Trust. Equality. Merit. Speak openly, be unafraid of change and fearless to revamp a temporary policy that has long since served its purpose. Nik Nazmi Nik Aziz, State Assemblyman for Seri Setia and one-time private secretary to Anwar Ibrahim, has this message for the Malays and for Malaysians: let's put an end to the race-card game, and move forward into the 21st century together.

 

Going to class one day you realize you have classmates of every race and religion, and everyone sits together. Your lessons for the day: Biology, Advanced Mathematics, Mass Communication and Chinese Cultural Studies, followed by a discussion on Indian Festivals.

When you go home, you receive a letter that you've been awarded a scholarship based on your stellar first-year results. Same goes for everyone else - the best and brightest Malaysians are rewarded and the poorest are aided, whether Malay, Chinese or Indian. The New Economic Policy (NEP) is no longer a touchy subject where opposing views are immediately silenced and 'race' is no longer the trump card in a politician's deck.

Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, 27, believes in the scenario above. As he sits in a crowded coffee-joint, he is armed with a cup of coffee, an idealistic dream for our nation, and a passionate belief that 'change' is always possible.

Born to a homemaker mother and a father who was with the Public Services Department back in the 60's and who was at the forefront of the political scene for many years, Nazmi, who is a King's College (in the United Kingdom) Law graduate, is also the state assemblyman for Seri Setia and the current political secretary to Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

His book, titled 'Moving Forward: Malays for the 21^st Century', explores and propounds things that many of us have come to realise: The need to move forward, the end of the race-card game long played by various parties and the revisiting of the NEP, which, he says, has functioned well in the past, but has now strayed from its original purpose of helping the Malay community.

In his interview with Malaysian Today, he speaks of many things: equality, trust within races and a system based on merit - idealistic, utopian notions he believes can come to life if we all took the first step together, instead of perpetuating deep mistrust. And most of all, he speaks of catching up to the rest of the world, which is of utmost importance as we fall further and further behind.

 

The Malay(sian) Problem

The 21^st century is our problem now. Faced with the task of moving forward with the rest of the world, Malays (and in fact, all Malaysians) grapple with racial distrust and harmful racial stereotypes that are spurred by multiple factors and keep us from moving forward.

 "We used to be able to compete with other countries in the region; Korea, Taiwan, Singapore. But we have fallen behind. Now these countries are far ahead of us."

Nazmi stresses that in the 21st century, we must be able to think differently to forge towards the future and more importantly, to think of ourselves as Malaysians first.  "It is possible to look beyond our racial battles. We have no choice. Malaysia is full of potential but if we remain in the current set up, we will never reach our full potential."

This set up Nazmi speaks of is the racial stereotypes, the distrust within races, the unequal distribution of opportunities that do not reward or benefit the best and brightest Malaysians.

"Some people may say: if you're not happy with the country, then leave. And we are leaving," he says. "It is a huge loss for the country. It is not helping the country at all. When it comes to migrating Malaysians, we're talking young Malays migrating as well. It used to be that the non-Malays are the ones who migrate, but let's be frank about this: Malaysians are migrating to western countries, where the opportunities are."

The fact that Malaysia is multiracial is a strength, he says, not a weakness. The core argument is that race will always be a factor in our identity, but people are willing to listen to different points of view should there be people courageous enough to make them.

The first thing is the trust between races. "Malays cannot say that opening political opportunities for the Non-Malays would leave them with nothing, threaten their rights. The non-Malays must no longer say that 'oh he succeeds because he is Malay."

He recalls the days when he was a student in college that there was an informal apartheid. "There will be a Malay table and another Non-Malay table. It is okay to say that birds of a feather, flock together, but it says something when no one is telling you that that is a Malay/Non-Malay table but you do it anyway."

To achieve trust, that ice must break.

The second is that racial stereotype that is all pervasive in Malaysians: the non-Malays tend to think Malays are lazy, and that all they want is government help and that they are incapable.

"I do not deny the problem of Malay underachievement. Put a Malay and a Chinese in a class and the Chinese will probably do better. But that is precisely why Malays need to realize that they need to work hard to succeed, and not rely on government handouts," Nazmi stresses.

Especially not handouts that are damaging the Malay race.

