only the issue of acceptance by Malaysians.

“If the policy decision of the government of the day is accepted more and more by Malaysians then we have a chance to be a strong global force,” said the MCCC member.

Kevin Siah, 52, said it is not easy for people who have been receiving privileges for so long to forgo it for the betterment of the nation.

“Of course I would want a plan where you scrap everything and make everyone equal but you have to go in stages.

“Because all the while you have this and this privilege and then suddenly you take them away, of course there will be grouses,” he said.

He also said that poverty and social issues are not race-based which is why there is a need for a policy that includes all races.

“They should be fair, we have no objections to those taking care of the Bumiputera, but they should be inclusive of other races too,” he said.

Businessman Ho Fong Lee did not sugarcoat Dr Mahathir’s comment and said that it needs to be based on data.

“I think it is bullshit (what Dr Mahathir said), because we have to talk about data. That kind of example given by Dr Mahathir was rubbish.

“You must have proper data to prove it, this is the new Malaysia all these things must be based on data and should not be on racial sentiments,” he said

The 53-year-old, who is also an MCCC member, added that Malaysians in the end just want to make ends meet.

“Everyone is ‘cari makan’ only, so if there are more Malays that need help then help them, the same goes to the other races too.

“It shouldn’t be race-based, these kind of cheap talk publicity that say the Chinese are mostly rich, how many? Based on what data? Don’t simply talk.

“We also have a lot of Chinese working for Malay businessmen so what is the problem? We are all Malaysians,” he said.

The Malaysian Insight previously reported that the perception that all Chinese in Malaysia are wealthy is wrong as data from government agencies indicate that a majority of the community are wage-earners.

DM Analytics founder and chief economist Muhammed Abdul Khalid said wealth inequality among the Chinese is also the highest compared with the Bumiputeras and Indians. – June 30, 2018.