Friday, September 29, 2006

A Study in Sarcasm

Asli might have written a study regarding bumiputera equity, but a Malaysiakini reader who calls him/herself Kaum Pendatang wrote the following letter, which is a classic study in frustrated sarcasm, or should it be sarcastic frustration?

As a Chinese Malaysian, I can't agree more with FN's enlightened statements.

Every day, as I step out of my chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce, I look down from my gigantic mansion at the kampung below the hill and marvel at how tolerant the non-immigrant Malaysians have been to allow immigrants like me to continue to live peacefully in their country.

Neither myself nor my immigrant parents nor my immigrant grandparents nor my immigrant greatgrandparents ever paid a sen in taxes nor contributed to the economy in any way in the short 100-odd years we have lived in this country.

How could they? My paternal grandfather was merely a rubber tapper, while my maternal grandmother lazed away her days in the tin mines of Perak. My father served in the armed forces during a time when Malaysia was at its most peaceful (God knows why they called it the Confrontation) while my mother was a civil servant.

I also had the privilege of representing my state in sports, not because I was any good but mainly due to the graciousness of the selectors at the trials. Thank God, I chose to come back to this country after completing my overseas education, which my parents did not have to fork out a single sen for as it was all paid for by our generous government.

Every April, I'm almost ashamed to see non-immigrant Malaysians queuing up to pay their income taxes while I am 100% exempted since I'm a guest of the country. Plus the fact that I don't have a single non-immigrant friend nor do I speak a single word of Bahasa Malaysia, and I always wonder to what do we owe this kindness.

Lastly, I would like to take my hat off to our great heroic former prime minister. Despite having an immigrant father, he chose to discard with all the privileges that come with it and insisted on toiling along with the rest of the non-immigrants the hard way and actually contribute to the nation. No wonder he has no patience for the rest of us immigrant parasites.

So to my fellow immigrants, stop behaving like rude guests and be grateful for the privileges accorded to us by our gracious hosts.


  1. Haha preach on, brother!

  2. Malaysian by any other name2:22 pm, September 29, 2006

    Now I know that there are still people (or, one person at least - the writer) who possess a brain no larger than a pea. Sometimes I wonder whether the letter was deliberately written to stir emotions, or is it an honest expression of a, well, to play along, shall I say 'non-immigrant'?

    Surely, our friends across the causeway would love to have bright people in their country helping them to sustain their economic growth. But I certainly do not think that LKY had said those remarks with this intention in mind. The writer (with the pea-sized brain) seemed to have thought too much into it. Even if the remark somehow results in Malaysian Chinese (I prefer to put 'Malaysian' before 'Chinese') crossing the causeway, wouldn't that come as a relief to the writer? He (assuming it's a he) would then have a greater share of the economic pie in Malaysia - since he so claimed that it is currently "unbalanced'".

    Doesn't he realise that poorer folks (of any ethnicity) and even aborigines in the rural areas are being marginalised too? We have lived through the poverty eradication period, and saw the fruitful outcome of the NEP and such. But while all this was going on, the rich got richer. Some struck it rich because of sheer determination and hardwork, some others had the government to help them. Those who were not given the 'special privileges' had to work harder in order to compete in a country they call 'home'. And boy did they work hard. So hard that the 'special privileges' need to be in place for many, many more years to come.

    Another interesting note in the letter, is that no one should ever question how projects are awarded and how the funds are used just because all these had been "endorsed by the ministers". So the ministers can't be wrong? Anyone who attempts to uncover a corruption should be sacked, then? Just imagine if we had everyone in an organization with such a mindset, how corrupted will the entire organization be? Wealth, therefore, will only able to be enjoyed by a select (corrupt) few - an outcome I find mind-boggling, considering the writer had earlier talked about "a balance in wealth distribution". Now I get it. Balance among the corrupt few, eh?

    The writer opined that by asking for transparency, "great damage to the current system" would result. This is almost a joke. If something has been rightfully done, why should one be afraid of transparency? In fact, if there were transparency in place, it would greatly strengthen the people' faith in the government! Unless of course there are shameful things that should not go public, which, in this case, would definitely result in "great damage to the current system".

    Lo and behold, check this out:
    "The contractors who had been awarded government projects will not forgive this minister if they are being scrutinised stricter in future projects, especially when this result in them not being able to make profit out of the projects."

    Is that a threat? What does "will not forgive" constitute? Contractors who are incompetent and cannot deliver should not be awarded projects in the first place. Nobody should be deprived of the opportunity to do business, and hence profit. But you have got to do it the right way. Malaysia's richest man Robert Kuok has recently been quoted saying "You have to do business the proper way. Money can be made slowly".

    Telling the MCA minister to "mind his own business" reminds me of Jasin MP Mohd Said's "close one eye" issue. I cannot understand how his presence can "force a lot of Malays out of businesses". Why can't an honest, competent businessman - whatever the race - take up the job? Why does it need to be someone who cannot deliver, yet charges just as much? The race factor should never be made a criterion in awarding government projects, so long as the job gets done nicely and the People's money is well-spent.

    The last paragraph of the letter is not even worth commenting on. It's ridiculous.

  3. lol.. that's real funny. the 'smart' chinese are too comfortable and thick skinned to leave the country.. knowing it's not wrong to 'share' what you's give and take and after all it's about making a living to most's only the 'stupid' ones that leave to toil in foreign soil to start all over again, just like their ancestors that came to this bolehland...if they allow the immigrants now to become true malaysians, think what will happen in the future, it will open the floodgates to bangladeshis, vietnameses, cambodians, laotians, etc... so do we really want that? second class is better than nothing at all..

  4. What me worry?

    Unless I'm prosecuted because of my ethnicity and being send to Gas Chambers for the Final Solution, then I could always rely on my hands to carve myself a humble living in this country.

    So what if my children were to grow up and bow to Tuans and Puans knowing true humility and respect are earned?

    What if I'm being cornered with my back to the sea and told to go back to my 'home' country when there's still an inch of sand on my feet?

    Why do I care when we were told our religion is inferior and we pray to pagan gods when we're at peace with ourselves?

    Why should I howl for equality when I know I've provided for my family and yet given for the needy?

    Frustration is what you think you should have and not what you've earn.

  5. 'mob1900' please spare a thought for the non-Malays who had what was rightfully theirs taken away. Do not call the pleas for justice by the non-Malays 'frustration'.

    The non-Malays as a whole are a realistic lot. They do not expect the government to do for them what 'should have' been done for them in the first place. But they do not want to be deprived of the places they have earned in public universities or barred from being hired or promoted in the public sector because of the colour of their skin.

    By the way the 'gas chambers' are closer to reality in Malaysia than you think. Just take a look at how it all started in Nazi Germany. Your History needs quite a bit of polishing.