No favours asked

This letter to the editor which appeared in the Sun of 28 November 2007 is one of the most illuminating and encouraging statement from someone who has managed to come to terms with what life has given her.

This is the spirit and gumption which should be a part and parcel of everyone irrespective of creed or religion. But alas, a lot of us tend to give in to our base instincts and seek the easy way out. A damning scenario.

"No favours asked I am a first generation Malaysian Indian. My father came to Malaysia from India in search of a better life. He left behind the security and comfort of his homeland, his family, his relatives and friends because he truly believed that Malaya (as it was known then) was a land of opportunity. This country, he told himself, would become his new home. No one forced him to come – it was a personal choice. In time, my father sent for his bride to be and my mother too came to this unknown and foreign land. They soon settled down and started a family, which would grow over the years to include seven children. Life was not easy here but my father persevered. He could have easily thrown in the towel, packing up his family and leaving for his familiar homeland as did many others, but he did not. Yes, he faced many kinds of trials and tribulations – financial woes were aplenty and discrimination at the workplace was rife. But he took it all in stride. This was his homeland now – both my parents had given up their Indian citizenships and were proud to call themselves Malaysians. They were willing to take whatever life gave them. My father has since passed away. Since coming to Malaysia, he only visited his country of birth on two occasions – the last one was just a couple of months before his death. My mother on the other hand, returned to India only once and it has now been more than 40 years since her last visit. When I asked her if she misses the land of her birth, she said that except for wanting to visit her siblings over there, she is quite content in remaining in Malaysia as this is her home now. I am not afraid to admit that growing up in Malaysia has not been a complete bed of roses – there have been numerous ups and downs, many instances of discrimination and injustice but I have learned to take it in my stride. Many a job has slipped from my fingers not because I lacked the qualifications or experience but simply because I am the wrong colour. Yet discrimination comes in many forms – so it will be unfair for me to only highlight the racial discrimination that still exists in this country – we face discrimination in many places – in our places of worship, amongst our own ethnic community, in the workplace, gender discrimination etc. There are many like me who have faced walls and barriers and there are many like me who have picked ourselves up from the dust of oppression, put a smile on our faces and marched on with determination. I don’t hold my parents responsible for the struggles I face in life and I don’t lament that the world owes me a living. I know of many people who have pulled themselves out of the depths of poverty through sheer hard work and determination and who have made something of themselves. While it would have been easy for them to start pointing fingers and blaming everyone else for their sad state of affairs, they have chosen to channel their energy into something worthwhile and make something of themselves. Then there are those who use their talents in helping others – in bringing a positive change to a particular group or community. They are aware of the many shortcomings in legislative measures and government funding, so instead of merely making noise about the situation, they chose to do something about it as well. If we believe that our community has remained at the bottom of the ladder all these years, then perhaps its time we asked ourselves why. Have we allowed ourselves to remain in the shackles of "colonisation" and hoped that someone would hand us the key or have we attempted to break free? There are many success stories amongst the Indian community so why do we continue to sit and wait for hand-outs when we can fend for ourselves? Let’s face it – there is no one government anywhere in the world that is perfect. If there were, then there certainly would be a mass exodus to that Utopia. However it is not impossible to reach this Utopia – all we have to do is free ourselves from this "the world owes me" mentality and learn to help ourselves. A quote from the great Mahatma Gandhi says it well: "Rights that do not flow from duty well performed are not worth having." Patricia Pereira Via e-mail"

Abort policy?

I like this letter to the editor which appeared in the New Straits Times of 20^th November 2007.

Use of English: Stick to the goal

By : S.K., Seremban

I AM concerned about our education system and the haggling over the teaching of subjects in English.

There appeared to be good reasons for the change five years ago, but these reasons are forgotten and there are attempts to revert to the old system.

When a new policy does not meet its expectations, please don't abort it but introduce changes so that the goals can be achieved. Please don't conduct experiments on education.

The last paragraph is very telling. As I recall, there was a concerted effort to teach all subjects in Bahasa Malaysia starting from the 1970s. So, any failure in that system means that policy should not be aborted, right? Why the switch back to English?

The often quoted answer for the switch back was the role of the language of instruction in pulling down the standards. Is that true? I still feel that language is a tool. The change to Bahasa Malaysia was supposed to be not just as an instrument of instruction but also a rallying point for the citizens of Malaysia.

Just have a look at non-English speaking countries in the world especially those in Europe and everyone's favourite country at the moment, China. They have made quantum leaps in the fields of science and technology through, surprisingly the use of their own mother tongue. Not English.

Of course English is the dominant language in the world at the moment. But notice how many in the West are learning Mandarin to gain a foothold in China? So maybe, it all boils down to the political will of the leaders. If the leaders deem a particular language is necessary to improve the nation's competitive age in the market place, they will come with all sorts of reasons to abandon that old policy.

A better perspective on last saturday's demonstration?

Some of the points I like in the article by Rehman Rashid which appeared in the New Straits Times 16th November 2007.

But what they were really up against were the provisions inserted into the Constitution as a caution against mass rallies turning into mass murder.

