Towards Creating Better Battlefields

A letter from an overseas based Malaysian which I'm putting in relation to the fairness quoted by the Malaysian Prime Minister:-
I have been worked up, for a very long time, over the many things wrong in Malaysia. When I was a boy growing up in Klang, I lived on a street with about half Chinese homes and half Indian ones. In school, however, my classroom was probably reflective of the racial distribution of the country, which was approximately 60% Malays, 30% Chinese and just under 10% Indians with the odd boy out who was English. I also remember an American who was of Italian descent.

For a long time, the idea of racial differences was non-existent as I played the games boys played then, with boys of all races. In the classroom, there would be the usual competition to top the class and such competition came from all races. I have my usual suspects who were my competitors for ‘First Boy’ and these came from all races.

Sure, the Malay guy gunning for first spot would leverage against his superiority in the Malay language and the Chinese boy would have to pull his strength from the other subjects, usually mathematics. The Indian boy usually does well in English but everyone had a fair shot to top the class.

Racial differences simply did not register then, at least not in any significant or bigoted way.

Then, very slowly, we were made to feel and experience the differences. The Malay boy could get into a select school (usually in the capital) a lot more easily than the rest of us, even though we all did equally well. There were schools only Malays could get into. There were also scholarships only Malays could apply for. Yet, there was no ill feeling. The only sentiment was one of slight unease but I was happy to just move along and do my thing.

When I was in university in Sydney however, I started to slog really hard for my keeps. I had to work several jobs at any one time, to make sure I could pay the rent and not go hungry, as well as contribute as much as I could towards my university fees. By the time I finished my degrees five years later, I had made my family poorer by about RM20,000. I had from my earnings, saved almost that same amount, which I used for my airfare back to Malaysia and to start my new life back there. Soon however, I realised I had to battle again.

Getting a job, buying a home, investing, applying for anything from local, state or federal government, all these major areas of day-to-day life showed up the preferential treatments that the bumiputeras received. It was still okay, because I had my job, earned my promotions, made my investments, and established my network of friends and professional relationships. I generally lived life and enjoyed it.

I could not, however, eliminate the effect of being a victim of discrimination. It built up over time. Initially it was just a sense of annoyance and occasional snide remark by me or someone else against it. As it became more and more in your face, the effect escalated.

Many things change when you have a child. As a parent you start to think ahead a lot more. You start to think not just about the battles you have to wage, but also how to equip your child for the battles she has to wage as she grows up and goes through life.

As a parent, I no longer just get annoyed or even angry at injustices and inequitable policies. I start to think about how these injustices and inequitable policies would handicap my child’s battles. Life can be hard enough without these issues. If the energy spent on dealing with these matters could be channeled elsewhere, how much more productive, beneficial and therefore edifying our efforts and work would be.

How then do I minimise the incidence of having my child battle these fronts, and how do I create better battlefields for her? By exercising my voting rights? I voted in two elections. Both saw the BN win huge victories. In one of them, I worked for an opposition party. Starting from Lim Guan Eng’s arrest in 1996, I started being active in engaging in social and political causes.

All along, I worked in the corporate financial sector. I saw how government officials used racial discriminatory policies to enrich themselves and their friends and relatives. I saw how political and business leaders ‘worked together’.

I knew then where my child’s battlefield lies. It wasn’t in the country I grew up in. Not when the racist policies would continue. Not when the religious bigotry has started to take on very dangerous proportions. We left Malaysia three years ago.

It was a difficult rebuilding process. Our wealth here is only worth one third of what it was in Malaysia. Factor that into the higher standards of living here and we are no where near where we were in Malaysia. Professionally, my wife and I had to start again as well. From head of departments hiring and firing, we are now minnows seeking to be hired and avoid being fired.

We worked and struggled all over again to re-establish our lives. We have had to move house twice in three years in search of equilibrium in terms of commuting, schools and neighbourhoods.

After so many years of anger however, I now think perhaps Malaysia needs prayers more than angry dissent. The present leadership has not demonstrated a willingness to listen, be reasonable and work things out. They have chosen to be belligerent and defensive, even lie. Against this, the ordinary Malaysian’s approach cannot be more speeches and articles and calls for public meetings. These would only fall on deaf ears.

You cannot reason with people with such a stance. The ordinary Malaysian would think the cost of a confrontational approach too costly and dangerous and would therefore let things fester a lot longer before acting. I have decided therefore to pray a lot harder for Malaysia. I hope some of you will join me.

Related reading: I Bade My Son Farewell Today
Tags: Fairness, Malaysia, Politics, Racial Differences

An Italian Girl

A woman goes to Italy to attend a 2-weeks company training session. Her husband drives her to the airport and wishes her to have a good trip. The wife answers, "Thank you, honey. What would you like me to bring for you?"

The husband laughs and says, "An Italian girl!!!" The woman kept quiet and left.

