ABSTRACT
In conclusion, this chapter situates the affirmative action outcomes of Malaysia and South Africa in comparative perspective, lays out some lessons learned and potentially shared across countries and assesses future challenges and possibilities for change and reform. Both countries have facilitated higher education attainment and upward occupational mobility of the majority population group, through contrasting mechanisms, with the commonality that the public sector plays key roles. Malaysia’s focus on education and rural communities merits consideration, but its creation of racially exclusive programmes and quotas, while propelling rapid change, cannot be advocated for emulation. South Africa’s legislative achievements, in turn, furnish exemplary reference on matters such as discrimination. Malaysia’s government-linked companies and South Africa’s state-owned companies arguably stand out as the most similar across countries, and their achievements in promoting enterprise development have been and will continually be significant. Both countries have fallen short most acutely in the enterprise development sector of affirmative action, for specific reasons aligned with policy instruments, but it is reasonable to say that capable and competitive businesses, especially graduating those from small to medium scale, have yet to materialize on a broad enough scale. Moving forward, this chapter underscores the need for a systematic approach that clarifies the purpose, instruments and outcomes of affirmative action and accounts for sector-specific contexts and implications. Further change and reform will need to: (1) incorporate more need-based and merit-based considerations that reinforce the efficacy of affirmative action in developing capability and competitiveness; (2) find ways to graduate or exit out of current overt racial preferences, in line with the policy’s ultimate objectives.