Perhaps the 47 years since the Emergency and 38 years since the May 13 riots are sufficient to prove that Malaysians can be trusted now to assemble without let or hindrance; that the police should be expected to perform only traffic management, not crowd control.

Had that been the point of it, Saturday's rally might have helped prove that point. Breaking the law to change the law may be justified if "the law is an ass, an idiot", as Dickens' Mr Bumble fatuously remarked in Oliver Twist. But changing the system to change the law is oxymoronic.

I could sympathise, therefore, with his insistence on "changing the system". That's where he and the rally made perfect sense: Why respect a system you want to change? So my only question to him was: Change to what?

But is that what our reformists want? If so, no one's saying so. "Clean Elections", "Judicial Reform" or "Burn Baby Burn" all lack the specificity that would help the rest of us know exactly what they're selling. What exactly do they see as a better future for all? Where would they take us? What's the end they have in view?


Yes, it is still a blur to me too. Better the devil we know?

Malaysian Poetry by a Malaysian

A friend forwarded this poem to me:

Happy Diwali everyone


This is a story about Malaysian society
Where different races supposedly live in harmony
In 2003, came along a Prime Minister by the name of Abdullah Badawi
Who led his party to a resounding election victory.

This is a PM whose promises are many
All his slogans are equally catchy
As a result, many people are taken in completely
By his humble and Mr. Clean personality.

First among his chief promises is to combat corruption immediately
That has everyone applauding loudly
But until today, all the major cases are still one big mystery
Lack of evidence or is he fooling us secretly?

Not long after, he introduced Islam Hadhari
Some complained there is only one version of Islam from the Almighty
Anyway, what is it all about, no one knows exactly
Except for some broad points outlined in theory.

Then, he said we need to cut our budget deficit quickly
Which started the dismantling of Tun M's legacy
This caused us to hear about the crooked bridge flip flop story
With all the accusations, what is fiction and what is reality?

By his own admission, his son is extremely wealthy
Because he controls a listed company by the name of Scomi
Was once implicated in the shipment of banned components to a
Middle Eastern country
But his son claimed ignorance and that's the end of the story.

He also has a son-in-law by the name of Khairy
Not elected but is UMNO Youth's deputy
Got entangled in the merged Avenue-ECM Libra entity
Which happened right under the nose of the PM-led Finance Ministry.

Then, we came across a foreign newspaper reporting factually
Of his adventure to see a yacht at a faraway place somewhere in Turkey
This is not true, he said insistently
But I don't see the newspaper issuing any apology.

Next, came the jet on the itinerary
Bought or leased, he is lucky that Malaysians are not financially savvy
The jet is also for the Agong's use, he said publicly
I wonder whether the Agong requested for one specifically?

Later, we read of his holidays in an Australian city
Staying in a mansion owned by someone named as Patrick Badawi
We shouldn't be so critical if he was only away temporarily
Except for the fact that there was a major flood in our own territory.

Then, we get the case of Proton disposing off a subsidiary
Not for a large amount but for a mere penny
Many think behind the deal something's very fishy
Tun M's pet project is certainly going awry.

Overall, crime rates are going up rapidly
Confidence in our police is at its lowest historically
But the IGP got his tenure extended easily
He must be thinking everything's hunky-dory.

He has also been busy launching economic regions lately
Trying to attract foreign investments into the country
Sadly, some are saying that the northern development is benefiting a crony
While others argue the southern one will end up as LKY's colony.

You see, I can go on and on about this indefinitely
Because it is easy and I do not need to create any of them individually
They are all plucked from the web where the stories about him is aplenty
From promoting judges unfairly to always being sleepy.

Actually, I am just an ordinary Malaysian who cares about her country
And I have to state that I am not against him or his policy
For I do not care who is the Perdana Menteri
As long as the person is capable and trustworthy.

Another take on the weekend demonstration

Another letter to the editor which caught my attention.

The part that I like:

"As a senior citizen, I can safely say that I have seen more than others.

Nothing much has changed because those with political ambitions always begin their dream in many capacities and they all claim to fight for the people and justice.

But they compromise their ideals and values for their own pursuits. How can they claim the elections are not fair when PAS has been in control of Kelantan for so long?"

I guess the demonstrators feel that their action is the only avenue left to voice out their frustrations with the system. But as the writer said, how did the opposition remain in control of a state for so long? There must be something right as well with the system. We have to acknowledge there are always room for improvement in the way we do things but does the end justify the means?

Illegal gathering

This letter to the editor seems fair comment. Passages that I like:

"Like many ordinary people, I am not passionate about politics. Yes, the rising cost of living does bother me and so are many issues but at the end of the day, I am also appaled at the manner politicians keep claiming to represent me.

Secondly, I am amused by the claims that there have been unfair polls in Malaysia. If that were the case, Kelantan would not be in PAS control for so many terms.

Please be sensitive to the calls of the people on issues like cost of living and crime because they are very relevant.

We do not care for illegal gatherings because they cause hardship and losses to the people."

Well, that seems to sum up my feelings too. Maybe I'm apolitical or too cynical to be bothered. What I have seen so far is that those who get their hands on the reins of power have yet to show a deep empathy for those who need their help.

Until that day comes, I doubt any politician is worth looking up to in my opinion.