A Malaysian diaspora speaks up....

I am a female Chinese Malaysian, living in the Washington DC area in the United States . I have read many of the letters that often talk about foreign countries when the writers have no real knowledge of actually living in those countries. Many draw conclusions about what those countries are like after hearing it from someone else or by reading and hearing about them in the media or after four years in a college town in those countries. I finished STPM with outstanding results from the prestigious St George's Girls School in Penang .. Did I get a university place from the Malaysian government? Nothing. With near perfect scores, I had nothing, while my Malay friends were getting offers to go overseas. Even those with 2As got into university. I was so depressed. I was my parents last hope for getting the family out of poverty and at 18, I thought I had failed my parents. Today, I understand it was the Malaysian Government that had failed me and my family because of its discriminatory policies. Fortunately, I did not give up and immediately did research at the Malaysian American Commission on Education Exchange (MACEE) to find a university in the US that would accept me and provide all the finances. My family and friends thought I was crazy, being the youngest of nine children of a very poor carpenter. Anything that required a fee was out of our reach. Based on merit and my extracurricular activities of community service in secondary school, I received full tuition scholarship, work study, and grants to cover the four years at a highly competitive US university. Often, I took 21 credits each semester, 15 credits each term while working 20 hours each week and maintaining a 3.5 CGPA. A couple of semesters, I also received division scholarships and worked as a TA (teaching assistan t) on top of everything else. For the work study, I worked as a custodian (yes, cleaning toilets), carpet layer, computer lab assistant, grounds keeping, librarian, painter, tour guide, etc. If you understand the US credit system, you will understand this is a heavy load. Why did I do it? This is because I learnt as a young child from my parents that hard work is an opportunity, to give my best in everything, and to take pride in the work I do. I walked away with a double major and a minor with honours but most of all a great lesson in humility and a great respect for those who are forced to labour in so-called `blue collar' positions. Those of you who think you know all about Australia , US, or the West, think again. Unless you have really lived in these countries, i.e. paid a mortgage, paid taxes, taken part in elections, you do not understand the level of commitment and hard work it takes to be successful in thes e countries, not just for immigrants but for people who have lived here for generations. These people are where they are today because of hard work. (Of course, I am not saying everyone in the US is hardworking. There is always the lazy lot which lives off of someone else's hard work. Fortunately, they are the minority.) Every single person, anywhere, should have the opportunity to succeed if they want to put in the effort and be accountable for their own actions. In the end, they should be able to reap what they sow. It is bearable that opportunities are limited depending on how well-off financially one's family is but when higher education opportunities are race-based, like it is in Malaysia ; it is downright cruel for those who see education as the only way out of poverty. If you want to say discrimination is here in the US , yes, of course it is. Can you name a country where it doesn't happen? But let me tell you one thing - if you go looking for it, you will find it. But in Malaysia , you don't have to go look for it because it seeks you out, slaps you in your face every which way you turn, and is sanctioned by law! Here in the US , my children have the same opportunity to go to school and learn just like their black, white, and immigrant friends. At school, they eat the same food, play the same games, are taught the same classes and when they are 18, they will still have the same opportunities. Why would I want to bring my children back to Malaysia ? So they can suffer the state-sanctioned discrimination as the non-malays have for over 30 years? As for being a slave in the foreign country, I am a happy 'slave' earning a good income as an IT project manager. I work five days a week; can talk bad about the president when I want to; argue about politics, race and religion openly; gather with more than 50 friends an d family when I want (no permit needed) and I don't worry about the police pulling me over because they say I ran the light when I didn't. I feel so sorry for her and all Malaysians in the same fate.

Time to sell piggy banks

With Nets increasing its levy, those who do not want to pay through Nets can pay by cash. And with interest rate at the lowest, and having to pay to keep money in the banks for people with little money, maybe more people will keep more cash at home. I am thinking of importing more piggy banks to sell at pasar malam.

Children unable to perceive cruelties

Generally, children are less perceptible about what is cruelty and what is fun. The younger the age, the less able will be their faculty to reason goodness from badness, right from wrong. There is a letter in the Today paper complaining about children catching guppies in ponds for fun and in the process caused the unnecessary death of many of the fishes. This is indeed regrettable. Some education in schools and by parents is sorely needed in this area. Fishing for fun is very different from fishing for food. Children may not understand. But adults should, or do they? Many adults still spent millions of dollars going for that fishing trip for fun. It is fun and thrilling to hook up a live fish and see the poor bugger struggling to break free. And in the process, the fish is likely to tear off its throat or cheek. How much pain is there? One joker told me that fish have no pain cells and cannot feel pain. What an idiot. Generally, human has this cruel instinct in them. And as long as cruelty is done to others, it is fun, acceptable. This animalistic instinct is often displayed by the maid abusers. It is waiting to surface everyday.

Education hub or leper's island

This one is accredited by MYCS and MOE and CaseTrusted. Froebel Academy has not only owed salaries to its teachers, it is not issuing certificates to its students after completing their courses. Some did not get their certificates since December last year. After the camped out, they promised that the certificates will be issued this Friday. The certificates were supposed to have two chops, one from an East China University and another from the Academy as endorsements or credibility of the certificates. Over the news it was reported that the chop from the University would cost the students another $7,500. This was denied by the Academy. The net effect is that the students were very unhappy for their plight. And the Academy told the students it is closing down. How many of such fiascos can the Singapore Education Hub takes before it earns itself the reputation of an education leper's island? It is high time that the ministry persecute these operators for the damage that they are doing to the Singapore brand. Another few of these incidents will turn the Singapore brand upside down. It will become a brand of ill repute. We should not tolerate such violations and quickly put our house in order before more damages are done. We are losing our credibility and reputation very fast.

Nets is doing what is right

Nets is a commercial enterprise and must have profits to survive. It is not a charity organisation. The raising of its levy is part and parcel of its business. It will raise the level until the consumers find it unbearable and refuse to use it. Hey, that is basic. As long as they price it competitively, it is really a business decision. It is doing something not different from public transport or other service providers. And it is better to 'increase in small amounts rather than to raise a big lump sum after several years.' If public transport companies and other monopolistic service providers can do it this way, while reaping huge profits, what is wrong with Nets doing it? What about credit card companies charging 2% interest rate per month and compounded if the consumers did not pay the debt promptly? How many per cent is that a year? Compare that with the loan sharks. Oh it is international practice and no one can do anything about it.