THE recent appointment of Datin Nooryana Najwa Najib, daughter of disgraced ex-premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak as a director of Malaysia External Trade Development (MATRADE) has not gone down well with many Malaysians.
One such citizen is Alawiyah Yussof (@AlawiyahYussof) who claimed on a post on the X platform that even though Bumiputera already enjoyed special privileges, there was a further “rating” system that favoured those from the elite classes.
The poster insinuated that Nooryana’s appointment was simply due to her being a high-profile politician’s offspring.
She further lamented that when races are pitted against each other, the result is a class of Bumiputera with special privileges who unwittingly create a caste system in the country.
In Malaysia where Melayu and Bumiputera are always given privileges, pun ada rating.
Anak menteri, walaupun ayahnya banduan, rated Triple A.
Ini berlaku bila sistem yang ada membezakan bumiputera vs non-bumiputra, maka lahirlah bumiputera special.
Tanpa sedar, ada kasta.
— Alawiyah Yussof 🏴 (@AlawiyahYussof) October 16, 2024
Her post was met by plenty of comments that agreed with her sentiments, underlining the frustration many netizens seem to feel about the appointment of the 36-year-old to the MATRADE board. Some even described that special layer as “super elite class”.
One commenter stated that such caste or strata layer was not “unwitting” but a strategised plan to divide further according to strata and caste.
One netizen said that while Nooryana should not be tainted by the sins of her father, she herself was subject to a claim by the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) over unpaid taxes amounting to RM10.3 mil.
With another lamenting that it is the commoner who has to shoulder the burden of these elite class’s misdeeds.
A few said this divide-and-conquer strategy was a remnant of the colonial era which today’s politicians are still using to good effect.
Quite a few laid the blame for this culture of privilege squarely at the door of UMNO.
With one commenter urging voters to “bury” UMNO at the next polls.
However, one commenter observed that this system of privileges exists with the blessing of the electorate.
This post and the comments highlight the obvious unhappiness of many citizens and the perceived special treatment some seem to enjoy with more than one pointing out how these elite politicians continue to use race-baiting issues to pull the wool over the rakyat’s eyes.
While another said it was not a race issue but a malaise that affects the ruling elite.
The fact that the powers-that-be knew full well that such an appointment would not go down well with the Malaysian public yet they chose to bulldoze it through anyway highlights a couple of issues.
Firstly, it has given rise to rumours of a more intricate power struggles within UMNO and the ruling coalition.
Secondly, and perhaps more pertinently, they just do NOT care what the rakyat thinks which was best summed up by this netizen’s comment. – Oct 18, 2024
