A melting pot of races and religions where Malays, Indians, Chinese and a myriad of other ethnic groups live together in peace and harmony. "This is the image promoted by the national tourism agency Malaysia. A presentation at which the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, echoed by revealing the central theme of his policy: "One Malaysia" [A Malaysia].
"What makes Malaysia a unique example is the diversity of its people. The aim of 'Malaysia unie'est preserve and strengthen this unity in diversity which has always been our strength and remains our greatest hope for the future, "he says. Brain drain If he is sincere in its intentions, the chief government should start by ceasing to veil the face and watch things clearly in front.
His plan does not change. The racial and religious tensions are exacerbated today than in 2009, when he took office. They are even brighter than they have been since 1969 when clashes between the Malay majority and Chinese minority had more than two hundred dead. The recent deterioration of the situation reflects a disturbing reality, the fact that the country's leaders tolerate and, in some cases even cause, by their words and deeds, tensions between communities of different ethnic origin.
Take the episode of the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur. When this last Christmas, has invited the Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak assistant, Hardev Kaur, asked that the crucifix be removed and that there is neither carols nor prayers not to offend the chef government, which is Muslim. The missteps of this kind are legion.
In September 2009, the Interior Minister, Hishammuddin Onn, received the protesters' [Muslim] who had filed a Hindu temple in the decapitated head of a cow, sacred animal in Hinduism, before holding a press conference to defend their actions. Two months later, Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said in Parliament that one of the reasons why the Malaysian armed forces are mainly composed of Malays is that other ethnic groups' lack of patriotic spirit ".
Under public pressure, he later apologized for having made such comments. Utusan Melayu, the largest newspaper in the Malay language, publishes articles that Lim Kit Siang, a leader of the opposition, presented as a daily batch of lies fed racial hatred. The newspaper, owned by the party Najib Tun Razak, has proclaimed that such opposition would make Malaysia a colony of China Malay and abolish the monarchy.
He has repeatedly politicians of Chinese descent and has even suggested that one of them, the Parliamentary Teresa Kok should be eliminated. This slow erosion of tolerance is not just a political issue, it is also an economic problem. The Malaysian economy, once one of the finest world shrank throughout the past decade.
To enter the circle of developed countries by 2020, as she so often expressed the ambition, Malaysia should aim for a growth of 8% over the next decade. This level of growth requires massive investment in the private sector, both Malaysian and foreign, improved skills and economic reform in depth.
But the worsening racial and religious tensions might be an obstacle. Between 2007 and 2009, nearly half a million Malaysians left the country, which has more than doubled the number of assets located abroad. Most of them are, it seems, Chinese or Indian and display a certain level of competence, but they are tired of being treated like second class citizens in their own country and be denied equal opportunities in education, business and administration [because of a set of affirmative action favoring Malays].
Many of these emigrants, and these cohorts of young people who are studying abroad and eventually settled down there - they too were of Chinese or Indian for the most part - have yet to trade skills, including engineering and science Malaysia desperately needs for its future. Their wealth also extends to cultural and linguistic knowledge needed to develop economic relations with Malaysia's two main Asian markets, China and India.
One can of course be argued that discrimination is not new to the Malaysian Chinese and Indian. So what led today these ethnic minorities to leave the country? First, they increasingly feel they have more say in government. Chinese and Indian parties contained within the ruling coalition are expected to defend the interests of their communities, but in recent years they have been placed under the extinguisher.
They usually remain silent about the racial slurs that they are launching increasingly Malay political partners. Today, over 90% of the members of the public service, police, military, academic and diplomatic services are Malay. Even TalentCorp, the government agency established in 2010 to encourage Malaysian expatriates to return home, a Malaysian director and a board of directors composed entirely of Malays.
Broken Promises II response element: economic reform such as revising affirmative action promised by the government have stalled. Although a year ago, the Prime Minister has inspired hope for change with its New Economic Model, a promise of a policy of positive discrimination "open" and, in his words, "market-friendly, transparent based on merit and needs ", he failed to fulfill his commitment.
And this because of opposition from militant groups such as Malay right Perkasa, who feared that measures based on meritocracy and transparency do not threaten what they call the "rights of the Malays." But without reform, national competitiveness will continue to decline and its growth to lose momentum.
Cronyism and OTC contracts, which encourage those who have good relations, will continue. And all this will deter many young people for whom success appear out of reach regardless of their efforts. 
