You will never know what it is like to be discriminated against because you are rich or poor or because of your colour, race or religion until you have experience it your self. I was in London in the 60’s and London then still had pockets of areas where you would be treated differently because you are Asian. You will be waiting to be served at these places and you will be ignored until the ‘white’ have been served first. You would go look at a flat that you saw advertised in the local papers and be told that “it is taken”. Invariably we Asians found ourselves living in houses where there were other Asian tenants.
We Asian in turn used to mock the blacks and called them “Gagak” or crows and the whites we sometimes called them “Babi”. In one memorable episode me and some friends were on the London bus and we were referring to the gentleman in a bowler hat sitting behind us as “Babi this and Babi that”…Then as his stop came he stood up behind us with his briefcase and umbrella and politely told us “ Tolong beri laluan ini Babi nak jalan”. He must have been one of those colonial masters that came to administer Malaysia.
My unpleasant experiences in London with discrimination, however slight, made me realize that it was unpleasant to be discriminated against – for any reason. Coming back to KL around the early 70’s brought me head on with the ‘bumiputra’ and NEP situation that gave so much hope and expectations of good things to come for us Malays, regardless of our standing in life. My memories of these times are a bit hazy but one experience can capture the essence of those times. At the apex of my time doing “Project Acquisition” I had two penthouses costing me RM30 thousand a month, two Generals and back up staff under my payroll. A Filipino maid to cook and take care of the two penthouses. To get to see me you would have to go through the two Generals and assorted staff and it would cost you at least RM$100,000 to get to the top penthouse where I was staying to talk ‘business’ with me. I am relating this with no intention to glorify what I was doing – only what was possible in those times if you dare to take the risk and if you had the right connections and was savvy enough to use them to your advantaged. This alone can be another story for me to tell !!
Now back to discrimination. In Australia ‘equal opportunity’ is not just a buzz word. We have the Equal Opportunity Commission.
What the Commission do:
The Equal Opportunity Commission has two major roles. The first is to encourage recognition and an understanding of the principles of equal opportunity. Laws alone do not end intolerance, prejudice and discrimination in our community – so education is a vital part of the Commission’s function.
The second is to provide a means of redress to individuals who allege unlawful discrimination.
When I apply for a job in Australia there is no place in the application form for me to tell them my race, my religion and even my gender. I do not have to tell them my age – nothing that will allow them to know that I am any different from any of the other applicants – except that I am qualified to do the job I applied for. Can you have any idea what it does to me – to know that I will be assessed only on my ability to do the job? It liberates my soul and it goes a long way towards making me have affection for this country that I now live in.
Equal Opportunity for all in Malaysia does not mean that the Malays will not be able to work in Chinese companies because it can be used as an excuse by the Chinese to hire only their own race. It does not mean that Indians cannot find work in the Civil Service because their mastery of Bahasa is not as good as the Malays, or that the Chinese young will not be able to get into the Instutuitions of Higher learning because their Bahasa is not good enough – all these things might happen – but more important is that we will all have to raise our game to the level needed to live in a country where Equal Opportunity is a given right to everyone. When that is in place then time will find us all living together with great affection for this country of ours call Malaysia.
We deserve health, not H1N1 deaths
religious freedom, not cow’s head
accountability, not macc
blue sky, not annual haze
security, not police brutality
prosperity, not corruption
freedom, not ISA
truth, not utusan malaysia
justice, not kangaroo court
democracy, not coup d’etat
meritocracy, not nep
Dear LKS,
Next time please be more selective in your choice of articles you put up for comments. This one is really bad.
Jaswant ball, please write us a piece or at least a four paragraphs comments before you open your stupid mouth. I guess it is to be expected – a bitter person having to wash dishes in a foreign land will never be constructive in his comments.
Ok, you said this piece is bad. Now, tell us why it is bad and how you can make it better. Unless you do that, just shut your big filthy mouth and I guess no one will notice it.
“Next time please be more selective in your choice of articles you put up for comments. – Jaswant.
I am wondering in particular why Jaswant says, “this one is really bad”.
The following thoughts occur to me.
The writer speaks of the unpleasantness of being discriminated on racial grounds. He now talks about how good Australia is in terms of “equal opportunity”, which is “not just a buzz word. We have the Equal Opportunity Commission”, he adds. He says this lack of discriminatory practices “liberates my soul and it goes a long way towards making me have affection for this country that I now live in”.
