近期两项事件值得深思，亦应成为政策与公共行动的焦点，以重拾许多马来西亚人认为如今已在倒退的“改革”精神。
第一，是马来西亚与美国签署的《互惠贸易协定》（ART）。此协议犹如打开了潘朵拉盒子，引发一连串关于国家经济自主性、被锁定的关键领域政策，以及协议对土著与非土著权利与特权所构成影响的疑问。
第二，是“国家团结谘询理事会”（NUAC）的成立，该理事会将向政府提供与国民团结事务相关的建议、作为讨论社会凝聚议题的平台，并提出解决国民团结方案。
两者虽然性质不同，但都与新经济政策（NEP）密切相关。新经济政策原定于1990年结束，但此后不断演变，被许多人戏称为“永无止境的政策”。从某种程度上说，马来西亚的新经济政策可能是全球最长久的种族导向平权政策计划。
新一届NUAC能有多大效应？
或许很少人会相信“国家团结谘询理事会”，这个由社群领袖、非政府组织代表、学者、文化界人士、企业界人物，以及沙巴与砂拉越成员组成的理事会，能带来多大改变。
理事会过去推动的计划，显然对政策和措施并没有带来多大效应，如：
● 《2021–2030国民团结行动计划》
● 在官方活动落实《国家原则》（Rukun Negara）宣誓
● 2021–2030国民团结部幼儿教育计划
多数观察家对这些成果并不满意，也希望新的理事会能有所突破。
新的理事会能否提供亟需的推动力——至少促成新经济政策，这个或许是阻碍马来西亚迈向更团结、更具韧性社会的最大政策障碍，部分的甚至最终的终结？还是会再次沦为纸上谈兵？
后新经济政策时代挑战：为全民打造更好未来
以下是新理事会可考虑的行动计划。这项工作本应在1990年就启动，但现在著手仍不算晚。其首要目标，是动员新经济政策下不同利益相关群体与受影响者，共同进行独立且全面的政策成效评估，并检视新经济政策最新版本——《2035年土著经济转型计划》。
可参与的单位包括：
● 智库
● 非政府组织
● 大学与教育机构
● 商会与专业组织（包括房地产与建筑组织、法律界、工会等）
● 社会与宗教团体
● 政党
每个参与单位可依据自身与新经济政策下相关政策的互动经验，评估哪些处理得好、哪些被过度修正、哪些处理不足、哪些已不合时宜、哪些被忽略。关键部分包括汲取过去的教训，以及政策需如何调整，以面对未来挑战。
商业组织可检视最新政策如何影响各自领域，如中小企业、制造业、零售、物流、房地产与建筑等；大学则著重于教育，包括招生政策、配额制度等。
特别值得关注的，必然是现行政策的缺陷与失败如何伤害组织的发展。各单位可在分析后提出具体政策改革建议，提交政府。
必须指出，过去各界，包括华社在内，曾提出改革建议，但都走不远。然而，若由主管国民团结的部门牵头，并获得多元族群参与，结果或许大不相同。
建立“后新经济政策国家资料库”
全国性的新经济政策成效评估结果，可在2026年底前上载至专门设立的网站。此举至关重要，能避免成果被列为“机密”，以免扼杀言论自由、妨碍问责，并剥夺人民知情权。
为鼓励参与，建议国民团结部向智库、非政府组织、社会与宗教组织提供经费支持。
若政府能为此项目拨出5000万令吉，每个单位获10万令吉，即可促成500份研究报告。这些报告将构成极具价值的国家资料库，对马来西亚包容性发展具有深远政策意义。
这正是政府应该支持的“参与式行动研究”：透过协作、赋权与民主化的知识生产，产出可付诸行动的研究成果，并弥补国民团结的不足。
这个新资料库也可整合至部门网站，让国民团结部更有效监督各部门在后新经济政策时期的偏差、滥用、缺陷或成功案例，并回应其所负责的国民团结课题。
这也同时让民众与政策制定者能取得开放的资料与回馈，有助于推动透明与负责的治理。
尤其重要的是，该资料库不但可让公众得以持续监督，也为针对任何不合理的新版本新经济政策的批评、乃至揭露政策滥权的吹哨者，提供快速回应的平台。
若这项计划得以落实，这将成为改革马来西亚、乃至全球种族平权政策的典范。
林德宜《如何应对新经济政策》原文：How To Take On The New Economic Policy
Two recent events bring food for thought. They should be the focus of policy and public action to revive the reformasi promises and process which many Malaysians see as moving backwards.
