aiskrempotong-ism: BITTER MEDICINE

Friday, March 24, 2006

BITTER MEDICINE

i managed to catch my first movie here last tuesday...i have been delaying my trip to the cinema because i am still not accustomed to paying 30 bucks for a movie. when you convert that to the number of pirated dvd movies you can buy back in malaysia - you really do think twice.
but last tuesday was different. 'crash' was showing. and it was the last day that they were showing it. so i thought, if there is a movie that's worth the 30 bucks, it has to be the 'best movie' right? (that's my brand of justification) the truth is - i really wanted to catch the show. i really like movies where a few characters, not really related to one another in the beginning, cross paths with each other as the story moves along (i.e. magnolia, full frontal). that is one type of insight on life that only movies can offer.

it was a great movie. and being in a 'foreigner' at the moment, i can really relate to it. it's about racism, about racial discrimination, about stereotyping by race. it's something that is very close to heart now.

since i was younger, i try to make friends with people from other races. you know when you are younger there were those government-funded commercials on tv showing kids of different races holding hands and smiling gleefully? i guess those commercials had an impact on me. i managed to (on some level) see beyond the colour of the skin. as a result of this, i still have a few non-malay friends who i still keep in touch with and i am able to call them up without any feeling of awkwardness. and even in my working life, i have managed to maintain friendship with some of my non-malay colleagues. maybe not as close as my malay colleagues.. but still quite close (naturally, i'm referring to female ex-colleagues). i am actually quite proud of this fact.

however, i have never paid any attention to the indonesians, the bangladeshis and the pakistanis in malaysia. i did not see them as an individual – just people with a weird sense of dressing. these people are actually everywhere - they are already part of our country’s landscape. but i never wondered about them as person - how do they live, how much are they earning, do they have a family, what made them come here. all in all, i don’t really regard them as another human being, the way i see other malaysians. now that i’m dubai i starting to find out how it feels to be on the other party – the you-are-a-low-life-immigrant-who-comes-from-a-poor-country party. you see, when i walk in the shopping malls, people would think that i am a filipino (they can’t distinguish between filipinos and malaysians - actually sometimes even i can’t. there are about 200,000 filipinos and less than 2,000 malaysians here. and most of the filipinos here work as retail assistants and cashiers – not really high flying jobs). had they known that i am a malaysian, their response would be different (people here generally have a good opinion about malaysia). but since they (the locals) don’t, i am being treated just like another filipino – without much respect. just last night – i went to an optic centre to pick up my contact lenses. the other people in the store (mostly locals) were a bit shocked to see me:

1. spoke to the guy who works there with proper english
2. purchase contact lenses

all because they think i’m a filipino.

can i blame them for reacting that way? if i was back in malaysia. and i’m in focus point, and i see an indonesian guy with clashing-coloured clothes come in to pick up his lenses and speak in proper english – i would react the same way too i think. this is racial stereotyping. ok maybe not racial – national stereotyping. and i’m at the receiving end at the moment – and i don’t like it one bit.

to redeem myself from my past mistakes, i've been trying to get to know about the pakistanis and indians here (they don’t have indonesians and few bangladeshis here). it’s not that hard because they are quite friendly. when i get in a taxi, chances are they’ll try and make conversation with me first. and it would go like this:

"you are from philippeen?" would be the first question.
"no. i’m from malaysia"
"malaysia? you moslem?"
"yes" (but not a very good one apparently. i’m trying ..i’m trying..)
"alhamdulillah! alhamdulillah! malaysia very good. why you come here?"
(err i don’t come here to work in carrefour obviously)
"i’m an accountant here" (saying that i’m an auditor would complicate matters. need to keep it simple when talking to them)
"ooh… very good!"
"what about you? u from pakistan/india?" (interchangeable based on the physical features of the cab driver. i’m usually spot on when it comes to this)
"yes"
"how long working in dubai?" (again, being grammatically correct may complicate stuff. stick with keywords)

the conversation will then usually revolve around the cab driver’s life – how long has he been there, how many children he has, how life is…that sort of stuff. there was one time when the driver even took out his wallet and showed me a photo of his wife and children (usually the family is left behind in the home country - too costly to be brought here) and i learned that many drivers earn about rm 1,000 and rm1,500 a month.cost of living here is quite high – i don’t know how much can these cab drivers bring home.
the point is – i guess being here has allowed me to reflect about how i used to disregard the people who i am not familiar with as lesser than me. only now that i am in their shoes, have i begun to realize how wrong it is. i have tasted my own medicine - and it's quite bitter.

p.s.: my roommate has been rather civilised this couple of days so i don't think i would want to continue with roomate bashing - part deux yet... heheh

20 Comments:

Ask former non-malay civil servants how they were treated in the government service in terms of career development and promotion, then one would appreciate better why government services became a choice of the last resort for the non-malays.

But when job opportunities are scarce in private sector, non-malays knowing that practices under the auspices of the NEP are more discriminatory in government services, applied for the jobs, nonetheless.

I heard this from my relative: In a government sector, 10% of non-malay employees are taking up 90% of the overall workload. Not only jobs are discriminately offered, at the work place, workload distribution is always unequal.

The ones who are promoted are generally the lazy ones as they have time to apply for leave to go for this course and that course, leaving the hard workers to cover for them.

So in the end, the hard workers are driven out by selection, leaving the lazy ones to fight among themselves. And no wonder why you get lousy service.

Mahathir already said in his book, that the malays will take a long time to catch up with other races, that they are not that sparkling eh (for some reasons) and they need help. Fine and good.