"What makes Malaysia a unique example is the diversity of its people. The aim of 'Malaysia unie'est preserve and strengthen this unity in diversity which has always been our strength and remains our greatest hope for the future, "he says. Brain drain If he is sincere in its intentions, the chief government should start by ceasing to veil the face and watch things clearly in front.
His plan does not change. The racial and religious tensions are exacerbated today than in 2009, when he took office. They are even brighter than they have been since 1969 when clashes between the Malay majority and Chinese minority had more than two hundred dead. The recent deterioration of the situation reflects a disturbing reality, the fact that the country's leaders tolerate and, in some cases even cause, by their words and deeds, tensions between communities of different ethnic origin.
Take the episode of the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur. When this last Christmas, has invited the Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak assistant, Hardev Kaur, asked that the crucifix be removed and that there is neither carols nor prayers not to offend the chef government, which is Muslim. The missteps of this kind are legion.
In September 2009, the Interior Minister, Hishammuddin Onn, received the protesters' [Muslim] who had filed a Hindu temple in the decapitated head of a cow, sacred animal in Hinduism, before holding a press conference to defend their actions. Two months later, Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said in Parliament that one of the reasons why the Malaysian armed forces are mainly composed of Malays is that other ethnic groups' lack of patriotic spirit ".
Under public pressure, he later apologized for having made such comments. Utusan Melayu, the largest newspaper in the Malay language, publishes articles that Lim Kit Siang, a leader of the opposition, presented as a daily batch of lies fed racial hatred. The newspaper, owned by the party Najib Tun Razak, has proclaimed that such opposition would make Malaysia a colony of China Malay and abolish the monarchy.
He has repeatedly politicians of Chinese descent and has even suggested that one of them, the Parliamentary Teresa Kok should be eliminated. This slow erosion of tolerance is not just a political issue, it is also an economic problem. The Malaysian economy, once one of the finest world shrank throughout the past decade.
To enter the circle of developed countries by 2020, as she so often expressed the ambition, Malaysia should aim for a growth of 8% over the next decade. This level of growth requires massive investment in the private sector, both Malaysian and foreign, improved skills and economic reform in depth.
But the worsening racial and religious tensions might be an obstacle. Between 2007 and 2009, nearly half a million Malaysians left the country, which has more than doubled the number of assets located abroad. Most of them are, it seems, Chinese or Indian and display a certain level of competence, but they are tired of being treated like second class citizens in their own country and be denied equal opportunities in education, business and administration [because of a set of affirmative action favoring Malays].
Many of these emigrants, and these cohorts of young people who are studying abroad and eventually settled down there - they too were of Chinese or Indian for the most part - have yet to trade skills, including engineering and science Malaysia desperately needs for its future. Their wealth also extends to cultural and linguistic knowledge needed to develop economic relations with Malaysia's two main Asian markets, China and India.
One can of course be argued that discrimination is not new to the Malaysian Chinese and Indian. So what led today these ethnic minorities to leave the country? First, they increasingly feel they have more say in government. Chinese and Indian parties contained within the ruling coalition are expected to defend the interests of their communities, but in recent years they have been placed under the extinguisher.
They usually remain silent about the racial slurs that they are launching increasingly Malay political partners. Today, over 90% of the members of the public service, police, military, academic and diplomatic services are Malay. Even TalentCorp, the government agency established in 2010 to encourage Malaysian expatriates to return home, a Malaysian director and a board of directors composed entirely of Malays.
Broken Promises II response element: economic reform such as revising affirmative action promised by the government have stalled. Although a year ago, the Prime Minister has inspired hope for change with its New Economic Model, a promise of a policy of positive discrimination "open" and, in his words, "market-friendly, transparent based on merit and needs ", he failed to fulfill his commitment.
And this because of opposition from militant groups such as Malay right Perkasa, who feared that measures based on meritocracy and transparency do not threaten what they call the "rights of the Malays." But without reform, national competitiveness will continue to decline and its growth to lose momentum.
Cronyism and OTC contracts, which encourage those who have good relations, will continue. And all this will deter many young people for whom success appear out of reach regardless of their efforts.
- Post-it for next time : don't miss the plane !!! - Zurich, Switzerland (18/03/2011)
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- we're not out of the wood yet / 2 annonces faites du même bois? (12/02/2011)
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