“Fairweather Malaysians”
I’m not sure whether that’s a good idea or not. Like the judges in a recent NH Chan post who ‘may not have been best acquainted with situations of extreme deprivation’ (or something like that), Tunku Abdul Aziz must realise that many Malaysians simply don’t have the choice of weathering turbulent times in a sleepy Devon village. He mentioned those who don’t have that choice, to be fair. But still, if you’re down to your last few grains of rice, what are you going to do, risk dropping your bowl, or go somewhere with a greater chance of keeping it full enough to feed your family?

It must be aggravating to see prospective Reform supporters slip away to easier lives and more certain futures in distant lands. It’s their choice. UMNO is in the habit of reminding them of that “… if you don’t like it …” choice too. Malaysians must have heard a lot of promises over the years. I’m not convinced I could blame them for choosing self determination over waiting for ‘I’ve got a surprise – wait and see’. It doesn’t have the same mental ring as “I’ve got a plan, we can afford it and it will work”.

I’m not a Malaysian, but when I talk about the future of my Malaysian family with my wife, becoming a Malaysian is an alternative I consider. Right up until I remember UMNO, the crap newspapers, the vapid TV, the phone that doesn’t work, the lack of a safe footpath between our house and my daughter’s kindergarten (or anywhere for that matter), the crashes on the road outside where fault is assigned as a function of the least well represented race, the black stuff that we are billed for as ‘water’, and the casual bigotry that passes for small talk everywhere. Don’t get me started on ‘God fearing’ either – does ‘organised religion fearing’ count? I suppose I was fortunate, in retrospect, that the Imigresen official merely replied that she was unable to find a suitable category when I replied “Jedi” to the religion question.

We can all stand a little bad weather from time to time, but if one had a lifetime of it and there appeared to be no genuine prospect of improvement, I’m not sure I could blame a person for going on holiday and never coming back. The fairweather Malaysians might be no worse, in my view, than the Malaysian forecasters whose fair weather never quite seems to turn up. Who am I to judge? Maybe some Malaysians will respond positively to the admonishment and delay their departure. Maybe.