YOURSAY | ‘New bumi prosperity council likely to fail like all others’

YOURSAY | ‘How many of these schemes have actually benefited the people they were meant for?’

Govt to establish Bumiputera Prosperity Council to empower bumiputera economy

ACR: The starting point should be to analyse since 1969 how much money has been spent on the bumiputera agenda and what were the results in terms of the group’s socio-economic development - education, employment, improvement in household income, entrepreneurial development, etc.

Then look at how much of wastage had occurred in all these agencies set up under the bumiputera agenda and how the intra-community Gini coefficient (which is a measure of statistical dispersion intended to represent the income inequality or wealth inequality within a nation or any other group of people) has evolved, for better or worse.

Finally, look at what could have been developed if those billions were spent on the nation devoid of a race agenda.

What I mean to say is if the national education system was given priority and the curriculum reflective of top-class standard, including the decision to implement English medium and enhancing the vocational system, and with that good educational background, the manufacturing and services sector could perhaps in the last 10-15 years at least evolved to producing higher-value-added products and services.

Mechi: No plan to uplift the bumiputera group will be successful if we have the current set of questionable leaders.

The first step is to have good, clean and acceptable leadership, not the same old tainted faces. Otherwise, the leakages would benefit only the elites and politicians.

Also, why can't they analyse why the other groups can be successful without government aid? Should not these traits be identified?

R Venugopal: The truth is that the bumiputera politicians and their cronies took away what should be allocated to deserving members of their group.

Please wake up and what we need today is people with integrity and with commitment to help the people improve their livelihood. Enough of forming councils and in the end, blame other races for the failures of a certain race.

The success of the bumiputera lies in their hands and only good leadership free from corruption can help.

Plain Simple: This is a real indicator of an election coming pretty soon. Umno is laying the PR work for the bumiputeras with another bumiputera-centric programme, in addition to dozens of others already in existence.

This new Bumiputera Prosperity Council (BPC), whatever it is, will be another platform for bumiputeras to get contracts on government projects and adds another plus point for bumiputera contractors to vote for them.

This is a game plan of Umno to get votes. Watch out for the announcement on the next general election.

Cogito Ergo Sum: For six decades, under the previous BN, you tried this and failed. Now, under your new name Perikatan Nasional (PN), you want to try again?

That is one of the worst attempts at what seems to be a deception perpetrated on the bumiputera community and you expect them to buy into it? You must be a hopeless optimist if you do.

Unfortunately for you and your lot, there is no money left in the coffers because it has all been taken by unscrupulous people in power. Now, you can only talk and give an illusion that you are helping the community.

Meanwhile, when businesses go bust, you will blame other races for their failure.

Clever Voter: New name, new label, new beginning, and new rhetoric but it means the same thing. State-owned money given away to the same people with the same motive and outcome.

We know all of those past so-called help bumiputera schemes have failed. It is a merry-go-round, what a scam.

Newday: Look to the annual federal auditor-general reports for the dark and sad picture of the previous successes of bumiputera financial empowerment models, projects and committees.

There have been repeated failures, not isolated cases but across the board. Just because you create a council does not ensure effective outcomes, it just ensures much more wastage.

Yet again, other Malaysians that fit the criteria for empowerment get left out in the cold.

Jaded: This is not the first and not the last. How much money has been spent on meetings, research, allowances for these things?

Why have the previous initiatives not worked? The idea is good but why are there similar initiatives year after year with the same (non) results?

Why is the segment of the population it professes to help still unsuccessful?

Robbed: Can someone actually count how many of these schemes and projects were launched and how many actually benefited the people the projects were meant for?

RedParrot1151: All people in Malaysia should share the wealth of the country fairly and justly. None should be left out.

However, the means to achieve it should be neutral and fair as well. If the means has failed all these years since the beginning, the means must be revised.

But if the means is just a front for a different purpose, then it's not right.

Kawak: After 50 years, Umno is still struggling to empower and enrich the Malay community. Over the decades, numerous agencies and programmes have been established to assist the Malays. There will be no end to it as long as there are leakages in funding, haphazard planning and execution.

Last but not least, the lacklustre culture of both the implementors and participants of the programmes is another stumbling block.

Just A Malaysian: I think what is needed is a "bumiputra honesty council" to ensure all programmes are not to make those in power richer.  - Mkini