I fully agree with the Royal Address that national unity is the most important issue for our country. Whether the country has succeeded in forging greater unity among the diverse races, languages, religions and cultures in Malaysia should in fact be the primary yardstick in the assessment of the success or failure of half-a-century of nation-building and nationhood.
Fong Po Kuan, DAP MP for Batu Gajah, has a blog she named “Chamber of Thoughts”. Her latest entry is a three-part blog, “My Friend, An American Now”. It is a heart-rending story in the continuing creation of a Malaysian diaspora which has happened to more than a million Malaysians in the past four decades — whether to uproot and migrate overseas and later to take up foreign citizenship.
Although human migration is a common phenomenon in human history and prehistory, the migration of over a million Malaysians in the past four decades was more because of push rather than pull-factors, with the country losing many of her best talents and human resources stunting and undermining Malaysia’s achievement of her full potential in national development and international competitiveness.
Malaysia on her 50th anniversary would have been a more developed and more competitive nation if more than a million of the most talented , enterprising and resourceful Malaysians had not been driven away from our shores in the past four decades because of unfair discriminatory nation-building policies and measures by myopic politicians.
After nearly four decades of such self-inflicted injuries, the heart-rending story which Po Kuan blogs should have come to an end with the abandonment of unfair discriminatory policies among Malaysians.
But this is not the case. It would appear that the “Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish” reflex and mentality to the problem of emigration of Malaysians, though not publicly stated as in the seventies and eighties, is still quite prevalent today.
There is not much that can be done about the pull-factors of human migration but a government which refuses to address the problem of the push factors, which are the result of the failures of just and good governance, cannot claim to be a good government.
Po Kuan’s three-part blog should be a must reading for all MPs. Her blog, and my blog on Sunday which had drawn attention to the heart-rending account “My Friend, An American Now”, elicited many responses articulating the pain, agony and tribulation which had driven over a million talented, creative and enterprising Malaysians away from our shores only to benefit other countries.
In the March 2004 general election, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi promised to lead a government which is prepared to hear the truth from the people. Parliament cannot do less to hear these genuine voices of Malaysians, for they represent not only the pain, agony and tribulation of over a million Malaysians who had been driven from our shores in the past four decades, but also tens of millions of Malaysians who had stayed behind.
The first to comment on my blog was “carboncopy” who wrote:
< strong>My uncle left Malaysia in the 1960s. He graduated from MIT and did his PhD in Yale in Computer Science. I dare say, that was when Computer Science era was just starting.
He was a very patriotic man, a King’s Scout, graduated from Royal Military College. He came back to Malaysia after his PhD to serve his country. Looked for a job in University Malaya. They told him point blank, we have openings, but its only for bumiputera.
He left for greener pastures in United States. Have been a US citizens for a few decades now. He has contributed widely to the field of Computer Science and is still doing so.
He never forgave Malaysia for turning their backs to him. And I guess he never will.
[Speech (2) on Royal Address debate in Parliament 21.3.07]
#1 by thehornedrat on Wednesday, 21 March 2007 - 7:18 pm
Don’t assume we are all sad to leave Malaysia, Kitty.
#2 by MY VIEW on Wednesday, 21 March 2007 - 7:28 pm
That guy who who told your uncle point blank “we have openings, but its only for bumiputera” is only doing his job. What your uncle did after that was only a natural thing to do. Many have done that. I have heard this type of stories many many times already. Until today it is still the same and from what I see, it will be all the same in the years to come.
#3 by undergrad2 on Wednesday, 21 March 2007 - 8:55 pm
“Although human migration is a common phenomenon in human history and prehistory, the migration of over a million Malaysians in the past four decades was more because of push rather than pull-factors….†LKS
It is not so much in the outflow of Malaysian Chinese migrants to labor markets abroad that is of primary concern to us, or in the equities involved but more, the fact that we are losing our intelligentsia to these countries needlessly and for the wrong reasons – which can be prevented. Of course, my observation is based on the premise that there is a political will to stem the outflow of intellectual capital.
Asking UMNO politicians to read the blog on this issue is like taking horse to water when the horse does not want to drink.
#4 by undergrad2 on Wednesday, 21 March 2007 - 8:56 pm
Wow! Pls do something about the bold letters. It is hard to read.
#5 by sotong on Thursday, 22 March 2007 - 10:21 am
Many, in particular non bumi professionals, are grossly discriminated by the government. They are unable to defend their basic rights from aggressive and ruthless politicians.
#6 by incubus on Thursday, 22 March 2007 - 1:33 pm
It is disheartening that smart intelligent Malaysians are being chased abroad by our stupid government. Don’t they understand that instead of trying to attract foreigners to visit our country each year, our own people who have succeeded overseas could contribute to our countries economy tremendously just by living here?
Malaysians love our country, there is no doubt about that, however it is difficult to settle down in a country with so much uncertainties, discriminatory policies and fashionable anti-corruption badges. For far too long have the Chinese, Indians and other races accepted this just as a way of life. Well, maybe some of us didn’t accept it (coercion) but there is just so much u can say with a muzzle around your mouth.
#7 by DarkHorse on Thursday, 22 March 2007 - 10:34 pm
“..our own people who have succeeded overseas could contribute to our countries economy tremendously just by living here?”
Let’s not be naive here. They want Malaysians of a particular ethnicity residing abroad to remain abroad. It is a form of ethnic cleansing.
#8 by WFH on Thursday, 22 March 2007 - 10:47 pm
incubus wrote:
“….our own people who have succeeded overseas could contribute to our countries economy tremendously just by living here..”
We are faced with a dilemma, a strange situation. If the question is that if those “who have succeeded overseas” were to be not overseas but in Bolihland, would they have become successful in the first place? The answer in all likelihood is going to be a resounding “NO”. As such, how might they “contribute tremendously just by living here?”.
If we are referring to and hoping for those already overseas to return and to bring their (likely substantial) foreign-earned assets and savings back to contribute, then we have to ask whether these overseas experienced Malaysians, with much higher earnings, and a much, much wider worldview of most things, can accept lower local earnings, and at the same time subjecting themselves to narrow, discriminating and restrictive policies simply because of one’s skin or racial background.
I reckon very few except the retiring ones will seriously consider returning on a long term basis. It looks like a very obvious one-way street for those already abroad to remain overseas.
My own feelings of regret is that so many, many others not of the majority race do not have the means nor opportunities to leave our shores for a better life elsewhere other than by “jumping aeroplane”. Even acknowledging some comments that life is still acceptable here, these commentors are probably well-to-do, at least of the middle class; but I say, with backing of personal circumstance, that life stinks in Bolihland when one is not well-to-do, but monetarily and asset-poor. We must not deny that non-Malays are not the most charitable people despite what we read about ‘feel-good’ fund-raising attempts to help the media-publicised sad and unfortunate cases. Truth is, if one is a little down in luck, one has got to prepare oneself for being stepped upon, by many. That’s life, but many do not want to admit that…..
#9 by sotong on Friday, 23 March 2007 - 6:26 am
Migration is the greatest human innovation.
Once you have settled in and feel a sense of belonging in the new country, most countries in the world are beautiful and nice to live in.
Some people could not settle down and never accept the new environment until they died. This is a total failure and it’s very sad……one basically wasted one’s life and it could affect family members.
To stand a good chance of success, one must be prepared to migrate with a one way ticket……You don’t look back and totally focus on becoming a successful migrant.
#10 by undergrad2 on Friday, 23 March 2007 - 7:50 am
If you’re free spirited with a sense of adventure, in your 30s (or even 50s) with USDLS5,000 in your pocket you can make it. That’s a start.
What’s there to lose?