We, the other people who are then economically ahead were empathise and patient with them. Give 30% shares, give discount to buy houses, give assistance to start business, allocate more places in the universities for them (they cannot comprehend meritocracy), etc, etc, 35 years later, they still need help.

How much time do they need? Now they fling their 'keris' and shout 'leave' and 'racist'. How they ungrateful!

The element of NEP does not encourage a competitive economy. To name a few:

(1) Credits to employees are discriminative and not properly tied to performance.
(2) The 'concept' that civil jobs are guaranteed results in unproductive manner of employee.

The problem is that hard workers are not rewarded. Generally if you work hard, more work will be given to you. If you are lazy, you do less work and still get the same pay.

So in the end, the hard workers will all feel disillusioned and if you can't beat them, join them and be lazy too.

Sad to say, while the world is changing with new technology to improve efficiency, Malaysia government administration and systems did not change much.

The work environment, with intense politics at play, in the government departments is not healthy for career, financial and job satisfaction, and personal improvement. They are not happy. If you look at the public servants, you will know what I mean.

The malays must be daring to go into the private sector or set up their own business and not solely rely on government contracts. It is challenging and very hard but in the end, it could be personally rewarding with career and job satisfaction, not just in terms of monetary rewards.

This is the best way to improve and increase malays permanent share of the economy.

Even in developed countries, most people who joined public service are not ambitious and do not want to work hard. They just want a job with the government for security with plenty of time for personal matters.

It is like spoon feeding your own kid until he is 40 years old. NEP is discriminatory and government should abolish it. What can do!

Before the NEP could succeed in its twin objectives of eradication of the identification of economic function with race and poverty respective of race, there must first be the twin objectives of which are eradication of the identification of political parties and policies with race and equality respective of race.

Only with it will people start to think of the Malaysian identity being more important than their ethnic identity paving way for ethnic insecurities and polarisation to abate.

By Anonymous, at March 26, 2006 1:01 PM
The standard of the government machinery has already dropped to rock bottom. In fact, this day a few will believe what the government says.

Police personnel in Malaysia are provided with proper training. The issue with regards to their efforts at preventing criminal activities seems to be more a case of willingness rather than ability.

What are the factors which might cause police personnel to be unwilling to perform the required duties. The Royal Commission might have an answer. I venture to suggest that it was a case of general mismatch between efforts and rewards in the society.

Look at Johor, when less tourist come, they accused the media for highlighting the crimes that happened in the city. Those who don't know or never heard before the criminal activities in Johor will you please stand up. Those who haven't heard before that to obtain your car license you have to give money to officer will you please stand up.

This is just another episode of the BN-lead government all these years, who has cover up their failure and publishing the success they had done to the people.

How can they improve when they know that they can cover up their failure. How can we Malaysians feel save when the BN-lead government always cover up all the stories that might deteriorate the image of the country!

The prime minister personally cannot possibly do much to solve all the recent problems. Neither can anybody else in the cabinet. Nobody will want to dirty their hands for fear of losing the opportunity to enrich themselves while the money is still there.

The government knows the problems but always chooses to cure the symptoms rather than the causes. Government leaders are only loyal to their race and religions, but not patriotic to the nation.

The end results is power vested in official positions were retailed for personal gains, hence the malaise we see everywhere.

It just boils down to the failure of not practicing meritocracy; getting the right people to do the job; round pegs to round holes and square pegs to square holes. It just needs to establish hire and fire system; just fire those rubbish who are incompetent, irresponsible and unaccountable.

By Anonymous, at March 26, 2006 1:04 PM
Being a Malaysian, I realise that many of my countrymen don't take kindly to comparison with our friendly neighbour. In fact, when my Singaporean friends laugh at me about how corrupt, how incompetent and lately, over the faux pas of our politicians, I'd ask them to keep quiet.

But deep down, what hurt more is knows that they are right. If we don't snap out of our myopic mentality, we will forever be laughing stock and be left behind.

I stressed the last paragraph because I understand that many Malaysians don't like being compared to Singapore.

And I want to make it clear that I am not trying to glorify others achievements, but trying to stress the kind of anguish I felt when I look at this country, so much in common with my own, with historical and cultural ties that stretched back to the Johor Sultan, and with far less resources than we do, having overtaken us by leaps and bounds, while we continue to be saddled with myopic visions and concentrate on petty things……….like banning shorts in residential colleges.

Why?………..the government is deaf of non-malays opinion and outcry. You must join Umno and cry there. The government policy is to create "Bangsa Umno" instead of Bangsa Malaysia.

Why are we all so worked up over a million heist when hundreds of millions heist are happening at the GLCs by our elected representatives and their cronies!

I also don't understand why bring this matter up when hundreds of millions are stolen in broad daylight. Maybe for talk purpose. People here have learned that they don't have to work so hard to get anything. There are a lot of shortcuts here. So people are using them.

It is time our Malaysia government do something to stop the rot.

Let me sum up here:

When neighbour people fart, they will say "excuse me, pardon me". When Malaysians fart, they will say "not me, not me".

How can we learn with this attitude?

Please allow me to clarify that I am referring to Malaysians in general and not you in particular. I know how you feel when your Singapore friends talked about corruption and unscrupulous politician in Malaysia.

I would not expect you to defend the country. You would have put yourself into a more difficult position. You can actually do nothing except to feel the shame. I would just laugh it off with them. Well, don't take it upon yourself. After all, there is no yes comparison with our neighbour.

