Put a stop to reinforcing the stereotype of “Wealthy Chinese”, the wealth gap is not split along racial lines

The wealth disparities in Malaysia need not always be conflated with ethnicity. It does not matter if it is the Malay, Chinese, Indian or any races, each race has members on both ends of the income spectrum. A sensible government ought to comprehend that it is paramount that all citizens are treated fairly; the needy and vulnerable should be provided with a solid social protection network regardless of their ethnicity.  

During Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s first term as PM from 1981-2003, he had exercised similar race-oriented policies. The premier would not ease up on reinforcing the fallacious stereotype that “the Chinese are the wealthy ones” in order to rationalise the neglect of the interests of Malaysian Chinese.

Whenever he starts talking about “the Chinese are rich”, he is knowingly attempting to segregate us Malaysians. He is playing with fire by uttering such fictitious remarks. Dr. Mahathir repeatedly claims that these pro-Bumiputera policies aim to eradicate racial animosities, but the fact remains that the outcomes have shown exactly to be the opposite.   

Be reasonable and think: how can one expect policies set forth by apartheid ideologies resolve any ill-feelings that exist in a multiracial society?

Tun Dr. Mahathir unfairly claimed that the Chinese students he recently met in the United Kingdom are able to study there because their parents paid for it. And by adding that the Chinese are “largely in business”, he maintained that more scholarships need to be handed out to Malays.

These baseless words of our Prime Minister have sent sparks of enmity towards the Chinese community.

Wealth has nothing to do with skin colour, religion or gender. If the government really wants to tackle poverty, actions taken need to be directed towards the poor and not distort socioeconomic issues into a topic laced with racial intonation.

It is likely that Dr Mahathir’s words are positioned deliberately to test the waters, to gauge whether it is feasible to implement a political economy model similar to the one he introduced 22 years ago. This is yet another strong indication of the comeback of Mahathirism, and a failure to rid Malaysia of racial politics.

The majority of the six million Malaysian Chinese in 2018 is working class, not dissimilar from how most Bumiputeras are wage-earners. The Chinese mostly depend on frugality, hard work and self-reliance in an attempt to accumulate wealth. More importantly, the Chinese value education above all else; they will strive to give the best education to their children regardless of how little money they might have.

As such, I urge Tun Dr. Mahathir to stop using the Chinese as a sacrificial lamb in his attempt to further his racial ideologies.

Datuk Seri Dr. Ir. Wee Ka Siong
MCA Deputy President’
MCA Member of Parliament for Ayer Hitam

-MCA online-