Why I Stayed - A Profundity

Here is why I stayed — John Rahman

May 28, 2011

MAY 28 — I shall start with a story of hope.

Two, actually.

I had an ex-colleague who runs a car wash business in one of the most ulu places in Peninsular Malaysia. It’s a simple business, so simple that his wife just sits under a tree all day long collecting money and supervising some school kids they employ to do the dirty work. He keeps his day job while earning a cool RM7,000 side income every month.

In my skyscraper of an office now, an old makcik pushes around a shopping cart (probably nicked while the guards at the nearby hypermarket weren’t looking!) filled to the brim with knick-knacks, kacang, muruku and stuff. She comes by once a week and without fail, my colleagues and I will stock up on junk food to munch on while working. Based on sales on our floor alone — okay, maybe we are gluttons! — but we estimate she profits around RM50 per floor, and with well over 50 floors in the building, she must earn at least RM2,000 a week (tax free!).

We can complain about spiralling cost of living, but these are ordinary people taking full advantage of the abundance of opportunities in Malaysia to earn a living. This is the land of opportunity. If an illegal immigrant can come here and earn a living, justly or not, there is no reason why a person like me, born and bred in this environment, with ample knowledge of how things work — for better or for worse — cannot make it big.

I shall say this, whether or not people choose to leave the country is entirely up to them. Everybody has their own dreams and ambitions, and if migrating overseas takes you closer to those dreams, so be it. But do not give excuses to justify you leaving. You don’t need an excuse, certainly not a bad one, to pursue your life-long goals.

You do not need to blame the crummy education system — it is crummy, but it is an education system we all grew up with and I would like to think that a lot of us turned out fine.

You can’t blame racism or glass ceilings because everyone honest enough to admit will tell you that glass ceilings exist EVERYWHERE. The current debate over the “tradition” of Europeans as the de facto head of the IMF should tell you more than you need to know about glass ceilings.

All those crummy reasons don’t hold up because while Malaysians are busy flocking to Singapore, Singaporeans are busy flocking elsewhere too. That is where the whole argument falls apart. Do we see some green pasture across the straits that the Singaporeans don’t see? And do the Indonesians see something green about KL that we don’t?

My friends, this is the age of globalisation. Borders between countries are blurring. This is not like the time where miners came to Malaya from China with the sole purpose of better economic prospects. Today, there are Malaysians working in Sudan, Dutchmen working in Nigeria, Americans working in Siberia. Do you think these people are where they are because of some misguided notion that these places are better than their homeland? No, people work where they work and people build a home where they do because this is where life takes them.

When addressing his own country’s emigrant issue, Rajiv Ghandi once said: “A brain drain is better than a brain in the drain.” That we, as Malaysians, are deemed capable enough to be able to work anywhere in the world is a clear indication of our talents. And whether the people migrating will choose to admit it or not, these are talents nourished by the foundations we built for ourselves while growing up on the streets of KL, Ipoh and JB.

I can go on and on about how I want to change this country, how I want to make a difference. That is all true, but that is also secondary. People can claim that they are leaving because of better prospects, a more comfortable life. That is probably true as well, but still a secondary issue.Read more.

(Drove from KK to Sandakan yesterday and Sandakan to Lahad Datu today.My last trip on these roads was 3 years ago and I cursed every mile of the way how we had been had.Today, the road conditions have degenerated so badly your car could be your very coffin.Maybe, the PM,CM and all the ministers should board 1BUS and see how wonderful their trip would be on Sabah's hellish roads, just waiting to maim or kill you.

Not only the Federal Minister of Health should resign, the Minister of Works should also resign.Sabah, by rights should have dual-carriageways linking East and West and North and South.

On my way to Tabin Wildlife Reserve.Will have lots of photos, probably too busy, no politics, no posting, just enjoy God's gifts to mankind, nature and tranquility of the jungle - Hantu Laut)

Is The Grass Always Greener On the Other Side? - Who is losing more of its youths to migration, Malaysia or Singapore?

Hantu Laut

So much have been said about Malaysians migrating overseas and why they are leaving the country. Those in the oppositions have made it a political issue as if it is true Malaysia is losing a huge pool of its talents to other countries.

Few Malaysians, unless they are already very rich, and very few would want to migrate to Singapore.Only those who can find good paying job in the city state would consider moving over there and some would apply for permanent residence and keep their Malaysian citizenships. Very small number would take up Singapore citizenships, which is not easy to get,unless you are super brainy or super rich.

Migration?

Their first choice would always be Australia,New Zealand,Canada or the UK, in order of priority. Australia has always been the country of choice for Malaysians, due to its close proximity.

Citizens leaving their country for other nations is not confined to Malaysia alone, even citizens from highly developed nations have left their country for lesser parts of the world.Most migrations were for economic reasons, mainly from poor countries to wealthier nations.The exodus were mostly from Pakistan,India,Bangladesh and poor

African countries.

The Chinese have always been a migrating race.There are an estimated 33 million 'Chinese diasporas' outside China,Taiwan and Hong Kong.It is small compared to the total population of China.After a long period of little international migration from China the 1979 economic reforms has opened a new floodgate of migration primarily to the most developed parts of the world particularly Australasia,North America,Europe and South East Asia.

In spite of the unprecedented economic growth that have grown by leaps and bounds, which have made many Chinese very wealthy and opened doors of opportunity for the Chinese in China, there are still Chinese migrating.The migration flow would continue indefinitely as long as the sense of deprived mentality and persecutions prevail in the the Chinese mindset.

Singapore, a very much more successful economy and a nation where success is measured by the scale of your earnings or the length of your dick have seen increasing number of its citizen migrating overseas, particularly to Australia and New Zealand.

While it has been successful in luring many of the brightest brains from overseas, more and more of its own young professional are leaving.In the last ten years 97,990 Singaporeans left the country.Last year 12,707 Singaporeans asked for documents to apply for permanent residency overseas.Its hot economy has attracted over a million foreigners but on the other hand its own citizens have been leaving in record numbers abroad.

A poll showed that 21 percent of Singaporeans,mainly professionals, were considering emigration, half opting for Australia and New Zealand.A survey showed that almost 37 percent of youths say they are not patriotic.Indian youths are most ready to emigrate at 67 %, compared 60 % of Malays and 49 % of Chinese.

That shows that the Indians and Malays in Singapore felt the same way as the Chinese and Indians in Malaysia felt, a siege mentality.

The departure of these youths has a security dimension for Singapore as they all have been trained under its compulsory national service and the island nation is defended by its reservist soldiers.Their loss means fewer soldiers and the country permanent residents which have been given to many foreigners do not require them to serve in the national service (NS)(only their 18 year old sons are)

The brain drain is serious.

Even if 0.5% of its brightest minds were to leave, it would hit Singapore hard, said Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

“These are bright young people, children of very well-educated Singaporeans. They study overseas now, and the very good ones are right away green harvested by companies,” Goh said.

To importing large numbers of migrants from China and India, most of them treat it as a study and transit point.

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew once admitted: “They come in here, they get an English education ? and they're off to America.”

So why is the wealthiest state in this region losing its youths at a higher rate than its poorer neighbours?

Ask Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang and Nik Aziz.

They may have the politicised answers.

This article is dedicated to SM, a regular commentator to this blog, who is under the impression that the flights of non-Malays, particularly the Chinese were due to racial discrimination and the NEP.

What are the young Singaporeans running away from? You can read SM's and my comments on the subject here.