It would be so much easier for me to get a Singapore PR after I graduated and work in a place where my abilities are appreciated for what it is, and not having the politics of my skin to work against me.

By Anonymous, at March 26, 2006 1:07 PM
One be further away from the truth when he blames the current education system which allows the existence of vernacular schools for the lack of unity among Malaysians. According to, racial unity can be fostered among the new generation by simply placing pupils of all races in one class so that they can interact freely with one another. In my opinion, this line of thinking is both naive and dishonest.

Following Dr Mahathir pontificating to the world that to tackle Islamist terrorism we must remove its root causes, I suggest that Malaysians, notably those who subscribe to the same way of thinking, make the effort to identify the root cause of our disunity and remove it. Let us not resort to populist but hollow solutions in which the status quo would want us to believe.

In fact, I think most Malaysians already know what the problem is this: the unequal treatment of Malaysians based on race which is the most fundamental reason for our disunity. I am not talking about everyday racism plaguing most multiracial societies. I am talking about institutionalised racism enshrined in our constitution which is amplified and enforced by the government.

How can we unite when we are formally partitioned into groups which have different sets of rights?
How can we unite when we are constantly being reminded by the government through various application forms that we are either Malays, Indians, Chinese and others, but never Malaysians?
How can we unite when pro-government politicians hurl racial abuses in parliament and get away scot-free?
How can we tell our children to look beyond race, when one day we have to drag them back to reality by telling them that their race comes into account for scholarship applications and university admissions?
How can we gel into a single entity when our ID cards explicitly say whether we are Muslims (and hence bumi) or not?
How can we achieve unity when our top politicians wield weapons in general assemblies to threaten the minorities just so they can score quick political points?

Instead of viewing the popularity of vernacular schools as a cause, we should view it as a symptom of disunity. I believe many parents send their children to vernacular schools as a sub-conscious protest against a system that perceivably favours one race over the others. As second-class citizens, preserving their cultural identities allows them to feel that all is not lost.

Even if vernacular schools are closed, our disunity will only manifest itself in other forms. Let any non-malay Malaysian choose exclusively between the preservation of his mother tongue and equal treatment - I am sure the latter will get the overwhelming vote. A proof of this is the many Malaysians who have emigrated to western countries - do we see them insisting on letting their children study their respective mother tongues in school?

Hence, my accusations of dishonesty towards those who prefer to throw baseless accusations at vernacular schools because it is easy and risk-free, but, due to fear of reprisals, dare not point the finger at the status quo although they are inherently guilty. Furthermore, those who blame vernacular schools but not government sponsored Mara junior colleges and universities are pure hypocrites. At least vernacular schools admit students based on merit alone.

We all know that MRSMs and UiTM actively practise race-based selection policies. Why do you not propose closing down MRSMs and UiTM in your suggested revamp of the education system?

Do not forget that currently in national schools, we do have non-malay students. I have had the honour of befriending some of them during my university years, and I must say that in university, they too stick with their own kind although they can't speak their own mother tongue.

In a system that promotes the proliferation of only one culture and shuns the others, it is only human nature to confide more in those who are categorised in the same racial group. Therefore, it is absolutely naive to think that racial unity can be achieved by merely putting our children under one roof without ultimately treating them equally.

Furthermore, we have witnessed the increasing Islamisation in our national schools which have multiracial students. Hence, contrary to the belief, cultural diversity and subsequently unity will not necessarily exist in national schools because they are being used by the government as instruments to carry out their political agenda.

Every year, we see many vernacular schools achieve record-breaking performances in major exams. This shows that at least academically, these schools have done something right, and are a valuable source of knowledge for us in the pursuit of improving the standing of national schools.

Certainly, closing down vernacular schools is an option, but not only this does not improve unity, the country will lose a valuable asset.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for racial unity. But please, shift your attention to the fundamental cause of disunity. You are simply barking up the wrong tree when you blame the present education system alone.

By Anonymous, at March 26, 2006 1:09 PM
Creating a good quality of life for every Malaysia citizen should have been the goal and not allocation of wealth by race. NEP is fixated on this 30% thing. Why 30% and not 35% or 25%? Why such an arbitrary number?

Even within the non-malay community, a few billionaire individuals control a large percentage of the so called non-malay wealth. Should we punish them too with a form of NEP?

Some people say the NEP was basically good but failed in execution. But no amount of gift wrapping will change the fact that NEP had a racist agenda, a very dangerous element in a multi-racial society. Rather than forging a race blind society, the NEP was a program that brought race into the spotlight like never before and opened the floodgates for a host of other race based abuses.

But a lot of non-malays unhappiness is not just about the NEP. It is about how the nation perceives itself and how its citizens are treated unequally according to that perception.

The solution to all this fighting over the NEP, malay supremacy and malay education doctrines, I think lies in the examination of the history of Malaysia.

But look at Malaysia today, fallen so far behind Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. Even Thailand and Vietnam look set to surpass us in the not too distant future! And let's not even talk about China, India and Japan.

To me, the structure of the NEP and its breakdown was due to the Mahathir era, where greed was the motto and social considerations were thrown into the rubbish bin. Under the guise of the NEP, this era saw a few people become filthy rich and the masses retrogressed.

This would never have happened with the NEP that the Tun Razak envisaged. His vision was to improve the livelihood of the poor malays, not to make the already rich, millionaires by giving them contracts on a silver platter.

The Mahathir era created malay millionaires who are both selfish and greedy, and who do not even think about others or help anyone. Even some non-malay cronies were given the same accord as a trade off. This privatisation process was in fact done under the guise of the NEP. This was what went wrong.

