Such systematic marginalization is an obvious fact that is supported by actual discriminatory policies practiced by both governments such as the New Economic Policy’s 30% equity target, government procurement reserved for bumi contractors, racial quotas in education, employment, social and religious grants. For instance housing discounts for bumis are still required for million ringgit homes, as if these rich bumis still require such assistance.

If one wants to find fault with Kuan Yew’s statement then it is that he was only half-right, in that not only the Chinese were marginalized but also Indians, poor Malays and bumis in East Malaysia were also marginalized. The United Nations Human Development Report consistently list Malaysians as suffering the worst income inequality between the rich and poor in South-East Asia. This is conceded by the Ninth Malaysian Plan (9MP) which showed the share of income of the bottom 40% of the population declined from 14.5% in 1990 to 13.5% in 2004 whilst the share of the top 20% of the population increased from 50% in 1990 to 51.2% in 2004.

These issues will be discussed in our economic forum “The NEP Vs Vision 2020: Where Have All Our Money Gone?”. The focus of the economic forum will be on the achievement of targets in the NEP, the prospects of realizing Vision 2020 and the inequitable nature income distribution with the allocation of resources for the few at the expense of the many. Amongst the speakers are Parliamentary Opposition Leader Mr Lim Kit Siang, ex-Group CEC of Guthrie Corporation and ex-Executive Director of Permodalan Nasional Bhd Tan Sri Dato’ Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, former World Bank and United Nations Economic advisor Professor Dr Lim Teck Ghee and former UKM don Professor P. Ramasamy.

This forum will stress on  the income inequalities in Malaysia which has resulted in the bulk of our economic resources being dominated or controlled by the elite few as well as where Malaysia has gone wrong economically. All Malaysians are welcomed to encouraged to participate in forum on Tueday night 26.9.2006 to encourage discourse based on reason, facts and logic and not emotional demagoguery.