YOURSAY | ‘A gradual step-by-step reorientation of the siege mentality is more practical’.

PM: Ramasamy's opinion on civil service his own, doesn’t reflect DAP's

Jeez: It feels great to say the truth, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy, but what is your intention? We all know that it is wrong to discriminate but the current reality is that racial and religious discrimination is not only rife but also has been institutionalised by previous administrations.

Many Malays have been brainwashed into thinking non-Malays are the cause of all their problems and a threat. Given the situation, it is a non-starter to scream for a total reversal of the discriminative policies of the civil service now.

It will only give another political bullet to the racist and religious bigots to spook the Malay majority again.

Politics is an emotional game rather than a rational game and as such should be approached with some sensitivity. A gradual step-by-step reorientation of the siege mentality is more practical and requires protracted time given that the apartheid policies have been ongoing for decades already.

It may take generations to remove all forms of discrimination and return the country to a truly plural society.

We respect the good professor for what he said. The crucial point is that the current administration under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recognises the destructive and pernicious nature of racial discrimination that will destroy the country.

We have been fortunate that after the 15th general election, the country didn't fall into the hands of extremist bigots and crooks or else our good doctor will be hauled up and jailed for his comments.

ANONYMOUS: Ramasamy is absolutely right and he only wants to pursue institutional reforms promised under Pakatan Harapan's agenda to do justice to the civil service.

He wants to promote meritocracy and efficiency, eliminate the 60-year evils of racism and discrimination inflicting the civil service, and essentially save the country and move the country forward for all Malaysians!

"The matter hasn’t been considered, but generally, I don’t think it is a problem,” said Anwar. No, Mr Madani, it is not only a problem but in fact the root cause of the suffering and disease plaguing the country for 60 long years.

This is where taxpayers are being forced to continue feeding the bloated, unproductive, and inefficient civil service which is bleeding the country dry and dominated by only one race.

Reformasi, my foot!

Apanama is back: Anwar's comment should not be confined to Ramasamy only. In Ramasamy's posting on his Facebook, he mentioned about spokesperson of the G25 group, Noor Farida Mohd Ariffin.

Noor Faridah made a similar call asking for a level playing field in the civil service, particularly for the non-Malays in the country.

She lamented that not only is the promotional prospect for the non-Malays dim, but the presence of racial discrimination also prevents them from joining the civil service.

After more than 60 years of independence, the country’s civil service is predominantly composed of the Malay bumiputera from the peninsula with minuscule participation of non-Malay bumiputera and non-Malays, the Chinese, and the Indians.

Noor Farida added that if there is an absence of a level playing field then how do you expect the non-Malays to make a significant contribution to the administration of the country?

The old argument in favour of Malay domination of the civil service was to counterbalance the Chinese domination of the economy is no longer valid.

This was among the arguments used by the former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to institutionalise Malay hegemony in the public sector particularly the civil service.

Whether the political and economic circumstances now are like those of the 1960s, 1970s, 1990s, and 2000s is a moot point.

Please go and read the full posting. It is not about any race. It is all about the concept of Masyarakat Madani. Madani cannot merely provide lip service to the one-sided nature of the civil service.

As reformasi is my foot, Madani too is my foot!

FranklySpeaking: In every country of this world, there are towering individuals in all fields and sectors. Our country must harness these individuals of all races to a higher level for the country to grow and prosper.

Institutionalised racism, racial discrimination, and racial superiority had taken a toll on the country with its many negative externalities and unaccounted social costs.

Such ways of governance with entry barriers and controls had structurally weakened the competitiveness and attractiveness of Malaysia on the local and global stage.

It is time for us to open up and let go gradually the tight grip on race policies and approaches, allowing equal opportunities for all Malaysians so that the country can grow, prosper, and benefit more from the abundant economic opportunities.

We need strong political will, social conscience, and citizen awareness to face the structural deformities that exist in our systems of politics, economics, and governance. We need real reform. Reformasi!

And Justice for All: Tell me, who is stopping Chinese and Indians from joining the civil service? The same can be said for the armed forces and police. The argument that non-Malays cannot helm the highest positions in these sectors is not entirely true either.

Countless Chinese and Indians served in the Ministry of Health, Finance, and Bank Negara Malaysia. Though the proportions may be imbalanced, the government cannot control this. People don’t want to sign up, so what are they supposed to do?

A lot of this is related to poor salary scales and benefits. In the forces, the issue is passion. These are not jobs you join for money. Even the Malays have trouble allowing their children to join these sectors.

So, the issue is not purely a racial one. The lack of quality in the civil service is because more lucrative, promising options exist elsewhere. Ramasamy is a smart person, he knows this but being him, he purely wants to test Anwar with his racially-infused statement.

He made a career out of this; it is this behaviour that Malaysians must divorce for the sake of a better future for our country.

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