I have always maintained that the malays need help, especially the rural malays, but the question is how do we deliver that help in the most effective and beneficial way, one that strengthens and promotes malay self-reliance rather one which weakens the malays.

As a conservative economist, I believe in incentive and performance based approaches, and active self-help by the malay community itself with enabling government policies and support.

Well, I think fixation on percentages is also unhealthy. I think what is more important is that everyone in the nation should receive fair compensation for their work, can earn enough to live in dignity, can have proper housing in well maintained towns and villages, and have access to proper education facilities, medical care and recreational.

By Anonymous, at March 26, 2006 1:11 PM
When we live by the power of the sword, we die by the power of the sword. We started as a nation build on principles and rule of law, and under Mahathir moved to one of a modern sultanate.

It is not just about weak leadership but about weak system. Mahathir way of doing things without sound principle has permeated all the way down to the very grass-root of civil service, corporations and enforcement officers.

The new thinking promoted by Mahathir implied that when your were not rich, you were a failure. Efforts at materialism and wealth justify the means at its attainment. Thus, power at the discretion of the police personnel was convenient means for enriching themselves.

It is known to everybody, including the policemen in the name of NEP, some malays were rewarded far more than their efforts entailed. Through cronyism, malays are made millionaires, company directors, Bankers, AP kings, etc. Some of these wealthy personalities might even be less endowed than the police personnel.

The fact that under the practice that the jobs in government service were not for the most suitable persons, rather than for the persons of the most suitable race, the incumbents took it upon themselves that it was a privilege of birth that landed them the jobs, and that privilege should be utilised to the utmost for personal gains.

Simply visit any local councils, land office, forest department, custom department, the same thing is repeated. How much you want to pay me, if not you will not get any service. It is no longer under the counter any more. They are demanding it as if they have earned it.

I have to deal with all these departments and it is becoming sickening. There is no longer any more honest civil servant, they are all out to make a quick buck. After all, our leaders are just as corrupt so there is no longer any fear because everyone is doing it.

No businessman wants to pay these corrupt civil servants but if you don't pay, no action will be taken on your application. So reluctantly you have to pay.

If all government personnel have internalised the thought that they are employed to their positions to perform specific tasks, and they performed the tasks to the best of the ability, then the institutional setup in the country should be able to ensure to a large extent, peace and security for its populations, for example in Singapore, Hong Kong or Australia.

There are certainly isolated cases of crimes, but they are exceptions.

When we have a weak leadership, the whole country becomes weak and corrupt. There is no longer the fear factor. Every government servant becomes bold to the extent they are bold enough to demand bribes.

If what opposition proposed comes true, Malaysia will instantly have no more ministers nor parliamentary secretaries nor police. All of them will either be in the death row or in the prison for life.

The cabinet will cease to be. What is more - the next echelon of political leaders in the BN will also be in the similar predicament i.e. in death row or imprisoned for life.

Poor prime minister will have nobody to work for him if he himself is not with his cabinet colleagues. This is not possible, you say? Remember Bolehland always Boleh.

By Anonymous, at March 26, 2006 1:12 PM
Pak Lah did not usually attend the parliament meeting, because he has breed monkeys ministers there.

Umno Youth has to ask if their reaction is mature and wise. Personally I am incensed by their arrogant, aggressive and self-righteous tone.

Is it too late for PAS to capture the opportunity? They already made their stand on issue by having their demonstration. So MIC, MCA and Gerakan cannot partner with them unless they change their stand immediately.

The Malaysia government is driving the wedge among all the races here. They make us feel like they are doing us a favor by allowing us to live here.

We must admit that the existing system is still good enough to bring about peace, political stability and prosperity. If you have the confidence to earn clean money through real hard work, just leave them alone to run the administration, even if they openly corrupt themselves.

The MIC, MCA, Gerakan, must be bold enough to address his people issue, not his race, say no if it is no.

Come on people. Do the one thing that truly makes a difference. Take a chance and vote for the opposition. Let us be serious when we say we want change!

MIC, MCA and Gerakan and some non-malay component parties of BN should have pulled out from this coalition long time ago. The most corrupt party in the world as Umno have treated them like non-existent.

They are all trainees and have not yet to reach political maturity. It may take a long time before they know how to think rationally. With the present style of administration plus our low educational standard, I doubt they can go far and will remain good in their own home only, barking up and down, that is all until such time when they realise too late, that they are halfway to heaven with no hope of coming back.

So the most logical thing for us to do is use your brain, think rationally, study hard, respect others, excel in your international standing and be honest. Then you can 'live' anywhere in the world.

By Anonymous, at March 26, 2006 1:14 PM
I have already known all these Malaysia media tactics since 10 years ago.

When Malaysia is facing criticism from external (such as Indonesia, Singapore or United States), the media will gather Gerakan, MCA, MIC or even opposition leaders view to condemn the external threat.

Umno-led government might even go to the extent of gathering all people to demonstrate outside the foreign embassy. The TV will give wide coverage on these.

And when Malaysia is facing internal problems within races, mostly ministers from Umno, will be interviewed for their views. Thus making those Umno fellows look like a saint, but actually they are the ones who are causing racial problems in Malaysia.

Our Malaysia TV is an Umno propaganda machine. It is still wallowing in the 50s and thinking the people are still stupid. But it is meant for the malay masses in the 'kampungs' who still buy stock, lock and barrel whatever is dished out by the idiot box.

