Where are the all the bumis?

REAL DISSAPOINTMENT!
The five-day Export Furniture Exhibition Malaysia 2010 in Serdang was really dissapointing. Not that there were no visitors or lack of participants. Neither were the products on display sub-standard. Infact several of the furniture items on display were comparable to Italian and European standants.

So what is dissaponting!
On the final day of the five-day event on Sunday, I went to the furniture fair and found to my amazement there were no Bumi or Malay participants.

Among the nearly 250 exhibitors, who were mainly ethnic Chinese, a few were from the Asean countries.I saw one Vietnamese exhibitor too but there were no 'orang kita'. Where were the Bumi furniture makers? The impression one gets, especially a foreigner is that there are no Bumiputra furniture makers in Malaysia! Imagine after 50 years independence we cannot even have one Bumi participant in a prestigious fair.

It is possible that the few Bumi furniture makers are not aware of the event? But then what are the Bumi and Malay associations and government agencies doing which are supposed to look after their welfare doing? Is it not their responsibility to help the Bumi manufacturers. It can be argued that the space might be too expensive for one single Bumi manufcture to rent thus their absence. But surely the related association or agencies can get two or three makers to rent one booth and collectively showcase their products?

We cant blame the Chinese if they are far ahead in business. It is their dedication and commitment to whatever their are doing that make them worlds apart from the other races. Even without government support they are moving ahead and imagine what more they can contribute to this country only if there were a bit more help from the government.

One may ask what good is it to a Malay or Bumi when Malay or Bumi interest groups can only champion Malay rights in terms of sloganeering, banner barring and street protest.

What are the champions of Malay rights like Perkasa and its like have done for the Malays to make them more competitive? Sometimes it makes one wonder if they are fighting for the Malay rights or their own interest.
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Read below Bernama story on the event:
KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is confident of exporting RM10 billion worth of furniture this year, said Plantation Industries and Commodities Deputy Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainudin.

He said furniture export earnings declined 12 per cent last year, because of the economic slowdown, to RM7.62 billion, from RM8.7 billion in 2008.

"The government is confident the local furniture industry, which is resilient, will spring back to its former glory on signs of improving market conditions," he told reporters after officiating the Export Furniture Exhibition Malaysia 2010 in Serdang, near here, on Wednesday.

Hamzah added furniture manufacturers reported new orders from overseas and this was good for both the industry and the nation.

He also said it was time for local producers and exporters to re-brand themselves to move up the value chain, to achieve higher levels of performance and competitiveness by marketing world-class quality products.

Hamzah said the government had allocated RM1 billion, through the Forest Plantation Programme, to be invested in the furniture industry.

"The government is aware of the importance of raw material supply to the industry.

"Through the programme, the government plans to develop 375,000 hectares of land into large-scale forest plantation by 2021," he said.

The five-day exhibition, beginning today, is a trade platform for 250 furniture manufacturers, not only to showcase high quality products but to further expand their business and seek new markets.