race in malaysia: The Economist weighs in
While scouring around political theory, I stumbled across this article from the Economist:
Race in Malaysia: Failure to spread wealth. It’s an.. interesting read, and while I hate posting articles without commenting on them, I don’t think I can add more to what’s been said.
A few bits and pieces:
Earlier this year, when the authorities revealed the list of Malays granted valuable permits to import foreign cars, the main beneficiaries turned out not to be struggling Malay entrepreneurs, but former officials at the Ministry of Trade. By the same token, the government of Mahathir Mohamad, the previous prime minister, built up a coterie of Malay tycoons through lucrative concessions, only to see many of them go spectacularly bust during the Asian crisis.
And I think a little something that seems to have dropped off the radar:
No wonder, then, that disenchantment with affirmative action has grown among Malaysians of all stripes. The NEP, after all, was originally billed as a temporary measure. But when it expired in 1990, it was renamed, but hardly changed. In recent years, Indians have supplanted Malays as Malaysia’s most disadvantaged ethnic group, but do not enjoy the same privileges. Poorer Malays, meanwhile, are frustrated with the slim returns from a policy adopted in their name.
