Friday March 14, 2008
Nazri: We may see end of NEP
By SHAHANAAZ HABIB
KUALA LUMPUR: The election results signal the beginning of the possible demise of the New Economic Policy (NEP) and special rights for the Malays, said Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz.
The Umno supreme council member said it appeared that the Malays, especially in the town areas, had become more confident now and felt they could compete with the other races on a level playing field.
“We (Umno) have to really sit down and think. It looks like the educated Malays do not care about Malay rights anymore,” he said when contacted.
“The Malay doctors, lawyers, engineers feel they have made it on their own merit.
“It looks like the NEP is not something that can be used to persuade the Malays to support the Barisan Nasional.
“The Malays are saying ‘you can’t scare us by talking about us losing our rights, because we are here on our own merit’.”
Nazri said it looked like some Malays felt that the NEP was unfair, and questioned why special rights should be given to the Malays.
He described the new confidence among the Malays as good for the Malay psyche.
In the just concluded election, the Barisan only managed a simple majority in Parliament, and lost five states (Kedah, Selangor, Kelantan, Penang and Perak) to the Opposition.
The Opposition had largely said they would dismantle the NEP and put in a place a new affirmative action policy based on need rather than race.
Nazri, who retained his Padang Rengas parliamentary seat by a majority of 1,749 votes, said he barely survived the political tsunami.
He said the youngsters – Chinese, Indians and Malays – who returned from Kuala Lumpur to vote in Perak had tried to persuade their parents, who are Barisan supporters, to either not go out to vote or vote for the Opposition.
“I only survived because of my personal touch with the voters,” he said.
He believed the political landscape in the country had changed irreversibly and that all parties would now have to work harder.
“Every wakil rakyat will have to work to win the hearts of the people. This is good for Malaysia because, at the end of the day, it is the rakyat who benefits,” he said.
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