Date of Award

1-1-2000

Thesis Type

Masters

Document Type

Thesis

Divisions

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Department

Department of Anthropology and Sociology

Institution

Universiti Malaya

Abstract

This study discusses the role of UMNO and the involment of Malays in business, a field  foreign to the Malays for reasons of discriminatory colonial policies. Such policies has  led to the dual nature of the economy which further marginalised the Malays. Malay socio-economic backwardness has stirred a section of Malay intelectual and political  elites to send a clear message to the larger circle of Malay leaders and making them  aware of their responsibility in addressing the Malay socio-economic problems more  effectively. In expected to dominate the economic scene as well, an area formerly monopolized by the Chinese. Ethnic identification based on geographical locations has to be reconstructed in order to pave the way for the Malays to be in their rightful position,  befitting their role as the definitive race. Through UMNO leadership, especially during  Tun Razak's era, various steps were introduced to overcome Malay backwardness. The  First and Second Bumiputera Congress, NEP, MARA, PERNAS and UDA were launched  in order to assist the Malay to involve themselves in the economic sector especially the  business. Such trust agencies were formed to ensure that the Bumiputra interests were  safely guarded through the provision of facilities, incentives and assistance needed. At  the same time, UMNO which initially acted as a catalyst for the Malays, was itself involve in business. 1n serving this objective, UMNO formed its own corporate companies. In Mahathir's era, such economic orientation has changed the nature of the  state based on business and industrialization for reasons that UMNO had successfully  established such a foundation since the NEP was launched. However, when the holders of corporate trust through nominees and proxies, in which UMNO is involve, the  situation changed since political and economic interest were intricately linked and manipulated. The situation is more complex now since those Malays helped by UMNO  are now millionaires and successful corporate leaders. They continue to attach themselves to political elite to ensure their own survival. Simultaneously, the political  elite did likewise to strengthened their own power bases. This has led to the perception  that in order for the Malays to quickly accumulate wealth, the shortcut is to be a politician. Various posts held in UMNO were no longer voluntary in nature but were hotly contested. Such a phenomenon presents a complicated outcome for Malay sociopolitical order especially so when each individual political elite is strenuously fighting in ensuring his own political survival and in the process discarding the socio-cultural norms  of the Malays. National wealth were channelled to specific groups under the guise of  protecting Malay interests, the practice of cronism and nepotism were allowed, the never ending leadership crisis and Malay disunity were the result of different actors, acting differently, within the UMN'O leadership. This practice if allowed to continue will ultimately be seen as the culture of UMNO.

Initial

snms

Additional Information

Dissertation (M.A) -- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya, 2000.

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