Why should I go back to Malaysia?
UPDATED 7th November 2004: I just realized that the article of "Malay rights” is no longer available at that website". Perhaps the author was embarrassed for what he had wrote, or finally understood that the Bumiputra rights are actually damaging the Malay society. Anyhow, I managed to download the article from Google’s cache; you can get it here, and here. As for the author, if you think that nobody should read your work, or feel guilty for what you’ve wrote, please let me know.
Like every other Malaysian student in an overseas university approaching their graduation day, I will have to choose between returning to Malaysia or staying back to apply for an Australian PR (permanent resident). In order to pick the right path and avoid any regrets for the rest of my life, I have been thinking about my future and the consequences of my decision, whichever it is.
What will happen if I go back to Malaysia? After years of pampering myself with the efficient, excellent Australian public services, am I ready to see the face of a Malaysian government office employee? Can I handle the sluggishness of the people working in the public service offices? Just the thought of the long queues in the post office and Immigration office gives me the shivers. What about the traffic on the road? I haven’t been driving much in Australia, but will it be possible for me to get used to the Malaysian traffic jams and vicious motorcyclists? How can I ever forget the roundabout from Hell located in SS15 (in front of Metropolitan College)? Taking public transport is not an option for me in Malaysia, because I refuse to pay money for a service that I know is going to frustrate me. However, these are just some minor issues. Do I really want to go back to a country where the majority of society refuses to create a better living environment? Being a Chinese, I am considered a non-Bumiputra (non Malay) back in Malaysia. That means I have to work twice as hard to compete with my fellow countrymen because I am not the same race as them. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate my Malay friends, but those so called Bumiputra rights have got to go. Instead of helping our Malay friends become more competitive and bridging their financial gap with other races, it actually became crutches for them, making them fragile and unable to survive without these protections. Unfortunately, the majority of Malays refuse to admit that they are weak, and continue to demand for their rights to be maintained forever. Such stupid opinions can be found here.
I understand that staying back in Australia with a PR status will somehow make me a second class citizen in this land of down under. But at least I will have a decent shot at life, or becoming rich. There are no policies such as a certain percentage of housing development must be sold to Australian white citizens (with a discount), or a basket of government mutual funds which are only available to the white Aussies. True, I might face some racists who refuse to accept me as a resident in their country, but most of the strangers I have met are friendly people, who think and act rationally.
There aren’t any major corruption problems and the government policies are designed to help poorer people, instead of certain races only. Each individual is given the freedom of speech to express themselves, and there isn’t any censorship on the media. The people are mature enough to watch a sex scene on the movie screen and not use it as an excuse to commit a sex crime. Don’t start on the “we have a different culture” topic; just admit that you refuse to grow up. It is true that it will be easier for me to get a job back in Malaysia because of my overseas university degree, but do I really want to work my ass off for that little bit of money (average starting pay for a I.T graduate is RM 1,800 to 2k)? I saw an advertisement from an I.T company the other day looking for a Computer Systems manager with a starting pay of RM 1,500. Who in their right mind would want to take a job like that? During my days of being an intern at the Malaysian International Data Corporation (IDC), I noticed that most of the employees liked to stay back in the office till late hours, not for the reason of avoiding the traffic jams, but to show how hardworking they are. The next morning when you walk into the office, they will be like “Oh I am so tired, been staying in the office whole night to finish this document”, but the fact is they were just surfing on the internet and didn’t get anything done at all.
In fact, the only reason for me to go back to Malaysia is my parents. Being the youngest child, I feel like I have the obligation to take care of them in the future (or perhaps bring them over to Australia, if they can get used to the life here). Well, there are other things such as good food, pirated DVDs, having a drink at a Mamak, or settling my speeding ticket with the traffic police who stop me to avoid the trouble of going to the nearest police station (for those who are not from Malaysia, you can bribe the Malaysian traffic police with as low as RM 20, equivalent to $8 aussie dollar.).
Despite the financial comforts that I can get from my parents (like getting a free car and an apartment to stay in K.L), I have decided stay back in Melbourne, Australia. Accuse me for being unpatriotic, but I do prefer a place with a better living and working environment.