Crutch that becomes the 3rd arm of the holder

“In making use of the provision for the "special positions" of the Malays, the post-1969 leaders came up with affirmative actions. These are undoubtedly "crutches" and crutches should be discarded as soon as strength is gained. Only the selfish would advocate throwing away the crutches of others simply because they have already made good use of their own. ” the former prime minister wrote in a posting on his blog,

on April 17, 2010


KUALA LUMPUR, April 16, 2010
In a keynote speech to commemorate the 44th anniversary of Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara), a government agency set up boost Bumiputera participation in business and education, the former premier said the Malays must not be proud of always getting aid from the government.

“Aid is like a crutch... to be given when we are weak” he told an attentive Malay audience, which packed the ground floor foyer of Medan MARA, the agency’s headquarters here.

“It is better if we can stand firmly on our own feet,” he added.

“Do not be proud with such aid. In truth, we are not masters because of aid,” he chided, lamenting the general attitude among the Malay community which frequently looked for the easiest way of getting rich.
- reported by the Malaysianinsider.com

The question is when will the crutch holders regain their strength? The problem starts when the crutch becomes part of the physical arm (the 3rd arm) that is within easy reach to the coffer.  The more money drawn out by the 3rd arm, the more powerful the arm becomes.  Eventually, such arm will never be parted again.  It becomes an integral part of the body.  To remove it, you need a surgery and it is painful.  The crutch holder will definitely refuse the removal and he will take whatever measures to protect it.

But again, we should look back at the beginning when crutches are being distributed.  Who were given them and who were not? Who should be given and who should not? Were there enough crutches to be given to every body who needs it?  Did everybody wants it? Did everybody needs it?