On the paper, Malaysia is ruled by Barisan Nasional, a 'sandiwara' but in reality, Malaysia is ruled by Umno. Others are just an appendage only.

Honestly, I am made to feel that this country is not mine and that I should remain an immigrant in my own country!

In fact it was a belated news for me. That is why I am writing this belated comment. All these Umno donkeys will only know how to 'buoy' the prime minister. Nothing more and nothing less.

They have accumulated so much guilty conscience from wrong doings and sinful acts, until they have completely lost all their sense of rationality. The only way to appease their own mind is to accuse others of wrong doings.

This is the kind of culture and behavior which is common among the majority of them. Even their own kind of people is not spared.

By Anonymous, at March 26, 2006 1:17 PM
Mahathir has initiated Vision 2020 for Malaysia. But how sad that he has failed to see the importance of changing the mindset of the people before even thinking so ambitiously of an industrialised and developed nation for Malaysia.

Now we are caught in a very awkward position. Greed obviously has taken over. Those entrusted with the duties of working towards achieving the goals of Vision 2020, have betrayed the trust. So, banks, MAS, Proton and other GLCs lose billions.

The least we can do is: Copy what the developed countries do! Don't tell me we cannot even emulate what is good. Why must we copy Enron, and a whole list of unethical practices?

Pakistanis once become Malaysian citizens immediately become a bumis but Chinese and Indians 4 and 5 generations still remain a non-bumis. Suddenly they enjoy all bumi privileges - housing discounts, Mara colleges, scholarships - can now even become minister.

The former like Khir Toyo. Well, non-bumis if you don't like it you can leave.

With many malays given higher education in local and overseas universities for the past decades, it is surprising and shocking to see the standard of public services in areas of accountability, professionalism and responsibility have significantly declined.

It is the roots and gene, plus the strong culture of a person, and definitely not the paper-qualification, which determine if you are smart or stupid. It will take many generations to improve the gene and culture, as mentioned in the book entitled 'The Malay Dilemma'.

The present culture in the government department is difficult to change and any changes will be met with strong hostility. Just like a company is badly run and an administrator is hired to improve the bottom line and services, and return to shareholders.

Badly run and inefficient government agency could be placed in the same situation to protect the interest of ordinary people and Malaysia.

To be effective, a major reform must be implemented, including getting significant number of capable and professional people from the private sector to run the department and agency.

Those who have brought great losses and shame to our beloved Malaysia should be heavily punished. They are our national enemies! Pak Lah, the ball is at your feet.

By Anonymous, at March 26, 2006 1:18 PM
I enjoy the many good points brought up in the forum, both by you and the readers……….the root cause of all these nonsense is really what suggested, that is, the un-meritocracy practise of the universities……….

Just imagine, why do these people need to have 'westerners' to help to lift the name and status of the university and make it more well known?

The only possible reason is that, these people are hopeless, useless, and out of ideas on how to lift the name and status of the university and make it more well known.

It is a similar story with the car industry, the so-called Multimedia Super Corridor thingy, etc……….they just can't do it by themselves and they seem to have this weird habit to hire 'westerners' each and every time, to do the very job that they are supposed to do in the first place but are unable to do.

The other good point is that, the whole thing is unjust to non-malays and non-politically correct professors and researchers in this country.

I urge interested parties to go and make a check on the number and percentage of non-malay faculty members in the university. I cannot verify this, but I was made to understand by a pretty reliable source that the percentage of non-malay faculty members is a mere 3%……….

So, what does this say? They are not tapping into the local resources as they should and we can all guess the reason why.

The main problem is, they wanted to have quantity rather than quality in the first place. This had begun since the inception of the NEP. Those studying history should have an idea about it. They just want more people with degrees or whatsoever, but never think of whether they deserved in the first place.

Yet they are still creating this kind of phenomenon. Hiring someone with international experience will bring benefits under the assumptions that, these guys don't butcher that someone like the poor professor mentioned. They are really good in butchering those talented people with mediocrity policies.

There are too many students in courses academically unsuitable for them. Pass them and they may end up unemployable.

Meanwhile, in certain industries we have labours shortage and have to rely on foreign labours, draining money out of the country.

Which means, as long as the NEP keep going without alteration to the current situation, the number of unemployed undergraduates will increase year after year. The country will keep on rotting.

If we still don't improve, there will be a time degrees obtained within Malaysia shall not be more than a piece of junk. And if we use it outside of Malaysia, we can only work as cleaners and housemaid.

Correct, most of them are already considered as junk. Most of them aren't even recognised beyond the boundary of Malaysia.

I am still not really convinced with the things they do, since they are really good in putting up shows. Sure they say they will hire people from the West, sure they say they can do bio-tech and improve the university, but if they had honor what they had said, we won't be in these kind of predicament far deeper than we can handle.

Finally, I totally agree with the opinion that the 'westerners' will cut short their stay, leaving the university out of frustration……….wouldn't anyone do the same with those hopeless people running the show?

I look forward to seeing these fellows making a fool out of themselves in trying to execute this grand plan……….

By Anonymous, at March 26, 2006 1:21 PM
The leaders of Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, the Malaysian Chinese Association, the Malaysian Indian Congress, Peoples Progressive Party, will talk strongly on peripheral matters, but not on issues that affect the people they represent.

It is wrong to assume that Malaysians would remain quiet for all time.

No government GLCs are not successful any more. None are headed by a non-malay. They would rather employ a white man than a non-malay. Some like Bank Bumi, has been revamped four times, each time the government putting in millions ringgit, if not billions, to keep it afloat. Yet no official has been penalised for running the GLCs to ground.