Yet he also reveals, “Coming back to KL around the early 70’s brought me head on with the ‘bumiputra’ and NEP situation that gave so much hope and expectations of good things to come for us Malays, regardless of our standing in life. ….At the apex of my time doing “Project Acquisition” I had two penthouses costing me RM30 thousand a month, two Generals and back up staff under my payroll. A Filipino maid to cook and take care of the two penthouses. To get to see me you would have to go through the two Generals and assorted staff and it would cost you at least RM$100,000 to get to the top penthouse where I was staying to talk ‘business’ with me…I am relating this with no intention to glorify what I was doing – only what was possible in those times if you dare to take the risk and if you had the right connections and was savvy enough to use them to your advantage…”
IF (I emphasize IF) the writer had benefited from the discriminatory policies of the NEP and made enough money to comfortably retire in Adelaide, Australia, is it congruous with moral conviction for him to now criticize the very set of policies and extol their opposite in comfort from afar?
Yes “if you dare to take the risk and if you had the right connections and was savvy enough to use them to your advantage” – but is this claim made with concomitant denial of assistance from the NEP?
///Yes “if you dare to take the risk and if you had the right connections and was savvy enough to use them to your advantage” – but is this claim made with concomitant denial of assistance from the NEP?///– Jeffrey
I think the risk involved was for people to pay RM 100,000, and to indicate what sort of connection needed to get the support from the right persons in government. NEP has been utilised to the advantage of the persons who had been vested the authority in the relevant agencies. There was no need for public tender; the contract would be awarded to any Malay whom in Mahathir’s word was able to benefit from NEP. There is no need to justify under NEP why one proposal is better than the others, even if they were all submitted by Malay applicants. The person who approved the project had the absolute authority to advance the interests of Malays, and it is for him to choose which Malay. That was why APs could be awarded in tens of thousands units and repeatedly to the same persons or group of persons. So when the friends of the most powerful person applied, how can he not get approval of whatever he wanted? There was no risk for government servants under NEP. The risks are entirely borne by those who wanted to utilise connections.
It is also a rat race for Malays to establish connections under NEP. The PR skills might have been better utilised for promoting sales of goods and services in the real world, rahter than sharing public funds where the winners took the lion share.
Wonder when can we have a Malaysian version of Martin Luther King that will unite the whole nation under true 1Nation spirit and seek for real transformation (rather than Najib’s half hearted empty 1Malaysia slogan) for the betterment of our future generation?
Good to watch this video clip for reflection of our nation during 52th celebration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X_917SrPVc&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fnotsleepinganymore%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2F2009%2F08%2Fsebab%2Dcow%2Dlah%2Dini%2Dberlaku%2Ehtml&feature=player_embedded
When you read a novel….one can conclude it is exciting or boring.
This post message have a touch of both.
I only like the sentence…”Equal Opportunity is a given right to everyone”
Najib..TEAR DOWN THE WALL UMNO BUILT TO DIVIDE!!!
Your days are numbered heading to the 13th GE.
Part 1. Replace the word negro with rakyat Malaysia against the corrupted regime.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5SlrXeOxCc&NR=1
“I had two penthouses costing me RM30 thousand a month, two Generals and back up staff under my payroll. A Filipino maid to cook and take care of the two penthouses. To get to see me you would have to go through the two Generals and assorted staff and it would cost you at least RM$100,000 to get to the top penthouse where I was staying …”
What has this got to do with the national struggle for freedom, equality for all and equal justice notwithstanding one’s station in life??
You’re right, Jeffrey – as always.
Dear Hussein Hamid,
You are lucky to have landed in a place where only your true capability and qualification are assessed, and NOT your racial background nor religious belief being called into questioned.
Malaysians, even 52 years after Merdeka, are still besieged with racist and farcical confrontations. For your interest just consider the following latest piece of news:
// PUTRAJAYA, Septermber 1 – The right-wing Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) wants the Internal Security Act (ISA) to be used to detain anyone who questions or debates the role of Islam, the status of the Malay rulers, special position of Bumiputeras and Bahasa Malaysia as the national language.
Perkasa submitted a memorandum today to the Home Ministry, urging the relevant amendments to the law. //
And the president of such a bigoted and ultra-narrow minded organisation is none other than an MP from Kelantan by the name of Ibrahim Ali.
Tell us Mr Hussein, what hope is there in store for Malaysians who chose to, or could not helped it but have to, remain in Malaysia, negara tanah air yang dikasihi?
The road ahead is indeed treacherous and filled with great doubts and sorrow.
