Thursday, December 04, 2008

A Malaysian Diaspora Speaks Up

Sourced from Abinesh

This is something I have read recently and it's one of those articles which I think is so truthfully written, that I feel must be shared. Everyone should be able to relate to this, especially if you are a tertiary student in Malaysia.

 
"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 assistant) 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 these 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 and 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."

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

when the mainland of china belongs to the chinese,when India belongs to India,when France belong to French,when England belong to english and when united states of AMERICA belong to the 'slave' who never thankful to the lord..u must read by your own about the history of america..did the origin nation of that country become succesful nation nowadays???give me the proof to let me know such red indian in america was not suffer now..did they get their right??or be denied by the foolish people like you???soo...is it the mainland of china also can belong to any foreigner who come to stay there and want to get the citizenship from China??are you agree if they want to rule your 'origin' land???or will you shout to the world that such people do not have any right in that country but juz got the symphatize from Chinese??you think wo this land belong??we sacrifice too much to you all,but you never thankful,instead you always ask to get for the things that you should not get..i understand your sitution,but from who do you know that Malaysia government practise this discrimantion???juz only because you are not accepted to get into any universities here and you think like that..whats the shameful of your mind??huh..thats why la you didnt get that opportunity..looak at yourself..dont blame to others in denying ur weakness...huh..do you know that not only chinese cant get into ipta with the excellent result??my friends from top MRSM and score high result also did not get the offer to ipta..not one person,but thre are so many...you know why???because you are so arrogant to follow the procedure in order to fill the form to apply them..or you also careless wether you are not so fluence in BAHASA MALAYSIA or you are lazy to read the guidance book..huh whats the nonsense of people like you to blame others but in the same time your foolish make you become crazy like now..juz stay in us la dont go back to malaysia..we do not need the people like you who do not know how to thankful...people like you juz make trouble here..dont come back ya??i'm not antichinese..i like chinese..but who with the right mind,rational and know how to thankful..i respect with them..people like you juz ashame ur race la..think pleaze..got to the true way..juz dont take my opinion above from your emotion..but use ur mind wisely..

The Malaysian Explorer said...

well said. I feel your anguish. Down with this supremacy thingy.

The Malaysian Explorer

Hoongster said...

are: Wow, I find so many flaws in your argument that I have got to point them all out in another article on another day. Too hard to resist!

Joshua Jasani said...

Hoong my bro...i think we should leave the foolish in their own circle of stupidity and let those of us who acquire progressive minds work our way to the new era of human civilisation...aruguing with an ass like 'are' would be futile and simply a waste of typing energy...

all in all...great post man...

Anonymous said...

use ur mind not ur emotion man...when people try to deny the truth that shows these people are so arrogant..and will always deiviate from the true way..check the minds and think rational...(ARE)