The latest is MAS, but there are others. In one GLC, a malay is threatening to sue. Rather than face him in court, the GLC would rather give him one of its companies than face him in court. The malay culture of 'tidak apa' continues to dominate.

But who should stop this go along? The non-malay political parties in government will not lift their arm. Their leaders are more interested in being in the cabinet, and if that means stepping on the people they represent, then so be it.

They do not service their constituencies - a singular exception is Samy Vellu - but the people vote them in every time. They hear nothing, see nothing, speak nothing. That is their defensive mechanism to stay in the cabinet.

But politics in this country has reached the stage where the racial groups do not support their leaders, but unite among themselves to oppose them.

It will be a while, perhaps 2020 year, before they are a force. But the policies initiated in the early 1970s has brought this about.

"While other areas in Malaysia are considered as middle-income economy, many parts of Sabah are equivalent to Africa as they are categorised as low-income economy."

But, if we have all been unhappy with BN, why do we keep on electing them, time after time. Yes, I know, there isn't a viable alternative. But now, there is a ghost of a chance for an alternative party, and I think we should try that chance.

The non-malays, or other second and third class citizens have nothing to lose by voting in non-BN parties. After all what can be worse for these classes of citizens than the present situation. I say, give non-BN parties a chance.

Enough is enough.

By Anonymous, at March 26, 2006 1:23 PM
The issue of the NEP has been hotly debated for several years now and nothing has changed. NEP will continue to thrive till the end of time unless the malays themselves see in the ineffectiveness of the policy.

Frankly, the NEP has not really benefited the majority of the malays because it has opened only a big doorway for those who wield political power to getting rich quick.

NEP is a biased policy and has no aim to thrive to the economy. In basis, NEP is not an economy policy. If prime minister is serious to develop a competitive economy, NEP should be dropped.

People who are used to getting easy money like this will fight to the end to ensure the continuous steady stream of easy money flowing into their pockets.

The trouble with our Malaysia government is that they do not have the foresight to know the consequences of their policies and it is only when the horse have bolted that they close the barn door. By then it is too late and beyond repair.

It is a common notion that there is no equality and meritocracy in the government department, civil service and armed forces. Nevertheless, the reality remain that the government is not prepared to embrace this fact. There is simply too much at stake to risk.

I believe the problem of non-malays not joining the army, civil service, navy, police force, and the likes will not go away but instead further deteoriate in time to come.

How true, promotions are denied to the non-malays. They say that non-malays are not interested in joining the civil service, yet those in the civil service know that applications from the non-malays mostly end up in the waste paper basket. Perhaps one or two are employed as the eyewash.

Even with better education, more malays are joining the government services instead of private sector for various reasons. Their education and personal potentials are not fully realised and utilised.

Of course the non-malays have not abandoned the nursing profession. Instead the non-malays seek qualification from private hospitals or oversea institutions and many of them are serving in private hospitals and oversea hospitals.

I don't want my son to be a government servant in Malaysia. In the age of globalization, he should look forward to being a world citizen. His experience in Malaysia should stand in good stead when he is ready to spread his wings.

I am not trying to be racial in this post. I am just trying to provide facts for everyone to ponder upon. Could you blame the non-malays not to enter the civil service when such unfairness is openly practised?

How can Malaysia remains a competitive country when we have layers and layers of rent seekers permeating almost at every facets of our society? Please keep watch - the national budget will be used to shore up the performance of GLCs soon.

Now, the dominance of malays goes beyond the civil service. They now control and manage most privatised entities, GLCs and increasingly the private sector especially the banking industry. At one time it was the civil service that was inefficient. Now it is everywhere.

A civil service dominated by only one race is just a manifestation of individuals taking liberty to carry the policy of affirmative action, further than what it is intended to be. Discrimination in the civil service against the non-malays and the failure of the government administration to check it, resulted in the present imbalance.

As Malaysians become better and better educated and hence become more and more aware of what is actually going on, I think eventually the people will soon see the ugly side of communal politics and we will surely see a paradigm shift in the thinking of Malaysians

Wake up, Malaysians, unite and be strong and happy together!

By Anonymous, at March 26, 2006 1:26 PM
Hey, sounds like you're startin to fit in there.. watching movies, going out!

Paul

By savante, at March 26, 2006 4:20 PM
pal, kenapa i rasa macam kotak komen you ni dah jadi mangsa emel spam yang menceritakan ketegangan kaum dalam Malaysia yang ala2 air tenang jangan disangka tak ada buaya?

pelik aku baca sesuatu yang boleh jadi tulisan dalam blog secara berdiri sendiri, tak payah nak komen panjang-panjang..nama lain2 tapi gaya penulisan sama...macam spam je...

By Anonymous, at March 26, 2006 5:40 PM
letter to malay pig and malay rubbish -------------------

We can't change it politically, you are wrong. We will.

Once this country is run by terms of equal rights, where each citizen play by the rules and regulations of total fairness, then we shall see where the malays will stand.

Right down at the bottom? Most probably, yes! Not only the non-malays will agree, the whole world would probably agree as well. In fact some malays will agree this as well.

The only thing that all of us can see, whether you are a Malaysian, or non-Malaysian, is that the malays here will never change. Not now, never will.

Your level of intelligence and pathetic sense of judgement depict not only how truthfully and incompetently low life beings you are, crawling at the lowest level of the human hierarchy, begging for alms, practically putting all your grotesque clown-butt ugly faces in front of the world, self-admitting that even maggots feasting on a pile of dung, looks and sounds much much better.

