24/12: Minister Caught Lying

By The Truth

I read the article published in the Sun, “Non Bumis not keen to be diplomats” (p.10, 18th Dec) in which the deputy Foreign Minister Joseph Salang, said “the lack of non-bumiputeras in Malaysian missions has absoluteldy nothing to do with race quota”.

This statement is an absolute lie and the deputy minister knows it. In her famous book, Mavis Puthucheary’s The Politics of Administration: The Malaysian Experience (Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, 1978. p 54) and the recent ASLI report, “Towards A More Representative And World Class Malaysian Civil Service”, it is stated clearly that there is a racial quota in place since independence.

This quota applies to The Perkhidmatan Tadbir dan Diplomatik (PTD) to which all Malaysian diplomats belong. At the time of independence the quota was four Malays to one non-Malays. Because of the zealous implementation of this quota, today the PTD is is 85 percent Malay, or has six Malays for each non-Malay (ASLI report pg.1)So how can the deputy Minister said there is no racial quota and the non-Malays are not interested in becoming a diplomat? Who does not want to live in a foreign city like New York of London and get all your expenses paid by the government?

The response by Salang is even more surprising given that he is an Iban from Sarawak and last year, only 1 Iban were selected for the PTD. It became a big political issue in Sarawak.

When you have ministers lying through with a straight face, you know that this country is in deep trouble. Salang is a typical minister who is both stupid and ignorant. They think they can lie and the people are stupid enough to believe them. Unlike the rural uneducated Ibans who voted for him, the non-Malays knows the truth- the Malaysian civil service practices
apartheid!