Affirmative action cannot be open-ended, says expert

ANY introduction of affirmative action policies must have its own measurements, aims, effective mechanisms and cannot be extended “forever”, says Tan Sri Noor Azlan Ghazali.

The Malaysian Inclusive Development and Advancement Institute director at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said among the considerations that should be looked into before introducing any affirmative action policies was that such policies must have their own specific time period.

“Most importantly, in this context, it should have a ‘graduation date’. Affirmative policies must have a starting date and also an end date.

“I am not talking about those listed under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, but other policies that should have their own aims and targets, proper mechanisms and a graduation date.

“It cannot be forever.

“If we don’t have a graduation date, we will form a long-term culture of dependency and this is what is happening in the context of providing subsidies in our country,” he said in his speech on the first day of the congress.

Noor Azlan said policymakers must know the real reasons behind the introduction of affirmative policies.

“Will the policy help in improving welfare?

“Will it help in improving the livelihood of a certain targetted group so they will be more productive?

“Will the assistance help a selected group of entrepreneurs to find a new market overseas?

“Each of the affirmative policies, whether it is for the bumiputra or other groups, must answer all these questions,” he said.

The policymakers must also identify the correct groups that they want to assist.

“Who will be eligible? Are we going to use through racial criteria? Or do we have additional criteria on top of it, or is it based on merit and capabilities or the location of the group themselves? Do we give cash assistance, or cash assistance for a certain criteria?” he added.