Zaid Ibrahim - The MAN!

Malaysia has came along way in nation building, especially in the aspect of ensuring the harmony between the different races so we can progress as a nation, as one people.

Through that vision, certain policies have been put in place in protection of the bumiputeras, which makes up the majority of the Malaysian population today, so we can move parralel to each other in the process of development.

Fair enough, im in full support of that.

However, we need to be mindful that when these "certain policies" are put in place for too long, they tend to be exploited for the wrong reasons. For this, no one is to be blamed because it is human nature that if you grow up spoon fed with a silver spoon, you will not settle for a copper spoon when you grow up and neither would you want to hold the spoon by yourself. But if you lose that someone who's always been feeding you, you will need to learn (by hooks or by crooks) to hold that spoon by yourself (silver or copper), otherwise you will starve.

Sometimes, it takes a fall before you learn how to stand.

We also need to be mindful that certain quarters of the nation have made immense sacrifices to ensure that they will continue to progress even without these privelages (the silver spoon). And with that forced persistency, they have made it in the Malaysia of today.

Today, i was reading Malaysia today and came across an interview with Zaid Ibrahim and i was very impressed with how he articulated the required changes of mindset & mentality to ensure further growth in this country.

Sometimes, the spoon needs to be taken away so the one's who've been used to be spoon-fed can learn from those who've never been fed before, thus knows how to hold the spoon properly.

Zaid: Chinese Malaysians Have Made Great Sacrifices

KUALA LUMPUR: Former minister in the prime minister's department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said true Malays need not be afraid, or feel lack of a sense of security.

"Take myself as an example. I'm a pure Malay, but I have a sense of security. I feel proud of my own race and culture."

However he said, the problem is that many people do not understand or respect history. Indians, Chinese and Malays have been participating in the nation-building process since a few centuries ago. The Indians used to work in the estates, while the Chinese and Indonesians have all made valuable contributions and sacrifices for the nation too. But we have all forgotten this.

Zaid Ibrahim quit his Cabinet post because he did not agree to the government's decision of detaining civilians under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

He said during an exclusive interview with Sin Chew Daily that the Chinese used to work here as miners, and they made great sacrifices during the confrontation with the communists, adding that we must understand history and what they have done for the nation.

"We are only talking about Malaysia as the 19th largest export country in the world, and that we have the twin towers and are a developed country... Do you think we have done all this ourselves? You're wrong. This achievement has been made after so many people from different ethnic groups have sacrificed for the nation.

"We are not talking about the positive things, but instead discussing how we should get worried because the Chinese have opened how many more new stores here.

"As a matter of fact, the first feeling we should have is not about worry. We should work harder to keep up with them instead.

"I've never been worried about the Chinese. In my legal firm, my partner is a Chinese, and we trust each other. Do you think I have built up my success all on my own?

"I'm not scared that the Chinese are smart, for I'm also very smart. I'm not scared that the Chinese are hard working, for I'm also very hard working. We have bad guys in every ethnic group, and you're cheated simply because you're not smart enough. We must educate young Malaysians to look at things from a positive perspective."

Zaid said certain people have kept on mentioning May 13 to blackmail the people. However he felt that given our current situation, this thing would never happen again.

"I am thinking, for a better future, all Malaysians should stand up and speak out bravely. The Chinese must defend the rights of the Malays, and the Malays must also defend the rights of the Chinese. Everyone must be properly taken care of here."

He felt that we should not rely on a single political party to take care of a particular community. It should be that the rights of every individual must be respected and taken care of by everyone else.

(By HOU YALUN/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily)