It really upset me this evening to drive by a street advertisement for a new housing area to boldly claim that there were "ONLY BUMIPUTRA UNITS" for sale.
Bumiputra = "Son of the earth" = Indigenous malay race
What does this mean? What message is the developer trying to put across to people who see this ad?
Could it be:
1. If you're a Bumiputra, then this is a good deal for you because then you won't have to have to worry about having non-Bumiputra neighbours?
2. If you're a non-Bumiputra, don't bother applying for a house here because you're not wanted.
Only Bumiputras need apply
The fact is that the Government provides subsidies to developers who build low cost housing for Bumiputras to purchase. So it makes sense that developers would be encouraged to build houses which are "Bumiputra only" or "90% Bumiputra units". But my question is, where does that leave the non-Bumiputras i.e. the Chinese, the Indians, etc.?
That is the problem with a large number of critical policies (e.g. housing, education) in this country - they are laid according to racial lines. Policies discriminate according to race, rather than need. While years of colonial oppression has created a large group of under-privileged Bumiputras (by all means, they need all the help the Government can give them), it is often forgotten that there are large numbers of poor Chinese and Indians who also require aid.
Sadly, with low cost housing coming with tags such as "BUMIPUTRA UNITS ONLY", one wonders where they will live?
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