There’s a lot of drama about how well we are learning the three Rs, though it could possibly be a comedy or perhaps even a tragedy, and not likely to have a happy ending for our nation.
We do have the Constitution to thank for some of our unique privileges that make the Malays “special”, and I hear a lot of pride in this special status. Which leads to a lot of fighting to protect them. The special status gave us decades of special affirmative actions, where the special privileges afforded to us are increasingly becoming “rights” — 7% off the sale price of luxury properties anybody?
Sure, I get it – responsibilities are tough. They require hard labour and fortitude and carry risks with no guarantee of the desired outcome. You can do all the right things and still fail. The only reason they seem to be important is the same reason bitter medicines are important – they’re needed to ensure you get better.
And such serious fighting also seems to allow for a few breaks in the rules. You can lie and cheat and steal and be corrupt because you are fighting the supreme battle; anything goes if you are fighting for your people.
Nice read! And thanks for not abusing a racist system. But I disagree that without special privileges, the writer would have remained a Kampung Boy. I would argue that these privileges creates a culture of dependency. Which takes away the hunger and motivation to excel.