Friday, August 31, 2012

The Greedy Master of Supply Chain


1.In the economy, the survival of a business is in the supply chain.

2. When some people are in control over the supply chain, they will have the major power as if they were the monopoly. This is what the Chinese in Malaysia has.

3. Despite being less than 30% of the population, the Chinese are controlling over 70% of the country’s supply chain. Everyone knows about it except for some arrogant Malays and some denial Chinese.

4. If you refer to the history, the Chinese in Malaysia had been given the privileges by British when they practiced “divide and rule” less than 70 years ago. They had been given the power to trade, to start businesses and to extend their business chain as what they did in China.

5. Malaya at that time was full of new economic prospects for these immigrants.

6. As the pioneer, they had all the access to manipulate the economy and to bury inheritance seeds for their generations. Everyone will do the same if given such opportunities.

7. Nevertheless, this open market is based totally on profits and efficiencies. In this case, they have no social obligations toward Malaya and they will keep exploring and getting everything for themselves.

8. This is what happens before 13th May 1969.

9. After 1969, the government had established New Economic Policy (NEP) to intervene this open market system in order to maintain balance. Government knew the effect of this capitalist system where rich people will be getting richer and poor people will be getting poorer. NEP was the required affirmative action.

10. Unfortunately, since most Chinese were in the richer segments and most Malays were in the poorer group, this NEP had been misunderstood as a discrimination against Chinese. Most of them are feeling resentment even until now.

11. Ironically, what they fail to see is the greediness of their ancestors to get 100% of the Malaysian economy. Despite being the pioneer of the most powerful supply chain, it is still not enough and they still want more!

12. Looking throughout the world, China itself will rise as one of the economic giants therefore no policy will have the ability to break into this supply chain. Malaysian Chinese will surely have all the advantages even with NEP.

13. All the cosmetic affirmative actions in NEP such as selective licensing, rules to include bumiputra or subsidies from the government will be useless. Should NEP is a total success; it can only serve to protect Malays from being a total consumer, far less than what Chinese community has.

14. Nevertheless, some arrogant Malays will still want to abandon the system for their hatred to the government.

15. Despite they themselves were the product of NEP, they accidentally realized that other Malay should go out in the open ground to fight the war they couldn’t win and to face the discrimination they couldn’t survive.

16. They are punishing the system instead of the people who abuse it.

17. So unlike the master of supply chain, the Malays will continue to be labeled as racists for protecting themselves via NEP.

18. It is only The Greedy Master that can have it all.

Notes: Picture 1 is taken from www2.sims.berkeley.edu Pictures 2 is taken from http://www.connectedconcepts.net. Removable upon requests.