Liberating the Malay Mind

It would be a great tragedy for Malaysia if it were to progress but for Malays, the majority and very visible group, to be left trailing. Yet despite over sixty years of independence, with the government in Malay control and Malays granted special privileges, that is the imminent and pathetic reality facing the nation.Liberating The Malay Mind dissects this perversity.This failure to leverage special privileges to enhance Malay competitiveness contributes to this. Malays are obsessed with those concessions as their rights as Bumiputras (natives). This fixation hinders Malay progress. The Malay mind must be liberated from this shackle.Many, Malays included, argue for dispensing with these race-based policies in the belief that such preferences breed a culture of dependency. That view cannot be more wrong.For one, the now much-maligned initiative has been remarkably effective in its first decade or two. It transformed a rural, agrarian, and traditional Malay society to one with greater urban presence and increased participation in the modern sectors.It is the later corruption and lack of refinement that degenerated the program to benefit the privileged few. The elite - sultans and UMNO ersatz capitalists - now hogs the public trough.It is this, and not the underlying assumptions or objectives that needed to be remedied.For another, if there are these differences among the races to such mundane matters as how we dress and what we eat, imagine the divergences and variations on substantive matters, as what we aspire to and value. While "humans respond to incentives" may be a truism, what are considered thus (or their converse-disincentives) vary with race, culture, and society. We ignore those at our peril.The writer focuses on Malay values and aspirations that are inimical to progress, as with the feudal mindset with its attendant "follow-the-leader" mentality, the myopic interpretation of Islam that focuses on the Hereafter, failure of institutions that allow incompetence and corruption to be rampant, and chauvinistic pride that discourages the young from learning another language, especially English.It is this "frog underneath the coconut shell" smugness that inhibits Malays from emulating successful societies and avoiding the traps of those less so. It is this collective closed-mindedness that needs to be liberated so Malays could then leverage the provisions of special privileges to be instruments for enhancing their competitiveness and not as at present be a false shell.This Malay metaphorical coconut shell has already been breached by the digital waves. Even the remotest kampungs now having Internet service. Digital technology is the most powerful instrument for liberation.Emerging out from underneath the shell by itself is no panacea. To the unprepared, the wide open world would be far from exhilarating; it would be downright intimidating. The immediate reaction would then be to retreat and find another shell.Liberating The Malay Mind explores ways to topple the Malay coconut shell. These include free flow of information, dispensing with oppressive laws, respect for due process, and strengthening weak institutions. Schools should treat the young as knives to be sharpened, not bins to be filled with dogmas. They should emphasize STEM, second language (preferably English), critical thinking, and communication skills.The massive resources poured into state enterprises would be better diverted to encouraging individuals to be engaged in commerce at all levels, from the elemental roadside hawker stalls to private professional practices.At the societal and cultural level, Malays should dismantle the intricate, expensive, and totally nonproductive trappings of feudalism. As Islam is the core of Malayness, there should have a more enlightened interpretation of the faith, away from the ritualistic and Arab-centric to its more universal values and progressive practices.