Equal Rights

I recently met a non-Malaysian, who asked me a question that I found, difficult to answer.  This person was familiar with Malaysian politics, governance, the race-based affirmative action (NEP) and the fact that Malaysia is made up of 3 major races.

He started off by asking whether I was born in Malaysia – YES, whether my parents were born in Malaysia – YES and finally whether my grandparents were born in Malaysia – as far as I know, YES.  He then asked, why do the Chinese and Indians put up with the unequal rights?  Why not, fight to enjoy equal rights, since we (non-bumiputra) are born in Malaysia and have contributed to its success. 

I’ll admit that it took me a few mins to think of a good enough answer and the question itself, surprised me.  I’ll get to my answer in a little while, but first, I’d like to share a little about how I felt, when hearing that question.  Being in a foreign country, I’ve become increasingly aware that Malaysia is not as isolated as I used to believe.  In fact, news of our politics and sometimes, even social scandals are published in other countries and when I happen to read such editorials, I’m surprised at the unbiased nature of reporting.  I absolutely love explaining the Malaysia-way to non-Malaysians and often, such explanations are more on how things don’t work and its repercussions.  Although these stories are usually very funny but most of them have underlying frustrations, which others detect. 

During the fervour of the 2008 General Elections, I found myself questioning the inequality among the 3 races.  I often debated with myself, trying to convince myself that this inequality is unacceptable for the following reasons:

• I love this country and am willing to defend it against its enemies
• I was born in this country and don’t know any other country
• I contributed to this country through the payment of taxes and spending most of my money in Malaysia
• I can speak better Bahasa than any chinese dialect
• Malaysia is where I am most comfortable, because I know its character, all its dirt and charms

And yet, Ive been reminded that my forefathers were immigrants to Malaysia and because of that, I am not “entitled” to equal rights.  On the other hand, I think of the fact that YES, i don’t enjoy equal rights but to be fair, I am not at a disadvantage for not enjoying those special privileges.  The country does not exploit my skills or threaten my freedom to enjoy the fruits of my labour.   If I’m honest, I will admit that I don’t need to be cared for by the Government, everyone I know does not need help from the Government because we are self-sufficient and hard working. 

A friend and I talked about this once and she reminded me that yes, I may not need the right to enter local university (entrance into certain courses (specifically) and university (generally) is currently restricted by race-based quota) because I could afford to pay for my own education.  But what about those that are not as well-off and cannot afford to pay for education.  Without the privilege of entering a local university, such children could end up working in menial jobs…. they could be deprived an opportunity for greatness.  

I am against the affirmative-action plan, BECAUSE it is race-based.  Maybe at the time it was first conceptualised, the bumiputras were the most disadvantaged (i.e. poor) and thus, such a plan was necessary to balance the huge disparity in income, which also had repercussions on the social stability of the country.  I believe that the plan’s initial intentions were noble but somehow, over time it was distorted and exploited by politicians to sow racial distrust, to meet their own agenda.  As my generation become more aware and vocal, it is time to re-think the intention of the plan, remove the basis of entitlement from race, to one that is based on NEED.  I’m sure not many people would oppose such a plan and anyway, why would anyone oppose it?  It is for the good of the country and we should be helping the less fortunate, among us.

My answer to his question was something like this : Firstly, not having those special rights has not hurt me much, so the need to fight for the perceived inequality, is not strong.  Secondly when I think of reasons for starting a fight for equal rights, i can’t think of any that is good enough to justify possible racial conflicts, which can easily lead to a full blown “battle” that would harm the country, its economy and ultimately affects each of us.  Should we get emotional by the statement that “I’m treated as 3rd class citizens in my country” and get all heated up, just to make and prove a point?  Or will we be matured and look rationally at the situation and know that we are not worst-off for the lack of such “rights”.

I do hope for a day when all race-based Government policies are removed and every Malaysian will identify him/herself as a Malaysian, instead of a Malaysian-Chinese/Indian/Malay.  That will be the day, when we will truly be “colour”-blind and united.

Photolog : Purple Water Lily

Took this picture of a violet, growing in a pot, on the road-side:

Fake Eggs has reached Macau!

I must have talked about this fake egg business to many of you but never paid much attention because it was confined to China.  Well, it has reached Macau, according to last Friday’s local HK papers.   There were several complaints from residents on potentially fake egg.  The article was meant to be serious but this sentence tickled me “.. a local person bought some from a street vendor and found the yolks could bounce after being cooked.”   A couple of people have since come out to clarify that real eggs can bounce too… I wonder - why all the interest in whether eggs can bounce, is that the only way to judge whether it’s real?

Yikes, will it reach HK?  Do I have to stop eating eggs too?

Here’s the update from The Standard (today’s news):

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Bouncy eggs given the all-clear

Bonnie ChenTuesday, February 24, 2009

Macau food safety officials have spent time bouncing eggs and declared them the genuine article. 

