Someone I know is somewhere outside London now, trying to lay the foundation for a better future. He’s a Malaysian Chinese just like me. He has just relayed to me his thoughts and concerns about how this future will unfold. I feel his anxiety, I know it. What is it about Malaysia which drives its people away, to rebuild something which has taken years to successfully create, in Malaysia? What makes Malaysians give up and throw everything away to rebuild elsewhere?
I was recently reminded, that I once got into an argument with someone over a parking lot. It was in Klang, just a couple of minutes drive away from my old house in Berkeley. I was probably 1/10th of the distance closer to the empty parking space compared to my counterpart. I signalled and turned into the lot before I even noticed him. He thought he saw it first and after I parked, he muttered something unpleasant. I looked at him, shook my head and walked away. He turned louder and abusive. I turned back, walked towards him, looked at him and said, “Sorry brudder, there are no bumi quotas for parking spaces”. I then walked away, not at all expecting him to do anything. He looked like one of the newly rich bumis who think he gets first bite at everything. He was in a posh luxury car, had what I thought were designer sun glasses and yeah, generally very off-putting.
My point? I don’t know if given the current rate of development in Malaysia, there would soon be introduced bumi quota for parking spaces. Or places for overseas education even. I don’t know. I often think these mongrels are capable of the most stupid and unfair policies, as decades of policies have proven. Yes, it is painful but I guess Malaysians who are tired of fighting stupid battles like these will go, perhaps to save their future generations from such strives.
Ante 