The speech on ‘rich Chinese and poor Malay’ by Prime Minister Tun Mahathir has completely shattered Malaysians’ high expectations on PH government to bring about “new way, new thinking”. Instead Tun Dr. Mahathir is now leading Malaysia back to the old path of racial politics.
 
Prime Minister Tun Mahathir has publicly emphasized that the poverty eradication policy will focus on helping the Malays. His rationale is based on unsubstantiated belief used by the “old government” of the last century that most Chinese are rich and the Malays are poor, giving an excuse that the government should continue to give help to a single race under the national poverty eradication policy. At the same time, the poor and the needy from other races are being neglected and denied from the benefits of the poverty eradication policy!
 
After the swearing in as the seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia last month, Tun Dr. Mahathir has neither injected any new ideas nor new directions into the national policies. Instead, he continued to recycle his previous ideas borrowed from the last century while ignoring the new economic needs and international environment.
For example, as soon as he was sworn into office, Tun Dr. Mahathir visited Japan and intended to revive the “Look East” policy that he introduced in the 1980s. By doing so, PM deliberately estranged the close ties between Malaysia and China and ignored the fact that China is now the super economic power of this century, not Japan. During his official visit to Japan, Tun Mahathir even went so far to propose another national car project for Malaysia, instead of suggesting a more forward-looking scheme to reduce car prices in Malaysia!
I therefore believe that Dr. Mahathir’s governance is simply like old wine in new bottle. Who would want the old ways, if new ways and new hopes are what we were voting for?
In the last 14th General Election, Malaysian voters have shown an unprecedentedly strong demand to abolish the old mindset and governance by the former government. This is particularly so in this era of digital and social media. It is blatant that Malaysians are looking up to the new ruling alliance to show its courage and commitment in leading Malaysians to deny racial politics that have hampered Malaysia’s way forward.
As for Sarawak, the new government is expected to give due respect and consideration to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 by rectifying the mistakes and erosions done by the former government in the Federal Constitution, legislations and policies. 
A new line-up of cabinet members will be sworn in next month, and there will be a significant numbers of young members in the Cabinet. It would be very curious and interested to know on whether they would agree with Tun Mahathir’s direction in leading Malaysia back to the old path. Particularly, the representatives from Sarawak in the cabinet, on whether they could effectively exert their influences in opposing the Prime Minister’s racial approach in policy making, and striving for the poor and the needy in Sarawak to be the real beneficiaries under the national poverty eradication programmes.
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