YOURSAY | ‘Otherwise, it will be used to justify discrimination elsewhere.’

DAP faults 'dishonest' study on local job market

Change for the Better: Two things are pretty clear from this study by the Centre for Governance and Political Study (Cent-GPS).

One, the study is commissioned to tarnish the government, and two, we all have the perception that the private sector discriminates in favour of the Chinese who, rightly or wrongly, are perceived to be ‘better workers’ (which I can tell you, having had many of them work for and with me, is a false perception).

Race notwithstanding, the entire standard of Malaysian workers leaves a lot to be desired, period. Any right-thinking person knows that the present government is not the cause of these problems, but are they addressing these issues head on? No.

They are too busy reacting and responding to noises, particularly racial issues created by individuals using the bogey of Malays/Muslims losing supremacy due to a few positions being held by non-Malays; they are reacting to racial baiting.

The likes of Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mujahid Yusof Rawa does not help with the things he reacts to. Harapan is not willing to make tough decisions, but wants to give soft solutions to try and cure a cancer which has so badly ravaged the nation.

The reality is that our education system has failed us, our work ethics have failed us, our moral ethics have failed us, our avariciousness overrides everything moral and civic.

We lie, cheat, slander, plunder the system, use religion and whatever means available to further our greed and lust for money and power. So this study, like many others before it, is another meaningless distraction.

The government needs to focus on issues that will make a difference, do the right thing. They are not there to be popular, but to serve the nation.

Do the right thing, and they may or may not lose the next election. That the populace will decide in due course, but at the rate they are going, the writing is on the wall.

Anonymous 3746729027562382: If we are indeed concerned about discrimination in the job market, whether private or government, then we should ratify Icerd (International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination).

And along with it, we should also implement laws which will make such discrimination illegal - for example, the Racial and Religious Harmony Act - not just in the job market but in education, business and all other facets of Malaysian life.

Only then we will be able to solve the issue. Otherwise, such alleged discrimination in the job market will be used to justify discrimination elsewhere.

OMG!: DAP has done a good job discrediting the shoddy statistical ‘study’ by Cent-GPS – of which a key member is Umno senator Khairul Azwan Harun.

Private sector firms must be profitable or they'll go bust. Chinese and other businesspersons have to be pragmatic, so if employees of any race demonstrate great skill and competence, they will definitely be promoted and may even become the CEO one day.

The government, however, operates under a ‘ketuanan’ mentality. If it loses money, it can always borrow more and it can tax the people.

BN used every trick in the book to stay in power for 61 years, but it’s a different ball game now.

It’s a given that there is much more racial bias in the government, we don’t need a study to tell us that. This senator and his research firm are playing the usual Umno game of perception to screw with our minds. Thanks to DAP for exposing this.

Anonymous: Cent-GPS seems to be a research centre with questionable methodology. I wonder what other studies they do, and whether these are of any value.

There exist many pseudo-intellectual outfits out there to ‘cari makan’ (make a living).

Lodestar: The methodology may be deeply flawed, but the conclusions should surprise no one. However, you can't look at racial discrimination in the private sector in isolation.

You also have to consider the public sector. Is it not the case that bias against non-Malay candidates in the public sector drives the discrimination in the private sector?

Watch Out: Indeed, you don’t need a study to know what is happening. What it says is the reality of the job market.

DAP is not helping its own cause by questioning the study methodology to protect Chinese bosses. You could have 2,000 resumes for sampling, and it would have revealed the same or even a lower percentage.

It is also the same when it comes to bank loans. Most loan-approving officers are of one race, and there is bias against the other races when it comes to loan approvals.

There is never going to be a level playing field, which is why parties like PAS and Umno will never die and continue to use race and religion to divide the races. If want a united Malaysia, the private sector must also be willing to play fairly.

Pablo: Isn't the root of all the problems the New Economic Policy (NEP)? The biggest type of discrimination that disrupted free-market principles.

The 30 percent bumiputera quota imposed on private corporations on essentially every level of industry – be it approved permits, to importing beef, to work placements.

A private corporation that is non-reliant on the government will choose the best candidate to fulfil their job demands. Unlike GLCs (government-linked companies) that can conveniently be bailed out, private corporations are held accountable in terms of profitability for who they hire.

HPLooi: There you have it – the siege-mentality herd is out on rampage. Beyond just the flawed sampling and survey methodology, the Cent-GPS study may be asking the wrong questions.

Were the companies surveyed large listed companies, or small family-run businesses? How many employees did they have on average?

Large listed companies are more likely to be gender- and race-neutral. I still contend that due to demographics, Malays are already starting to dominate in all fields.

Non-Malays, meanwhile, are totally shut out from firms servicing government contracts, unless the company has the clout of YTL.

And secondly, do perceived biases reflect perceptions linked to race? Certain public universities, for instance, may be poorly perceived by employers.

These kinds of surveys are not new. They are trotted out every now and then, especially when more argument is needed to further rile up certain bases.

Instead of pounding the drum of ‘private sector discrimination’, the right question should be how to make unemployable graduates more employable.

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