The first is the trade agreement with the United States - Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART). This has opened up a Pandora box of questions regarding the nation’s economic independence, the key policy sectors targeted as well as the important issue of its impact on the nation's core policies related to Bumiputera and non Bumiputera rights and privilege.
The second is the establishment of the National Unity Advisory Council (NUAC) to advise the government on matters related to national unity, serve as a platform to discuss social cohesion issues, and recommend solutions to unity challenges.
Both developments are related, although somewhat differently, to the New Economic Policy (NEP). This policy was to end in 1990 but instead has gone through multiple iterations which the cynics amongst us refer to as The Never Ending Policy. In some ways, the country's NEP may be the longest lived race - based affirmative action programme in the world.
How Effective Can The Latest NUAC Be
There is likely to be few that hold hope that the new Council - a group including community leaders, representatives of NGOs, academics, cultural figures, corporate personalities, and members from Sabah and Sarawak - can do much.
The past work of the Council has apparently contributed to ineffectual policies and initiatives, such as :
● National Unity Action Plan 2021-2030
● Implementation of the Rukun Negara pledge at official events
● Tabika Perpaduan Early Childhood Education Plan 2021-2030
Most observers are not impressed with this past record and are hoping that the latest Council can do more.
Can the new Council provide the much needed push to bring partial if not final closure to the NEP which may be the single most important policy obstacle standing in the way of a more unified and resilient society. Will this br another talk shop?
Post NEP Challenge: Building a Better Future For All
Here is an action project proposal for the Council to consider. It should have been initiated and undertaken in 1990 but it is still not too late to take on. Its initial objective is to draw on the multiple stakeholders and stake players of the NEP to undertake and share their own independent and comprehensive evaluation of the NEP and its latest proposed iteration in
the Bumiputera Economic Transformation Plan 2035.
The list of potential project participants can include
● Think tanks
● Non governmental organizations
● Universities and other educational institutions
● Business and other professional organizations including the housing and building organisations, legal organisations, trade unions, etc.
● Social and religious organisations
● Political parties
Each participating entity can draw on their own experience dealing with NEP related policies and programmes. Their focus can be on which issues have been handled well, overcorrected, under-addressed, become irrelevant, or overlooked in relation to new challenges. A key part will relate to what lessons have been learned and what policy changes are required to meet future challenges.
Thus, business organizations will deal with the latest policies affecting their sector, be it in SMEs, industry, retailing, logistics, housing and construction, etc. Similarly universities will focus on education, including issues related to admission policy, quota systems, etc.
Special attention is likely to be given by contributing organizations on the drawbacks and failures of existing policies and how these have negatively impacted their organisation's well-being and development. This analysis can be accompanied by a concluding section identifying proposals for policy reform to be taken up by the government.
It should be emphasized that previous efforts by organisations including from the Chinese in submitting reform proposals have not gotten far. However a process initiated by the Ministry responsible for national unity with the support of multiracial stakeholders should have a more positive outcome.
Managing the Post NEP National Data Bank
The results of this nation-wide NEP evaluation exercise can be posted in a special website to be set up before the end of 2026. This measure is important and necessary to ensure that the project outcome is not classified as secret, thus stifling freedom of expression, hindering accountability, and denying the public's right to information.
Also, to encourage participation, it is proposed that the Ministry of National Unity provides think tanks, NGOs and social and religious organizations with funding assistance to undertake project participation.
If a modest budget allocation of $50 million can be provided for this project, the funding support of $100,000 to each participating organization can produce reports from 500 contributors. These reports can be the basis of an invaluable national data bank with policy ramifications for the inclusive development of the country.
This is the kind of relevant and effective participatory action research that the Government should support. In the case of this proposed project it will generate actionable findings and address our national unity shortcomings through collaboration, empowerment, and democratic knowledge co-creation.
The new portal can also be part of the Ministry website and help to ensure that the Ministry can monitor and guide other ministries on post NEP deviations, abuses, shortcomings and successes as well as act on the situation of national unity that it has responsibility for.
This will ensure that the public and larger body of policy makers can have access to data and feedback, and help bring about transparent and accountable policies and governance.
Especially important is that the national data bank will not only enable continuous public scrutiny. It can also provide critics of any new unjustified iteration as well as whistle blowers of alleged wrongful policy practices an avenue for sharing rapid responses.
Should this project proposal become reality, it could be a role model for reforming affirmative action policies and programmes in Malaysia and around the world.
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