The real issue is disparity within bumi community

YOURSAY | ‘We knew it all along. We want the remedy, not only diagnosis.’

Gov't: Chinese and bumiputera income gap the largest

RKR: The average income between races is not a good method to analyse income disparities. Obviously the larger the population number, the smaller the average. That is why the Indians average is higher than the bumiputeras.

The Gini coefficient is a better measure because it shows the gap within the same race. If the gap within the bumis is larger than the gap within the Chinese, than obviously the income distribution between the bumis must be looked into.

The government would not do this because it would reflect their own failure to take care of the bumis at large.

The government should not bring down the Chinese's income to reduce income gap between races. This is very imprudent.

Proarte: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdul Wahid Omar is reluctant to reveal the Gini coefficient within the Malay community because it would reveal the appalling income inequalities between the average Malay and the elite Malays.

The latter have benefitted from crony capitalism engineered by Umno. This privileged group has a vested interest in keeping the Malays relatively poor in order that they may continue to rob the nation blind under the pretext of uplifting the Malays.

Malays have yet to smell the coffee and continue to be in a state of deep slumber, allowing Umno and gang to run circles around them.

Chinese and Indians are relatively richer as a group because of their own efforts and hard work, despite the unconscionable discrimination and impediments to progress they face from the Malay powers-that-be.

Tkite: I am really tired of this income disparity issue. It is nothing new, we knew it all along. We want the remedy, not only diagnosis.

This is also misleading as bumiputera in Sabah and Sarawak affect the overall bumiputera average.

The real issue is the wide disparity within the bumiputera community. Some are filthy rich, while the majority are poor.

A policy to develop the middle-class of all races must be prioritised if we want to be a peaceful and strong nation. But BN’s interest is to keep the bumiputera poor to remain in power.

Anonymous #20513663: The data must be disaggregated to remove Orang Asal from 'bumiputera'. The government is including Orang Asal poor to bring down the average income of 'bumiputera'.

This is then used as an excuse for 'affirmative action' which does not benefit the Orang Asal but only Umnoputras.

Next, the data must be disaggregated by state or region. Like the Orang Asal, the Kelantanese and to a lesser extent Terengganu folk, are kept poor on purpose as they have a tendency to vote for the opposition.

They serve as a second 'poverty bank' (besides the Orang Asal) to drag the average figure down. Madeline Berma, UN Development Programme (UNDP), etc, have done a lot of work on this.

Alfy: Do you have a comparison of all the crony bumiputera and the non-crony bumiputera? Don't compare bumiputera who gets handouts and discounts with the Chinese as well as Indians because they don't get handouts.

If it’s still low despite all this, what does that tell you, minister?

Senior: It would be interesting to know how many Umnoputra families are in the 15 percent that controls more than 70 percent of the income that leaves the actual/rural Malays behind.

Dont Just Talk: After 57 years of Merdeka and after 45 years of NEP (New Economic Policy), where the bumis are given special rights over other races by the Umno Baru government, why are the Chinese still earning 38 percent more each month than the bumiputera households.

Have you compared the rich bumiputeras like yourself, Abdul Wahid Omar, and the many multi-millionaire political leaders from Umno Baru to the majority of Chinese hawkers or just using the minority, successful 15 percent rich Chinese business-magnates who control 76 percent of GDP to the poor rural Malays.

The poor Malays are those who have no political connection to Umno Baru and they belong to the Bersih grouping, which believes in working hard and breaking their backs to earn an honest ringgit.

Daniel: You want to turn your ‘statistics’ into a racial matter? It just simply translates into years of wastage of billions of ringgit poured into the NEP with little or no returns.

It also shows that the Chinese work harder, invest smarter and educate their next generation better despite the various barriers and obstacles placed before them.

ACR: Hello ex-top banker, the Department of Statistics Malaysia uses mean household income when it should rightly use the median figure.

I am sure through the tax records and census figures a reasonable estimate of the median income could be made per household.

Mean measurement distorts reality, especially in a country with a high income disparity. The median is more representative of the average household income.

Next, please separate household income for Muslim bumiputera, non-Muslim bumiputera and Orang Asli. Lumping these three major communities together does no justice.

Finally, publish the intra-ethnic Gini coefficient. I dare say the highest would be from the Muslim-bumiputeras. -Mkini