Press Statement
by Chow Kon Yeow

(Penang, Wednesday): When Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi unveiled the Ninth Malaysia Plan 31 March, many of us had our reservations over the definition of National Mission.

This is because many of the programmes and strategies announced in the Plan are actually geared specifically to help the Bumiputra/Malays populace. There is insignificant mention about other ethnic groups that made up Malaysia.

If it is to be a “National Mission”, it should be implemented in a way that no one should feel a sense of loss or deprivation. It should be able to galvanise all Malaysians to work for the mission.

We did not appreciate the fact that the New Economic Policy has made a grand entrance back into the mainstream. The government wanted another 15 years to achieve the NEP goals of restructuring society and help Bumiputra/Malays attain economic wealth through better distribution strategies.

Today, Prime Minister proposed another idea, which is to make the holy war to help Malays strengthen their economy into a National Mission.

He said only after the economy had been strengthened would the sovereignty of the Malays in the country be more meaningful.

It is clear by now that our reservations over “National Mission” under the Plan is now proven justified.

It may be called the “National Mission” but the real agenda is the “Malays Mission” and a jihad to ensure Malays sovereignty is strengthened.

With such a hidden agenda, how can one be sure the objectives like reducing racial polarization and improving national integration under the Ninth Plan could be achieved?