One color cannot make a beautiful painting; one species flower cannot create a beautiful garden. A green background with plenty beautiful colors, this is what makes Malaysia so beautiful all together.

Malaysian Malay.
Malaysian Chinese.
Malaysian Indian.
Malaysian Iban.
Malaysian Kadazandusun.

We all call ourselves “Malaysian” first, and there is no “pure” Malays, no “pure” Chinese, even if we do look different on our skin, all races share the same type of blood, that’s why the blood bank only categorizes by A, B, O and AB, and we can donate blood to each other and help each other.

Trying to distribute the nation’s wealth based on color will be totally wrong; the only way right is to ensure the welfare based on rich and poor.

The right way is, the poor get help from the government, while the rich must help the poor.

After so many decades of color policy, the poor Malays are still very poor, and this is what happened to Malaysian Malays, as per Malay leaders’ own remarks.

The “bumiputra” policy should have been named “Malay” policy instead. The ruling Malay politicians after Tunku Abdul Rahman have formed interest groups or classes and they operate using party flags instead of the national flag, while continuously fighting among themselves.

The infighting of those groups never stops. Politics has been used as a platform, as a reason, as an excuse, as a tool, all under the good disguise to “help the poor,” and yet, the poorer Malays are still poor today.

Sadly, over a long enough period, it has become a system of corruption under the name of “political donation” where money goes through political parties, and joining the parties has become a “get rich fast” system.

Forming political parties has become a business for many ugly politicians, which also explains the continuous infighting.

The non-stop political shows by Malay politicians, joined by fellow Chinese and Indian ugly politicians, the non-stop political drama of “today we are friends, tomorrow we are enemies; today a family, tomorrow katak, and then a new party,” and our media and banking system were all made into tools to support their infighting games.

All races of all countries have got rich and poor. To distribute national wealth based on color can only work as a temporary measure but can’t be adopted as a long-term solution.

However, this is a sad story for Malaysia politicians, and it makes them look so ugly over a long period of time.

The New Economic Policy should have been based on rich and poor, the poorer ones get immediate help, the richer ones get assistance to encourage the capitals to get invested, to create more jobs and wealth for the nation, and the positive cycles continue.

The rich generate higher tax revenues to help poor Malaysians and help build a better Malaysia.

Don’t criticize the rich, don’t differentiate them based on Chinese, Malay or Indian, let them feel safe and don’t frighten them as long as the wealthy ones follow the laws and get rich through offering products and services to the country and society.

Business is not easy, getting rich is not easy. Blaming the rich and especially with color bias is not the right thing to do.

Meritocracy, hard work, honesty, morale, ethics and shamefulness are a must; selecting good candidates based on personal and individual characteristics is a good measure to ensure our younger generation grow healthily, with character building.

Blaming the rich is unfair, and not after 65 years of independence. Do not forget that Malaysia has been a rich country and a role model for many others, with a fair share of international affairs in terms of our views and influences.

We are well respected by the world, especially third world countries.

It must not be forgotten that Malaysia was once the Asian Tiger, but instead of growing further, we now have a RM1.5 trillion of national debt.

Do not blame others but ourselves. If we don’t stop the infighting, the wrong directions we have been in will just prolong.

RIGHT THE WRONG!

Rukun Negara, our great national philosophy, is the best vitamin for all Malaysians.

Similarly, the Quran is one of the best medicines for mankind and for all Muslims in the world, and is especially good for our Malay politicians.

Stop infighting and be real good Muslims. Do not blame others but ourselves for the RM1.5 trillion national debt.

It is time to right the wrong. Do not pass it on to the future generations.

Stop corruption by adopting the true Islamic teachings. Islam and all other religions are against corruption. In Islam it has been mentioned so clearly that riba is a sin. Do not increase the interest burden on the rakyat with this RM1.5 trillion debt.

Kepercayaan Kepada TUHAN. With God’s bless, we must take this unity government as a gift from God, an opportunity for us to repair this country.

KESETIAAN Kepada Raja dan Negara. Our protector, our sovereignty, our country’s branding, we all work for the country under Urusan Seri Paduka Baginda. Country comes first, everything else comes second.

Keluhuran Perlembagaan. Never sideline the supreme power of the Rulers on religious matters, especially Islam, based on Article 3 of our Federal Constitution. The power of our Rulers must be respected, and for everyone to work with and not against the government of the day, this is the best respect to the Federal Constitution.

Kedaulatan Undang-Undang. Corruption is the problem, not our multi-races. Malaysians are living in harmony, just the politicians are not. Political parties are the main problem, and the corruption cases, once charged in court, must be upheld based on Kedaulatan Undang-Undang principle.

Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan. The foundation of unity and a harmonious society. Let’s keep our differences away and share the same common universal values and the light of Ramadan. Let us learn the wisdom of Quran and the festival of Ramadan and Raya, and get in touch with the spirit of Kesopanan and Kesusilaan in a multicultural Malaysian society.

Malaysia is a beautiful painting with plenty of colors, a beautiful Garden of Eden with many flowers, a most beautiful place on Earth.

Let us celebrate the Ramadan festival and promote unity, peace and harmony.

Selamat Berpuasa. Maaf Zahir dan Batin.

(Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew is Founder of Cheng Ho Multi Culture and Education Trust.)