Reviews

“This book revisits an issue that is most relevant to Malaysian society. It reminds us of the many faces and phases of economic inequality in the country that will be pertinent in the few decades to come. The study is objective and well researched, and should be read by those interested in Malaysian public policy and economic history. I congratulate Muhammed for this excellent work.” 

Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr Sulaiman bin Mahbob, former Director General of the Economic Planning Unit. Chairman of Malaysia Institute of Economic Research and member of the board of directors of Bank Negara Malaysia and ISIS Malaysia 

“Muhammed’s book deserves to be read by politicians, professionals and the general public alike for its factual content, including the interpretation of the underlying historical causes and events that had produced the development pathology of the Malaysian condition that his generation of thinkers have had to deal with in order to educate the next generation. History cannot be denied if new paths of national salvation are to be forged to achieve social cohesion and unity.” 

Tan Sri Prof Dr Kamal Salih, Founding Director of Malaysia Institute of Economic Research. Distinguished Fellow at ISIS Malaysia and Adjunct Professor of Economics and Development Studies at University Malaya 

 “It is refreshing and heartening for me to have found a young economist devoting so much of his effort and passion to an important subject that is fast becoming a dinosaur in the market-driven globalized economy. This book is an important reference on the current socio-economic development in Malaysia; it is an imperative read for policymakers not only in Malaysia, but also worldwide.”

 Datuk A. Kadir Jasin, National Journalism Laureate, Malaysia, and former New Straits Times group editor-in-chief 

“This book should be read by all Malaysians who aspire to see Malaysia move forward in its economic reform, particularly in addressing the gap between the rich and the poor, and of rural vs urban, gender and race. The book addresses objectivity in understanding the impact of growth to inequalities; a must-read book by lawmakers of all divides.” 

Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa, Parit Buntar MP and member of PAS central executive committee, and member of the National Unity Consultative Council  

“In this book, Dr Muhammed attempts to present a fresher and more substantiated perspective of redistributive justice in Malaysia which in fact can be synchronised with a sustainable economic growth strategy. Instead of focusing solely on income, Dr Muhammed provides a more holistic and wholesome analysis of economic imbalances by incorporating a multitude of asset categories that can be summed as a study of wealth disparities among Malaysians. This book highlights a number of pertinent points including the wealth inequality, which has remained stubbornly high according to various indicators and surprisingly colour-blind in nature. Finally, Dr Muhammed also proposes an array of recommendations on how to promote and facilitate wealth generation and accumulation especially among the lower rungs society that may include savings build-up, asset ownership, fair employment opportunity and equal access to higher education, among others. All this brings us to a re-look at our affirmative action policy as we aspire to become a developed, high-income nation by 2020.”

 Azrul Azwar, Executive Director of Institute Rakyat and co-author of Malaysia’s Shadow Budget 2013 and 2014, and Pakatan Rakyat’s Selangor Manifesto 2013

Dr Muhammed must be congratulated for his critical and penetrating analysis of inequality of wealth ownership between and within the major ethnic groups in Malaysia. Inequality here is one of the highest in the region. What is puzzling is that although the government has, over the last four decades, spent billions of ringgit on affirmative action to narrow the gap in inter-ethnic ownership of wealth, it has failed to achieve its target. Reasons for its failure must be found and corrective policies implemented for, otherwise, the problem will continue with serious implications for peace and social stability in the country. 

 S.M. Mohamed Idris, President, Consumer Association of Penang