You defense on your own race, will not conclude anything, but strengthen the fact that even your pure existence in this very world of civilized human beings, is worse than the thought of having an incest driven rapist over for dinner.

Ponder upon this, there is no point defending for yourselves, save it. The fact and all the truth speak louder than just stupid farts coming out from your infested mouth fueled by your retarded brain.

To be honest, how naive you are with your pointless talk, we can see it in every glory in your statement here. In fact by calling you stupid, would be the most insulting thing by being stupid. Have you ever heard of the word opposition?

Think my friend, if there is no such thing as bravery to challenge the government face to face, why would oppositions be there?

By now, your retarded brain must be struggling, thinking, hey what is the point of oppositions if they are not effective enough to fight against the government? Good question.

One word - CORRUPTION.
The rest of the picture, I will also leave it up to you.

The real cowards in Malaysia are the group of people who survive under bogus unfair rights, fictional promises which only rat testicles will believe they are true.

The same group of people who destroying the country with their own social menace, incest activities, drugs, materialistic punks with brain the size of a chicken shit, etc.

The same group of people who are spoilt by unreasonable, pointless, total waste of time support from the government. Which even that, on that very constant support, they are still licking their own balls, nursing their injury, shamelessly.

And still as of yet, presently and logically categorized as the POOREST class citizens who only survive by politically sucking other people's hard earned benefits.

The same group of people who idolizes external portrayal of physical goodness, but mentally and reality, are bunch of idiotic hypocrites nothing better than a rottening pair of pig's testicles. Even the maggots would think twice of devouring such a distasteful crap.

I am sick and tired of saying this over and over again. I honestly believe, that every single malay individuals in this country, within their very heart, and best interests, know where they stand. They know right from the start, that they can't win in a fair and equal environment.

Their fictitious pride and ego made them proud of their weakness, never ever have the guts to admit their weaker side.

And how do you think they survive? By playing dirty. And most of the time, very very dirty. To those malays who are successful, trust me, they are not pure malays. They are even embarrassed by the fact that they are malays.

Think......................

Still think and insist malays are for perpaduan? fair? got integrity and dignity?

The only way to have perpaduan is: you motherf***ker stripe your own babi status and come to term with other races on level playing field............that is what we call a step towards perpaduan..............!

We are all Malaysians, why not? What is your problem??????????

Now the answer to this I leave it to you to think. How you want to think it with your level of stupidity, I have truly no idea.

By Anonymous, at March 27, 2006 7:38 AM
The malays are a truly hypocrite bunch of people. All this bullshit about the 'freedom of religion' as only appears to apply to anyone but not the malays!

The malays have made Islam such a hated religion with many man-made laws and impositions, all to suit their own convenience, and yet they claim to be 'Islamic' without even practicing the religion as it was intended to be practiced.

If Malaysia only wants Islam, then get rid of all the other races and live truly as 'Malay'sia, and see the country being destroyed by brainless malays monkeys in a matter of one year!

Why can't all races live in harmony? Why must anything that is related to Islam be such a huge contentious issue?

What the hell is the Syariah Court? These so-called Syariah 'lawyers' are a joke to the legal profession. The travesty of justice in Malaysia regarding converts to Islam especially is demeaning and a pathetic joke.

The Federal Court which is the supreme legal authority in Malaysia is 'impotent' against this useless Syariah Court when it comes to matters dealing with conversion! What absolute rubbish!

The malays are nothing but over-zealous hypocrites who don't even understand Islam in the proper context, let alone profess to practice it!

If malays want to progress in the world, you malays will have to rid the notion of God and your religion. It is your backward religion that is holding you back from every strata.

Look at Muslim countries. They are absolutely backwards in every aspect, living in the most poverty-ridden corners. But when it comes to religion, and building mosques which is half empty always, they build the best ones. Ignoring the poor people who live in shacks.

In Malaysia there is a mosque about every 100km and now they are built along the main streets of all towns. Is it to prove that you malays are so very religious? You malays think that every one has only sex in their mind all the time! This is a fault that undermines humans.

Now you malays have to rid your backward religion and go forward. And you malays must learn to accept that there is no God but dog.

Malaysia will never achieve developed status, certainly not with the malays. At least Mahathir built two tall structures that got the attention of the world, as he knew that the intellectual 'capabilities' of the malays were as good as a cow in the padi field, regardless of any kind of miracle!

Despite all that the Malaysia government has been doing for the malays for ages, the malays are still way behind in terms of everything. They are lazy and have become so accustomed to handouts that they refuse to work to earn an honest living.

It is very sad. Why can't all races compete fairly? Remove all the barriers and ensure free competition based on merit and capability, rather than by race. Will that ever happen?

Everything in Malaysia is a joke when it comes to the malays. They are laughed at by everyone in this world for being incompetent, lazy, useless morons.

Be like Raja Petra……….a self-made man to be proud of, also a malay that is objective and can distinguish right from wrong.

By Anonymous, at March 27, 2006 7:42 AM
It is undeniable that malays are stupid, lazy and incapable. Why don't they just humbly admit the facts and repent and learn from other races especially Chinese?

What is the point to argue here and wasting time again?

From the first onwards we were merely telling the truths. It wasn't us who think that way but their own Pak Lah as well.

All malays should go and read the newspaper, even Pak Lah is ashamed of maintaining the NEP after 34 years of implementing it and these malay baboons are still asking for it.

Even Pak Lah wanted them to compete on a level playing field.

