I was reading almost all of the articles on The Malaysian Insider "Why I leave" and "Why I stay" series when it struck me that my friend at law school, Derrick Chan, had crafted a wonderfully written and articulately argued piece, giving reasons why Malaysians should not leave Malaysia. Below is his letter to the Malaysiakini which I have reproduced without permission and will be utmost grateful if Derrick sues me for a cup of coffee:-
I refer to the opinion written by George CN Lee titled , “Why talented Malaysians have to leave“.
George’s opinion is shared by many Malaysians. This is especially among Malaysians of non-bumiputera origin. He points out the negativity in the economic, social and political situation in Malaysia. Mr. Lee is a shameless armchair critic.
Mr. Lee sends his pessimistic views from a far. What makes it more difficult for me to stomach is that he offers no solution to the problem. He also refuses to be part of the solution. He complaint about Malaysia even after calling somewhere else home. I know many will agree that this is just plain typical of the third generation of Malaysians of Chinese-origin.
I dislike the effect his opinion will have on Malaysians. Mr. Lee has inadvertently encouraged Malaysians to migrate by painting a very sorrowful situation in Malaysia. I admit that what he wrote is true and I do not deny it. However, the sad part is that other ex-Malaysians like Mr. Lee are too afraid to take part in the movement for change. He has decided that flight is better than fight.
Like Mr. Lee, I am a Malaysian of Chinese origin. As I grew up, I came to terms that I am a Malaysian-born citizen who happens to be a Chinese. It was by fate, and not design.
Back then in China, the local armed strife is well-documented. As a result, my ancestors left China many years ago. They were left with no choice as the land they toiled was forcefully taken over by the Communist movement, by force, in China. They were left in dire conditions. It broke their hearts to leave but they had to because they were supporters of democratic principles. They tried their best and risked their lives trying to counter the Communist movement but failed. It was only then they decided to take flight.
They boarded ships, not knowing where they would land. All they knew was that they were heading South. I believed that it was destiny that brought them to the shores of the peninsular so that they could rebuild their lives and live peacefully. The then Malaya provided them with this excellent opportunity. This was a land that gave new hope and as I like to call it, they lived the Malaysian Dream.
There is a caveat to my definition of ‘Malaysian Dream’. It is unlike the American Dream. I would not be able to define this in my short treatise. However, the summary of my Malaysian Dream is that every Malaysian regardless of race is accorded the justice and equality to build a home and live happy lives. I can imagine that many of you think that equality and justice is a fable to non-bumiputeras and I do not deny it. However, we can change it to what it was before and flourish like how Malaysia did in its formative years.
I would be lying if I said that I have never considered migration. I have but not anymore. I weighed the pros and cons of why I should and should not migrate. I even went to the extent of writing it down. At the end, I came to the conclusion that I would never ever leave home. I was born in this country and I will be buried with my forefathers who also call this place home.
Home is an institution. It is unlike a house. A house is merely a structure with four walls and a roof over it. I must say that Malaysia as my home is still an institution. It has not been reduced to a house. Malaysia was a good home to all of us.
About 60 to 70 years ago, you would hardly hear anything about racial conflict. Everyone lived in peace and harmony. However, for Malaysia to maintain its homely status, it needs housekeeping. And housekeeping is every Malaysian citizen’s duty.
It was not until all of us Malaysians started to be complacent and left the duties of housekeeping to a few people. The Malaysians who became complacent started not to care. This contributed to the infamous ‘tidak apa’ attitude that still prevails in Malaysia.
Mr. Lee compares the living standards between Malaysian and Australia. I shall take the bull by the horns on this issue. The reason that Australia and other Western countries have better system of governance is simple: The people who live there have a more participative attitude towards governance. This is opposed to the nonchalant attitude among Malaysians and an example of this would be that they have never voted in their lives.
They are scared to participate in civil society. They’re afraid to join peaceful protests in Malaysia because they’re afraid that the sun will darken their skin. Basically, they’re just not interested. This non-interested approached has hurt Malaysia and is the main cause why Malaysia is in the state it is today.
Every Malaysian is given a broom by right. That broom is to clean up our home. It is to keep it neat and tidy. However, the sad thing is that many Malaysians have never lifted that broom. They’ve assumed that it’s better to flee to other countries, as if they don’t have housekeeping duties there.
To sum this up, my message to fellow Malaysians is simple: Go and pick up that broom you were given. Go and participate in the democratic movement in Malaysia and get involved especially if you, such as Mr. George Lee, think that Malaysia is losing its status of being a home to you. Don’t be persuaded by what he says. He didn’t bother lifting up the broom to tidy our home.
Don’t throw in the towel until the broom you’ve been given is broken. If your broom breaks like how my ancestor’s one broke in China, then I would not fault you if you take flight as you’ve already fought.
I will certainly not give up on Malaysia. I hope you will not too.
