I went out with the kids and wife the other day to a
shopping mall in the heart of KL. It was weekend and the mall was crowded with
people. We drop by to a restaurant afterwards to have our lunch. It was packed
with people having their meals and most of them are Malays. They all shows
different characters, personalities, standards, images, but they are all
Malays.
I bet, with all their differences in appearances (some of
them a bit old fashioned and many of them are clad in modern dresses), 9 out of
ten are government servant. The Malays are associated very much with the public
services. Maybe the nature of the public suits the psychology of the Malays.
The public sector is stable, offers security and less hectic. Now, what is
wrong with this fact?
When you view it through one’s personal view, there is
nothing wrong with the Malays flocking into the government service. It’s good
for them since they have secured a very stable profession as an administrator.
But, from the macro perspective in the context of economic development, the fact
creates a polemic in socioeconomic planning.
The Malays, due to their profession will earn less than the
other ethnic. Financially, their purchasing power will be lesser than the other
ethnic. This eventually will marginalise them in terms of economic
opportunities, wealth creation, and social status.
The Najib’s administration has a massive challenge to change
the perception of the Malays that the government sector is not the only place where
they belong. Changing this perception is surely not an easy task. Malays should
be taught that being risk averse is un-Islamic and regressive, they need to be
educated culturally that being adventurous and imaginative is acceptable in
their culture. The polarization of the three main ethnic in the country based
on its profession sector is indeed alarming. It reflects the imbalance of
wealth distribution and one’s social being.
With this background, the Najib have two main challenges to
change the backdrop of the nation’s socioeconomic state. The first challenge is
to encourage the Malays to join the private sector and to be exposed to the
corporate world. Yes, there are quite a handful of Malays who has succeeded in
the private world and many of the young Malays are joining the private sector.
It’s good to see that development.
The second challenges and the bigger challenge is to instil
the spirit of entrepreneurship within the Malays. The Malays are historically
not a trader. They work to live as fishermen, farmers, rubber tappers, and
other self-sufficient work. To be involved in any business or trading
activities is alien to them. The challenge is to break down the mental block
and encourage entrepreneurship.
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