So what does all these tell the world? It sends a very clear message that it is malays themselves who are incapable and lazy and they don't even want to admit it and make a change!

That is the biggest shame of all.

Can't you see, it is all back to square one. Year in, year out, some talk for half an hour, some one, some two. Some sing, many belt out their most recent released 'pantun'.

After all. Malays are good at that. Suggestions after suggestions, some good, some impossible to realize.

But, do you see any of these materialised? Hardly. Why, why and why???

Because the malays can never change. Never! Why?

The leaders forgot or were it they simply didn't want to admit and address that the actual disease is the malays and the remedy itself is also, the malays. They can never change. What is it about the malays?

Firstly as you all know, they are a lazy species. Since the beginning of time they have been like that. Even the encyclopedia called them as lazy people. I think those British with their accent tried to call them 'malas', and if you put 'y' in, it becomes 'malays'.

Embracing Islam make them a worse lot. Now they have a license to kill anything that gets into their way.

Malays are ungrateful lot. In reality, they just can't live or open their minds for others. When Mahathir said that they are complacent, they put him in jail. When Mahathir encouraged them to learn English language, they got angry with him, saying it is a 'bahasa penjajah'.

When other races 'maju', they got angry with them too. That was why at the end of Mahathir his regime, he said this, "I have achieved greatness as a prime minister, but I only fail in one thing, changing the malays."

Well, nothing to be surprised about anyway since Mahathir is not really a malay, and I guess that was why the malays were angry with him.

Drug abuse, hate, incest, liberal extremism (culture of miniskirts and gay marriages), murder, racism, rape, religious fanaticism, parochialism, snatch theft, spoilt-bratty behavior, tribalism, wife abuse, child abuse, all that is associated with the malay race.

To them, malay is the biggest impediment towards building a truly Malaysian nation, and should be chucked into the dustbins of history.

A genetically flawed race cannot be fixed by politically. Nature will take its course and globalization will put them out to pasture.

What have we got now?

Brain drain, economic disparity getting wider, poor education system, racial segregation, widespread corruption, inefficiency and uncompetitive on the government departments and others.

Sad. Sad. Sad. The question asked by many of my fellow Chinese is this - Why can't you just tell the malay peoples to adopt Chinese culture which is superior?

From research, this peninsular was part of the Siamese empire way before these malays from Indonesia invaded it.

Still so thick skin, don't want to go back to Indonesia!

By Anonymous, at March 27, 2006 7:46 AM
OMG!!!! Are those comments for real or just a spam attack??

I did the same thing too. Being friends with other races is a funny way of seeing how narrow-minded we are sometimes. There are moments when I catched myself from saying certain things to my Malay friends but have no problems saying them to my non-Malay friends.

Awwww, I love the meanie side of you! ;p Just because I wouldn't know how to response to situations like that. LOL!

By akihisa, at March 27, 2006 7:40 PM
I have always been multi-racial in my approach to life.... hee hee

I have friends who are Malays, Chinese, Indians and Thais.... heehee

I work in a multi-racial environment too... and I think that;s the reality of life in Malaysia... a plural society

I also live in a cosmopolitan suburb of Kuala Lumpur, and NOT a single-ethnic neighbourhood.

Oh yeah, I find RECENT immigrants to Malaysia as being treated as second class.... I am LOST with words na

By Mr RM, at March 31, 2006 2:05 AM
i am filipino by heart and soul. i was born in malaysia yet i spent the rest of my developing years back in the philippines. i was kind of laughed-at when i started school in manila coz i had broken english, and didn't speak articulately. thankfully, the philippines' quality education got me back on track. but alas, i had to go back to malaysia and learn fluent bahasa melayu since most of the people in your country can't even understand simple english. even the professors couldn't even construct one english sentence! i had a hard time making friends with malays, so all my friends were malaysian-chinese. dig this, i even had to teach my english teacher how to spell giraffe! education in malaysia really sucks, kids have to study abroad to get quality education. fortunately, i went back to finish highschool and college in manila.

just because you've developed into a middle-class nation, it doesn't mean the demography has. your mindframe is still backwards. i work in a multiracial environment where all nationalites you can think of are there. never would i want to be mistaken as a malaysian because for a lot of us, they are just plain bossy (i don't know where it's coming from. you haven't really made it in the big world), and boring people. sorry to say, they never really lighten up a room. and seriously, i can definitely distinguish a malay from a filipino.. we just have a more positive aura, coz we're just simple, hardworking happy (and ehem more gorgeous :D) people. i'm proud to be who i am because when people find out about my nationality, you see big smiles in their faces as they acknowledge me. yep, doesn't only happen to you!

it's funny that you feel weird being mistaken as a filipino at carrefour. here's the deal, these people just feel good to know that you're muslim..not because you're malaysian! my very close muslim-filipino friend who works in dubai gets all the praises because of his excellent english and splendid customer-relations skills and he gets their high respects because he's muslim. it doesn't only happen to your race, my dear. these people acknowledge everyone's presence because they feel that every nationality has its good side. don't indulge yourself too much on your malaysia-truly-asia ad campaign (ugh it's so superficial). you're not the only multiracial country in this continent, and definitely not the best.

i don't think you've changed one bit living in a so-called multiracial land. you think the same, showing obvious signs as you write your blog. and your reflections and realization moments? don't even go there..it never took place. you're still malay, LA! bitter truth, huh?

By Anonymous, at June 01, 2006 6:09 PM

aiskrempotong-ism

Friday, March 24, 2006

BITTER MEDICINE

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