They are lazy and their future generations will suffer, and become extinct.
One4All4one – I choose Australia in 1978. You ask me what hope is there for those who stay in Malaysia? Let me tell you this – you have to make your own hope as i did when I arrive in Perth over 30 years ago. If I have decided to stay in Malaysia then I have no doubt that i will survive too. Do not say that you have to stay in Malaysia because there is alway a way out if you want to find one. You chose to stay there – look around you and find your own hope. Anywhere you go race and religion will play some part in your life – it is up to you to choose to what degree it will do so.
As for Ibrahim Ali – you know what sort of person he is. Do you think there is no “ibrahim ali’ in australia? have you not heard of Pauline Hanson?
Please all you guys understand this – you have to make your own life where ever you are. When in malaysia I do what I need to do – and because I do not like what I do – I left. Being a malay has got nothing to do with it.
HH
steadyaku47
//You’re right, Jeffrey – as always.//jaswant ball
As always, just one ball likes to carry balls.
Jeffrey – go to my blog site ‘steadyaku47’ and maybe you can understand what it is I am saying better.i would welcome the opportunity to exchange thoughts with you – but first we need to understand where each of us are coming from. regards.
HH
steadyaku47
Not worry husseinhamid. We’ll visit your blog. But there’s one blog you should never go because you’ll be the only one in the room. It has been that way for the last two years. Once in a while the blog host will masquerade as a visitor and you could see him talking to himself.
I see you’re from MCKK Class of 64. Better than Kg. Attap Class of 53.
“When in malaysia I do what I need to do – and because I do not like what I do – I left. Being a malay has got nothing to do with it.”
Thank you for being brutally frank with yourself. Good for you.
“I was in London in the 60’s and London then still had pockets of areas where you would be treated differently because you are Asian”
There are still a lot of those ‘pockets’ even today. I studied at Brunel Universtiy and lived in one such area. Whenever they see you they are always itching for a fight and will give you reasons to do so.
No Jaswant – being from MCKK do not make me any different from anyone else. You yourself will make that difference. What MCKK gave me was the confidence to be different. That I can make what decisions I want in my life in as long as I am prepared to lie in the bed that i make. Kg Attap Class of 53 – I am sure there are among you who have done good in life. But you need to want to do so…if you were at Brunel then it must have been because you were Kg Attap Class of 53. Camna?
There are quite a few things in life in respect of which one has no choice. One’s mother. One’s father. One’s siblings. And for the great majority of people, THEIR country – THEIR MOTHERLAND. These are some obvious but often overlooked examples. Hussein went to live in australia by his own choice. But he is malaysian by DEFAULT. Having got a choice like hussein’s is a luxury – a really something extra in life which many can only dream of. He made a conscious decision to settle there and being smart as he is he must also have readied himself then for all ensuing challenges, including the challenges of racism. That is not quite the same thing as having to face from birth – and later on to deal with it – prejudice on the basis of one’s skin colour and in one’s own motherland. For want of a better analogy, that would be like mistreatment by one’s own mother.
Migrants may be angered by racism in their adopted lands but here some of us malaysians are betrayed by the racist policies (officially sanctioned) of our motherland. Anger and betrayal occupy two entirely different positions on the great chart of human feelings. It will not be necessary for me to point out, of the two which one occupies the lower position.
“Come Home my child. Come Home.” The call of home. The call of motherland is a great great comfort which our dear hussein has. If australia should fail him, he still has malaysia to come home to. The motherland that will never dissapoint him nor betray him.
There lies the difference. Yes. There lies the difference.
///You must remember that I was born just four years before Independence. Our country was still young and growing as I reached my most formative years. The spirit of patriotism was strong, the country was new. I remember that sense of promise. I still feel it now. Just as my father looked to the future and the promise that is Malaysia, so do I.///– Najib , 1Malaysia.com
Do you not think that the different treatment for different races in the country started when you were only 4 years old, until now at 56, and helming the nation, has gone on for far too long? The government with all its fault had helped Malays and NEWMalays, and if the raison d’etre for special aid to Malays was to enable Malays to stand on their own two feet, wouldn’t assistance given to three generations long enough to even change their genes to be competitive, if genes were involved.
Politics would not allow you to do away with quota system without repercussion. You could allow people of all races born after Merdeka day 1957 become Bumiputra, starting now.
//Whenever they see you they are always itching for a fight and will give you reasons to do so.// just one ball
NO, that is not true. It has nothing to do with race. It has everything to do with you – the short legs and ugly face you got.