In particular: The New Economic Policy: wielded like something untouchable, assuring Malays that no matter what they do, they will get help - it is destroying the Malays. The NEP was first devised in 1971, and was to be a short-term plan to aid the Malay community and boost their economic status. The NEP, which was drawn by then Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak, was to have ended in 1990. Through job allocations and various economic benefits, it was to have benefitted the Malays at a time where the non-Malay community (the Chinese in particular) were more prosperous. But, it has served its purpose, says Nazmi.

"It is an illusion. Sure, the government will help give you a job, but what is the point of getting a job from the government only to be demotivated and unproductive? The reality of the world is that everyone has to compete. It is rough world out there. We can squabble about race but the truth is that the world is moving light years ahead of us. "

 "Going back, you can see that the NEP was a temporary compromise. It was meant to aid the poorest of Malays at that time and meant to end in 1990," says Nazmi. "In that growing economy, the NEP served its purpose to create a more affluent Malay middle-class, and it has. It solved the problems of the era in which it was drawn. Now in our time, we need to form policies that solve our problems."

The NEP, he says, has become a different matter now. "The thing is, the NEP has become a special Malay right."

But Nazmi also points out that there are still a lot of Malays who are struggling and who are not benefitting from the NEP.  "Some parties talk of the 30 percent share - but who does it affect? Surely not the poor fisherman in Terengganu." The same goes in whom the NEP chooses to benefit, and a lot of ordinary Malays are also being left out.

"A lot of non-Malays always think that the Malays have it easy but does the NEP mean anything to the man on the street? There are those in my constituency who are left out; it's not a rural area, but they still struggle."

The time has come for the NEP to benefit the poor and needy, regardless of race. "The most basic premise is of giving a chance to all Malaysians, and not to frame it as a racial thing: in such a way that the Non-Malays are losing out, or the ordinary Malays are losing out."

"It is ordinary Malaysians who are losing out. We need to come to a win-win situation where there are policies in which the best and brightest succeeds."

The crux of it is so there is no longer that dubious and damaging question mark.

"It must be that no one will say 'oh, you are now boss because you are a Malay,' or even 'because you're Chinese'. It should be because you're good, no matter what race you are. And the same goes for 'getting help because you are Malay', no, it should be because you need the help."

However, Nazmi knows of the criticism that may come hard and fast, as he himself have benefitted from this NEP he urges to be changed.

"When I wrote this book, I was hesitant for three reasons. First, I am very young. Second, I am a politician by profession and so I cannot ruffle too many feathers and third, I have benefitted from the NEP myself."

Having written for various newspapers and in his blog, he knows the backlash he may receive. "Some may say I am biting the hands that fed me, but I choose to think it's my duty to speak out. I am a creature of my background. I received a scholarship, went to an all-Malay school, and my father was at the political forefront. I cannot run away from my background, but this is precisely why I should speak up. I have been given great opportunities and so I have to give back."

He also acknowledges that the very title of his book speaks somewhat in contradiction with his multi-racial approach. But the fact is, he has to convince the Malays to change and to make that first move.

"The Malays are the majority, no matter what. The first step must be to convince them that change is possible in such a way that it does not mean the Constitution is challenged or they will lose out. And the way to do that is through Islam, by telling them that equality and fairness is what Islam is all about."

"This is an opportunity that we should not waste - to tell all Malaysians they can do this together."

 

The Unity Stream

Going back to the very beginning, Nazmi believes in a way to start a change, and this can be achieved through education.

"The Unity Stream, or Unified Stream, is a one-session education that has been proposed before. It is a system where vernacular schools come together with national schools voluntarily to form a cohesive one-session school, where education includes learning about one another and about each other's cultures," he explains. "A civic education that takes place from morning to evening, so to speak."

It needs to start in schools, he stresses. "How many years do we spend in school? 11 years? That should be the focus. A three-month National Service stint won't solve anything."

In turn, he proposes, universities should enroll based on merit and need.

"Education is about the student's future. It is about the student's ability to succeed but we are too caught up with a racial war of who gets what," he says. "Education is a one-size fits all situation, with no true breadth for the development of a student's capability."

All this, he knows, will not happen overnight. It will take years more before this change can come. But the first step is in changing the mindset and learning to let go of the fear of 'not ready' or 'losing out'; because the fact is, we will lose out as a country if we do not start this change together.

 

*Nik Nazmi's first published book, Moving Forward: Malays for the 21^st Century, is on sale at most major bookstores.*