Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s proposal to create an “umbrella body” like Dong Zong to champion Malay-Bumiputera rights reflects a misunderstanding of both Dong Zong and the current system. Dong Zong exists to safeguard the right of Malaysian Chinese to learn their mother tongue in schools. It does not address economic, social, or religious issues, as Muhyiddin seems to imply.
More importantly, Bumiputera rights are already supported by various government policies and institutions, such as MARA (Majlis Amanah Rakyat), a government agency established to facilitate Bumiputera education, business, and entrepreneurship. As a former prime minister, Muhyiddin had the authority and opportunity to enhance MARA’s effectiveness. Did he take any steps to make it work better? If MARA has shortcomings, why didn’t he address them during his tenure?
Rather than proposing something new and unnecessary, Muhyiddin should clarify which Bumiputera rights remain unfulfilled. What gaps in MARA’s efforts need to be addressed? These are the types of questions he should have raised in Parliament and worked on while in office. Proposing vague new initiatives without tackling existing issues is unhelpful and detracts from real solutions.