<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>July 4, 2009
MALAY PROGRESS
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Not a mindset issue
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to Wednesday's report, 'Ridzwan to Malays: Relish competition'. Malay leaders have constantly called on Malays to change their mindset so they can climb up the educational and socio-economic ladder. But do Malays really face structural barriers?
Mr Ridzwan Dzafir was quoted as saying: 'If you're good, the Government takes you. If you're really good, they really push you and give you opportunities.'
This could well be the problem. The 'good' ones are bound to do well, even if they are not given assistance. The ones who really need to be pushed and given opportunities are those who are struggling.
In education, Malays are over- represented in the Normal Academic and Normal Technical streams and it is easy to blame mindset problems for their lesser performance.
But most of these students come from lower socio-economic backgrounds, which suggests their performance has more to do with their parents' financial means than lack of positive attitude. In fact, the General Household Survey 2005 reveals that the gap between average and median household incomes of Malays and other ethnic groups is substantial.
Under the current Ability-driven Education paradigm, the playing field is not level. Wealthier parents can afford to nurture their children's abilities. It is unlikely that poorer parents, even with financial assistance, could match the investment made by richer ones.
Data from the Department of Statistics shows that working Malay residents aged 15 and above with polytechnic and university qualifications increased from 7 per cent in 2000 to 13 per cent in 2005. However, even though the constitution of ethnic groups in the workforce did not change significantly, and more PMET (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) jobs were created, the share of Malay PMETs declined from 23 per cent in 2000 to 21 per cent in 2005. Apparently, Malays have trouble landing PMET jobs in the services sector where most of them are created.
More should be done than simply blame Malays for their lack of competitiveness. Barriers to their progress should be identified and removed.
Abdul Shariff Aboo Kassim
MALAY PROGRESS
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Not a mindset issue
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to Wednesday's report, 'Ridzwan to Malays: Relish competition'. Malay leaders have constantly called on Malays to change their mindset so they can climb up the educational and socio-economic ladder. But do Malays really face structural barriers?
Mr Ridzwan Dzafir was quoted as saying: 'If you're good, the Government takes you. If you're really good, they really push you and give you opportunities.'
This could well be the problem. The 'good' ones are bound to do well, even if they are not given assistance. The ones who really need to be pushed and given opportunities are those who are struggling.
In education, Malays are over- represented in the Normal Academic and Normal Technical streams and it is easy to blame mindset problems for their lesser performance.
But most of these students come from lower socio-economic backgrounds, which suggests their performance has more to do with their parents' financial means than lack of positive attitude. In fact, the General Household Survey 2005 reveals that the gap between average and median household incomes of Malays and other ethnic groups is substantial.
Under the current Ability-driven Education paradigm, the playing field is not level. Wealthier parents can afford to nurture their children's abilities. It is unlikely that poorer parents, even with financial assistance, could match the investment made by richer ones.
Data from the Department of Statistics shows that working Malay residents aged 15 and above with polytechnic and university qualifications increased from 7 per cent in 2000 to 13 per cent in 2005. However, even though the constitution of ethnic groups in the workforce did not change significantly, and more PMET (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) jobs were created, the share of Malay PMETs declined from 23 per cent in 2000 to 21 per cent in 2005. Apparently, Malays have trouble landing PMET jobs in the services sector where most of them are created.
More should be done than simply blame Malays for their lack of competitiveness. Barriers to their progress should be identified and removed.
Abdul Shariff Aboo Kassim