Two weeks later he picks her up at the airport and asks, "So, honey, how was the trip?"
"Very good, thank you." she replied.
"And, what happened to my present?"
"Which present?" she asked.
"The one I asked for - an Italian girl!!"
"Oh, that," she said.

"Well, I did what I could, now we have to wait for nine months to see if it is a girl!!!"

Lesson learnt: Be careful with what you asked from a woman!!
Tags: Italy, Company Training, Italian Girl, Jokes, Funny, Humour

Beetle Car in Subang Jaya

* Correction - Jane of CHEbeh Expression brought me to my senses. The car's design was supposed to reflect a LADYBIRD. What was I thinking when I was typing this post. My friend was working with the Ladybird children's book those days and they presented this car to him. Though it's still known as a Beetle Car worldwide.

Original posting:
I think I could say that this is only real Beetle Car in Malaysia. It's still in running condition and it belongs to my friend who's staying in Subang Jaya. Went over to his house over the past weekend. Cute isn't it? I bet it attracts more attention than a Ferrari. Tags: Beetle, Beetle Car, Volkswagon, Car, Ladybird

Uncivic Minded Residents

Human beings being human beings but some are worse than a human being. If you are staying in the same condominium, where's your sense of cleanliness. Just look at my condo's ground floor. When I came down earlier, the rubbish bin was already full but people continued to pile it up and I supposed it fell as it was too high by then. The orange coloured plastic was left on the floor instead since it was full.

You might say that the rubbish bin was too small. A bigger rubbish container (fit for the whole condo population to throw their rubbish) was located about 10 steps away, just behind the lifts. That's how terrible these human beings are. I recalled the same thing happened on my floor too. I printed a notice (in both English and Bahasa Malaysia languages) and slipped it under their doors (10 units per floor only) excluding my next door neighbour who was equally pissed off. My notice sounded like this:-

"If we found out that you were the one who just dumped the rubbish on the floor at the lift area, you will find all the rubbish in that bin being dumped right at the front of your door in the morning!!"

After that notice, everybody's mindset had changed.
Tags: Civic Mind, Rubbish, Dumping, Condominium

How Fair is Fair in Malaysia?

The Malaysian Prime Minister mentioned that "I have been fair, I want to be fair, I’ll always be fair" during MCA's general assembly yesterday. How fair is fair? Fair compared to what? What's the percentage or ratio like in this so-called fairness?

Well, based on this statement I'll note down any unfair statements, actions, rules and laws imposed / to be imposed in future right in this blog. And then we'll see what sort of fairness is it later on. Such statements are common in a particular political party's general assembly in order to garner votes/trusts. Wait for a few days later.

I have been living in Malaysia right from when I was born in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and I have heard of such statement numerous times. I'll see what sort of actions will be shown in order to reflect this statement of "I have been fair, I want to be fair, I’ll always be fair". Cakap-cakap and just a mere statement is lame. Walk the talk please!!!

Reading: Have you really been fair, Pak Lah?
Tags: Malaysian Prime Minister, Fair, Fairness, Walk The Talk, Malaysia

Try the TV Game - Deal Or No Deal!

There is this TV game show being televised in Malaysia's NTV7 channel during the weekend called Deal Or No Deal in the mandarin language. I found it quite boring as it was just a game of chance or pure luck selecting the right baggage and tikam-tikam (poke here and there) while hoping that the bag you have chosen was the one with large amount of money.

It seems that this TV game show originated from UK and the craze spread across Europe, USA and throughout the world till it reached Malaysia's shore.

You can try out the game itself. First click the picture below and you'll be directed to USA's version. Then follow the instruction as provided by selecting one briefcase first.

In Malaysia's version, you have 26 beautiful ladies holding a bag each (the main attraction for the TV viewers and live audience). Maybe it's the same for other countries too....hehehe

Tags: Deal Or No Deal, NTV7, TV Game Show

Could You Live Without China?

During my younger years, Japanese made goods flooded my house literally - Hitachi fridge, Sony TV, Sony audio player & Sanyo air-cond, rice cooker.

But nowadays, anything could have came in from China even the Japanese products/goods - my Nikon digital camera, Harmon Kardon pc speaker, Sony Ericsson mobile phone's power adaptor, Nokia mobile phone's power adaptor, HP office laptop, mouse, Altec Lansing pc microphone, pc webcam, slow cooker, remote control car, chopsticks, stapler, birthday candles, normal batteries, small TV antenna and most of the items being displayed in the cabinet.

What about your home?

There is this author, Sara Bongiorni and her family, who tried to live without China. Did her family succeed? They tried it out in 2005 and noted down their life for that year and out came a book entitled "A Year Without Made in China".

Summary - at the end of the year, the family was relieved it was over....haha. They found it difficult to avoid, their life was nothing close to normal and too time consuming in seeing their labels each time. It could be part of Fear Factor too as without those China made goods, our life could be quite inconvenient.

Reading: Deadly and Dangerous Products Made in China - Newsweek

Tags: Made in China, China Products, China Made, China, Japanese Made, Sara Bongiorni