Malaysia believes its affirmative action programme was so successful that it helped prevent a second outburst of ethnic violence. Racial tensions still exist, reports Gemini News Service, but appear to have been subsumed in the general goal of getting rich through the current economic boor.

»T F Bosnia and Rwanda are * I awful evidence of what

X can go wrong when rcteftarts between ethnic gro ups deteriorate. then Malaysia can be seen as a success story in handling diversity

It nearly was not so In 1969 riots broke out between Malays. who form more than 50 per cent of the 19 million population, and the second largest ethnic group the Chinese. 33 per cent

A key underlying factor tor the eruption was the juxtapo sltton of ethnic Malays or

HumtpNlra (sons of the soft) living in poverty amidst arhat was seen as Chinese affluence

Government. tried to re dress the situation through tlie New Economic PoUey (NEP) which called for the eradication of poverty and the re structuring of society to eUmi nate the tdentificatiori of race with economic status

To achieve these results the NEP called for an Increase in the Malay share of corporate ownership and man age rhe nt from 1 5 per cent to 30 per within 'wo decades

Hite was to lie done Iw the extensive use Of affirmative action in favour of Malay* In areas such as higher educaUon pub lit sector employment bust ness licences and government contracts.

Some Independent analysts say the -poverty eradication content of the NEP policy did not get priority during ns im plemenlallon Says Professor Jotno Kha we Sundurupi. author of many books on the NEP. "Hie 1970s and early 198Os saw a growing emphasis

Continued on p'"l• I I