In Singapore the Malays actually have a constitutionally privileged position. A constitutional provision literally states:
The Government shall exercise its functions in such manner as to recognise the special position of the Malays, who are the indigenous people of Singapore, and accordingly it shall be the responsibility of the Government to protect, safeguard, support, foster and promote their political, educational, religious, economic, social and cultural interests and the Malay language.
How does this work out practically? The Malays, as "sons of the soil" are entitled to certain welfare and benefits, this is in addition to including mandatory minority representation in politics. However, unlike in Malaysia, there is no positive discrimination for admission in universities, job qualifications, etc. Thus, Singapore's approach here is just to give the minorities goodies, and political representation, but pure meritocracy in those aspects of society where merit is necessary, like university admissions and job qualifications. This appears to me to be wise, you can always afford to give minorities goodies, and even political representation and a voice, but you can't screw around with things which require competence and ability regardless of race.
The problem here in relation to the US is that, by and large, even among the conservative and "based" right, overwhelmingly admits that African Americans have been wrongly enslaved and racially discriminated against. Except for the very edgy few, nobody else is going to concede the righteousness of the enslavement of Africans, nor the justice of enforcing racial segregation by law. GIVEN this overall "moral consensus" among Americans, that the African Americans, as a people, have been wronged, how can American society move forward?
The "consensus" approach of the 60s-90s has been the "individualistic colour blind" approach, just ignore race, forget about the past injustice and treat it as nothing. They just hope to erase the memory of the past. But as the recent debates over "the purpose of the system is what it does", it is clear that this approach has failed spectacularly. You may coyly pretend that the pure meritocratic system you want to set up is colourblind and doesn't discriminate by race, but you foresee that the outcome would disproportionately disadvantage the African Americans. Eventually, like in Exodus 21:28-29 where your ox has a history of goring people and you took no steps to confine it, you will be responsible the next time it kills someone. Once your history of "colourblind" meritocracy repeatedly generates racially disproportionate outcomes, you must take responsibility for it and not coyly pretend that you didn't intend it to. Thus, liberals, and even many conservatives, who had believed that colour blind policies would lead to equal outcomes, and yet were repeatedly disappointed, inevitably turn to other more "woke" measures and explanations.
Thus, given the "moral consensus" mentioned earlier, this collective guilt which is conceded needs to be dealt with. The history and guilt of the passed needs to be cleansed as it were and the legacy of wrongs righted. It is here where I think conservative Americans needs to be wiser about reparations and how it can be useful, but not allowed themselves to be suckered by the left into a perpetual cash cow. Here is my own suggestion:
A Proposal for a "Zacchaeus Day Constitutional Amendment" for Reparations of all Unjust Enrichment by Slavery and the Remission of all Liabilities, Guilt, and Responsibilities for the Effects of the Same
(1) A Committee for Reparations for Slavery shall be formed, which members shall be nominated by the President and appointed with the consent of the Senate, which shall calculate the value of unjust enrichment which the slave masters have derived from their slaves, adjusted for inflation, and multiplied four fold. All descendants of black slaves in America may claim an equal portion of this wealth.
(2) All laws, orders, ordinances for positive discrimination in employment and educational admissions shall be illegal.
(3) A Federal Holiday, a "Zacchaeus Day", shall be celebrated annually and be made a public holiday. The President shall make a public proclamation which shall include a reading from Luke 19:1-10 and Matthew 18:21-35, and shall also include the following statement:
In the Year of our Lord 2---, the United States of America has corrected a grave injustice, which had plagued this nation since its founding, by offering Reparations to the descendants of those who have suffered as a result of the unjust enrichment of the slavers. From that year forward, the Reparations having been offered and given, the debts, guilt, liabilities, and responsibilities for the ancestors of those who have benefitted from such unjust enrichment is remitted and discharged in its entirety without reservation and remainder, and here now declare the reconciliations of both the sinner and their victims, and commend and urge, the forgiveness of the same, as our Lord and Saviour himself commands of the unforgiving servant. And by this memorial, we strike from the memory of all the bitterness of the remembrance of the past, bring no more these sins of the past to charge, and urge us all to strive this day forward, to work to free the captives, to liberate the oppressed, and release those who have been unjustly and unmercifully bound and crushed.
Thus, this proposal prevents reparations from becoming a perpetual cash cow, it is clear that the reparations is for a once for all absolution of the sins of the past with no possibility of bringing it back up, it is not just a blind throwing of cash just because one feels bad about it. Once the guilt and memory of the past is dealt with, then one can move on and focus on the present social, cultural, and inherited characteristics of African Americans which makes them remain in their present living standards and circumstances, and take future efficacious measures to raise them up, instead of just futily throwing cash and honours at them whenever one just feels guilty.
Given the failures and collapse of racial blindness policies and fixes, it is time for Americans to move on from that era and deal with racial issues with their eyes wide open and without dissimulation and coyness about unequal racial realities and their historical causes.