Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email I checked the meaning of racist at few sites:
noun: a person who believes that a particular race is superior to anotheradjective: having or showing the belief that a particular race is superior to another (e.g.: we are investigating complaints about racist abuse at a newsagents)
S: (n) racist, racialist (a person with a prejudiced belief that one race is superior to others)
Adjective:
S: (adj) racist (based on racial intolerance) “racist remarks”
S: (adj) racist, antiblack, anti-Semite (discriminatory especially on the basis of race or religion)
This dictionary returned the definition for racism instead of racist:
Definition of RACISM
1. : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
2 : racial prejudice or discrimination
— rac·ist noun or adjective
I don’t know. If you read the article below and look at the definitions above, looks like its racist policy because it discriminates or prejudices according to race. However it doesn’t indicate that these policies are promoting superiority over other races (that’s another topic). The implementation of such policy gave birth to various entities and schemes that favored only one race, and kind of gave carte blanche to devise methods, rules and guidelines that favor them. Maybe the policies were needed 30 years ago, but is it still needed now? Maybe need to “fine tune”. I think people (non-Malays especially) feel the policy has deviated from the its initial purpose 30 years ago, so the support has been lost now. Talk to younger people. They see people of all races shopping and spending money like nobody’s business (Don’t believe? go to Midvalley and see the Raya shoppers there!). So, where’s the poor people? Are the poor people only from one race? Don’t forget, the word bumiputra has been used liberally, but can we say the folks in East Malaysia are well off now? Look at the estate workers.What did 20++ years of NEP did for them? Did they get own land? Did they participate in land schemes? Were they given shares or units? Offered loans/scholarships? Given entrepreneur grants? Taught new skills?
Just like Mahathir giving meritocracy a new definition, maybe this is an attempt to do likewise to the word racist?
Programmes to assist the poor which may be seen to favour bumiputras should not be misinterpreted as racist policies, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
He said such programmes implemented since the start of the New Economic Policy were meant to provide aid to groups most in need of them, regardless of their race or ethnicity.
Muhyiddin said the policy was a national policy aimed at all, ensuring equitable division of the country’s wealth to all races.
“There is no discriminatory or racist policy here.
“This is a national policy, a policy for the equitable distribution of wealth which we have known about since 1970 (the NEP),” he said after opening the Pahang hardcore poor and urban poverty eradication programme here yesterday.
He said certain quarters who had labelled the Government’s move of helping more poor bumiputras as racist were themselves behaving as racists.
“No quarter should label a policy to assist bumiputras, many of whom are still poor and weak in certain areas, as a racist policy because when the NEP was launched, it was accepted by all the races, including the non-Malays,” he said.
On educational assistance, Muhyiddin said it should also not be made an issue as that would only cause dissatisfaction and animosity between the races, as after 53 years of independence education remained the basis of stability in the country.
“Therefore, whatever the Government does should not be misinterpreted, as it is for the good of all, regardless of race.”
He said the Government was also upset with some Malays who questioned the policy.
He said these people did not understand that there were still many in the community who still needed the Government’s assistance.
“If there are Malays who sabotage their own community’s struggle, then others would take advantage of the situation and acknowledge the policy as a racist policy.”
