YOURSAY ‘ Seriously, how many of us are related to the 10 richest men in Malaysia?’

Dr M: Chinese are rich and Indians are lawyers

Ferdtan : After over 50 years of independence and Umno’s rule, Malaysians of Chinese and Indian descent are still being asked to be grateful to a country where we were born, raised and will probably die in.

When will this be stopped? Another 100 years, or two generations away? We have as much right to be in this country, our country, as Malaysian, with or without bumiputera status. No one, not even ‘pseudo-Malay’ Dr Mahathir Mohamad, can tell us otherwise.

Mahathir, why such venom after the visit by US President Barack Obama? Are you sulking because Obama did not request to meet you, nor were you invited by PM Najib Razak at the official state dinner in honour of the US president?

Worse still, you must have seen your ‘not-so-good friend’ ex-PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi sitting at the VVIP table with our king at the dinner. Mahathir, eat your heart out.

DarthVader: A former premier who cannot see the poor as poor. Do you know there are many poor Chinese and poor Indians out there.

Poor Indians who can't even get an IC (identity card) in Malaysia. As a result, their children can't go to school. Poor Chinese who has to work hard to feed their families.

Yes sir, I've seen poor families. Probably, the ex-premier should not overreact at Obama’s statement that non-Muslims be given equal opportunities in order for Malaysia to progress.

If you say there are no poor Chinese and poor Indians in Malaysia; why so many television stations still broadcast cases of the needy who desperately need help?

Kubang: It is typical that whenever the subject of wealth is discussed, there'll be parties who will trot out oft-quoted statistics of the 10 richest men in Malaysia, with nine of them being non-Malays.

Seriously, how many of us are related, either directly or indirectly, to them?

Clearwater: Need we mention the hidden ‘3M’ agenda of Mahathir - enriching Mirzan, Mohkzani, Mukhriz - that has succeeded far ahead of a nebulous Vision 2020 for the rest of the nation.

One is a billionaire, the other two, at least centi-millionaires. All are living in luxury and comfort without the need to worry about the 6 percent Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Angelababy: Look around and you will find very poor Chinese. Poverty has no racial barrier. The only difference is many Chinese are willing to work very hard despite the odds stacked against them.

Chris Wong: Of course, there are rich Chinese and Indians. Mahathir, you are absolutely right. There are also rich Malays too.

The problem is majority of Malaysians are just getting by, while the cronies and well-connected one percent is hoarding everything.

Kangaroocourt: I see poor Chinese every day. They have to resort to going to loan sharks for their money and end up fleeing for dear life when they can't pay up.

I see poor Indians very frequently too. The gangs and snatch thieves that end up dead after being taken into custody. And there are many poor Malays and indigenous groups in Sabah and Sarawak.

But of course you don't see them, being surrounded as you are by the Yeohs, Tans and Daims that you mingle with.

Boonpou: I do not need to read this article beyond the first paragraph to argue that Mahathir is the greatest imbecile of contemporary history, not only in Malaysia but globally.

How can he says that there are no poor Chinese in Malaysia and that all Indians are lawyers?

What about all those Indian Malaysians who ended up dead in police custody? There are lots of poor Chinese and Indians and most definitely the majority of Indian Malaysians are not lawyers.

Casey: The biggest challenge facing us as a nation is the development of our middle-class population. The key to the progress of any society depends not on the sole existence of an upper class.

Rather it depends on the level, quality, type and size of its middle-class, and the value of progress they subscribe to. And that value of progress has no place for extremism and racialism.

It is time that Mahathir should stop blowing hot and cold. Indeed, if the government continues to pursue his doctrine of “...(creating) a dozen bumiputera billionaires and in turn let them create a dozen millionaires”, then the nation will continue to be exploited by the powerful and the well-connected.

The taxpayers will continue to be bled by government largesse, corruption and leakages. Ironically, Umno too will continue to be placed in a vulnerable position of being continuously exploited by shallow-minded leaders in their unyielding pursuit of self-interest with their hypocritical battle cries.

Avatar 111: What will doom the country is the divisive politics continue to be played up by the politicians and controversial statemen and religious clerics.

Telestai!: We have the rich and the poor since time immemorial as even the Bible tells us that. The challenge for every government is how to we make available opportunities to all its citizens regardless of race or religion.

In short, we need to be inclusive. This is where Umno fails, big time. Under the guise of helping the Malays, it uses New Economic Policy (NEP) to enrich its members and cronies, some of them are non-Malays.

The Umnoputras became filthy rich and Umno credits this to entrepreneurship. The rest of us work doubly hard and grab whatever crumbs that fell of the table and became successful. And Umno calls this equal opportunities.

Dr M’s sons are rich, so all Malays rich?

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