Isn't this apartheid?

I was born in Malaysia in 1969. That was 39 years ago. As a Malaysian-born Chinese schooled under a curriculum that taught us to love the country we live in, I was proud to be its citizen. It is said that its sistem demokrasi is fair to all and gives all citizens rights that are protected under the constitution. I was a scout, so it was one of my responsibilities to recite the Rukun Negara. And

I believe in it.

When I grew older, some of my Malay friends left my class and I learned that the government said that they were clever and needed to be in sekolah asrama penuh. I didn’t understand what that was at the time. Now I know the reality of the country that I grew up in.

In university, I received no scholarships or loans, but most of my bumiputera friends got them. My father was only a teacher. To support me in university was not easy, even though it was a public university. My mother, a housewife, needed to care for their children. And my younger brother did not proceed further in his studies because the family could not afford it. I am forever grateful to them.

For your information, I have no animosity towards anyone. I have friends of all races, so does my father. The policymaker is the one to blame.

After working in the private sectors for a few years, I started my own business. My company - which is open to all Malaysians - is registered with Matrade.I was sent e-mails about numerous talks and business opportunities that were open to all Malaysian companies. But on the front page of every application I saw a clause that divides Malaysia - Is your company a bumiputera company? How are the company’s shares divided?

I wanted to know why this was necessary. If the company’s not a bumiputera company, is the government not going to help?

The country’s main asset is their citizenry. Politicians get their power from the citizens to manage the country. But with the current government’s discriminatory policies and actions, the country will be falling apart and failing. Investors are going away. Even our own entrepreneurs are going away. A country without these assets will be at its knees sooner or later. The silent ones will just go away, leaving the land to those who have no means with which to live and no power to help themselves.

I am sure a lot of people share my views but don’t have the time to write. I love this country. My childhood, my memories, my business are all here. But I cannot see any future in it at this moment. It’s time to re-think our existence in this country.

The existing government needs to have a long overdue massive overhaul. For a change, the country must be lead by a fair and capable prime minister. This leader must be respected by all races and his/her party must be multi-racial.

With our natural resources, our country can be ten times better than Singapore. We just need the right and capable leaders to govern this country, not a group of people who only think of how to enrich themselves. Actually, I don’t know the difference between apartheid and the system we live in now. Is our current system not discriminating against its own citizens?

Malaysiakini