Why would we ever go back to Malaysia and be oppressed?

Racism and cronyism are alive and well obvious in the government and education system. Examples? The Scorpene scandal, where the company of the friend of the prime minister (a company which had no experience with defense sales or submarines) gets the contract for upkeep and transfer of the submarines from France to Malaysia. Also I need not talk about the Anwar Ibrahim debacle.

One of my cousins did a twinning from Ipoh to Sheffield. He became an oncologist in the UK and out of his class of 20, he was the only one that came back. The local doctors were astonished.

"Why did you come back? Why didn't you stay?"

"Because I miss my family."

The other Chinese and Indian students stayed, according to him, because they asked, "Why would we ever go back to Malaysia and be oppressed?"

These things are important. My other cousin, who works for an oil company, will tell me over dinner in his apartment "I have a masters degree and Malays who have dropped out of bachelor's degrees are promoted above me, why should I work here when I can go to Australia, make twice as much, and get raises?" My uncle spoke about May 13, 1969 once to me and he said, "I remember British troops coming out of the jungles covered in leeches and on stretchers during the Emergency, but when we were called home early from school in May and the Chinese families were boarding up their houses, that was more frightening."

While the wounds of May 13 have more or less scabbed over, the root of the fissure is still there. Racism. Why can't Christians or non-Malays marry Malays? Racism. Why do Malays get different standardized tests? Racism. Why are law and medical schools nearly impossible for Indians or Chinese to get into? Racism. Why are Catholic churches chastised for using 'Allah' and forced to take down crucifixes when the PM visits. Religious intolerance. Why are Jews vilified and the first page of any Malaysian passport reads 'NOT ACCEPTABLE IN THE STATE OF ISRAEL"? Racism and religious intolerance.

Why do I say these things in an article about education? I say these things because Malaysia has the potential to be a great country. Malaysia has ample natural resources. An educated work force, and companies itching to get a foothold outside the Multimedia Super Corridor. But cronyism and racism will force the students educated in Malaysia to leave. Back stateside, politicians are trying to get foreign Ivy League and graduate students to stay, please stay, and work for us. A lot of them choose to do so. There is a relatively free environment, a political process which is sacrosanct and that is more or less open, and racism glared upon. This makes an inviting place for newlygrads to set up shop.

If Malaysia wants to become as developed as Singapore and other Tigers, it must drop the ill conceived and racist Bumiputera practices it has far too long employed. This will encourage students to stay. I mean, where else can you find at 3AM grilled stingray, or wild boar, or wild durians collected by forest aborigines, and fresh-squeezed starfruit juice?

Malaysia. I would be thrilled to work (and eat) there if they dropped these practices, and so would a ton of other students with ties to Malaysia.

Frustrated students

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