Fake eggs have been in the news for about a week after a man in Fujian province found eggs he had bought in a market were bouncy after being cooked. The realistic-looking fakes do not contain protein and the “yolks” are dyed with tartrazine. The shells are made of calcium carbonate.

They also contained chemicals including alum. Long-term consumption of aluminum, an element in alum, is believed to cause mental retardation.

The fake eggs cost just 1 HK cents to 5 cents to make, compared with 25 cents to 30 cents for the real thing. A Macau food safety panel yesterday said laboratory tests found that 20 bouncing eggs from Hubei did not contain the chemicals present in the fakes found in the mainland.

It said the egg whites and yolks were normal and that the eggs were 15 percent protein. The panel believed the egg yolks expanded and became bouncy because of a physical change as they were stored at below-zero temperatures so that when shaken the egg whites would penetrate the yolks.

An official said that some of the eggs had gone bad while fake eggs made of inorganic matter would not.

The officials said that so far they have received no reports of anyone getting sick after eating the bouncing eggs.

Meanwhile, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department in Hong Kong said it is still following up four fake egg complaints.

The department said it could not confirm whether there are fake eggs on sale in Hong Kong.

Because of the fake eggs saga more stores have been selling eggs imported from further afield that are far more expensive than mainland eggs.

Spring in HK

Another first for me – spring in HK.  By calendar, spring started in Feb and I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I’ve been whining about the cold and was happy to see the end of Winter. 

The first shock of spring came after my return from Bangkok, mid-Feb.  It was very foggy, with high humidity levels of 90%+.  Just to illustrate how bad it can be - on a normal day I can look out of my office window and see the tall buldings across the harbour (bottom).  This is the same view, these days (top):

Can't see anything across the Harbour

 

The same view on a clear day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is still very cold throughout the day and especially at night, with temperatures dropping to 10′c, with added strong winds.  I’d happily packed all my winter clothes away but started taking them out again, because my normal “summer” clothes are no match against the cold.  I’m still not sure if I like spring, I’ll like it better if it wasn’t so cold and wet.

Photolog : Bangkok

I stayed for a little more than a week, in Bangkok.  It’s not a secret that Thailand is one of my favorite places in the world to visit.  Bangkok is quite like any other large cities, the charm is in its people, food and culture.  Even when everything seems commercialised, simple things such as the water taxis – to travel along the Chao Phraya river, or street vendors, still exist. 

 

View of Chao Phraya River from Sheraton Orchid, Bangkok

A dessert street vendor on Khao San Rd – where backpackers gather.

Thailand – Land of Smiles and Wats

Thailand has been my favorite place to visit for a long time.  The people are warm and welcoming, the food is tasteful and varied, the weather is comfortable (most times) and thanks to the weakening Thai Baht, things are cheaper there than in HK or KL.

I’m in Bangkok for work and have come several times in the past.  Doing what I do, the normal response I get from my clients are - defensive, indifference, nervous, cocky even and sometimes condescending.  So far, my clients in Bangkok have surprised me time and time again with their genuine warmth in dealing with me.  I get the impression that they don’t really care what I do and that is the way they treat everyone.  They are also very touchy, which some may find uncomfortable, but I like their affectionate gesture of touching  my arms and allowing me to reciprocrate.  It’s like being with family, no pretenses, no airs, only care and concern. 

Their gentle demeanor is reflected in their language (or at least the tone) and mannerism.  The Thai are like gentle lambs, compared to many Malaysian and HKongers, who speak loudly and aggressively.   I especially admire their graceful gesture for greeting and showing respect – the Wai.  It is done by putting both palms together and then bowing.  I find the Wai to be so profound as a sign of respect and thanks.  The Thais take their time to Wai back and their deliberate slowness, increases the meaningfulness of this gesture.   I’ve also noticed that they would ”Wai” to me, before accepting my money.  There are some etiquette when “Wai-ing” a Thai.  If in doubt, just Wai but more important is to do it properly and meaningfully.

Privacy in Public Office

I was watching the news last night and what caught my attention wasn’t the ongoing financial crisis or the bush-fire in Australia but rather, the press conference given by a sometimes emotional Elizabeth Wong - an opposition-side Assembly woman. We all love scandals and naturally, I was itching to know what it was all about. In case you’re not yet aware, there are photos of her, in desirable / undesirable (depending on who’s looking) positions, circulating in the web. The first thing I did this morning was to google her, to see for myself, just how compromising those photos are. I only saw 2 really bad quality photos and let me tell you, she was neither semi-nude (as some newspapers claimed) nor was it in a compromising position. Both photos were of her sleeping and one of it showed her with her legs “kangkang” (its a bahasa word for spread-out) and her in-between. Now, because the photo was such bad quality, I couldn’t make out, what exactly was the in-between, it looked very much like underwear, in which case there’s nothing tantalising to see, but if you have a really good imagination, it could be anything at all!!

So perhaps, several news and media stations had very good imaginations and imagined something there, when there was nothing. In any case, those 2 photos hardly qualify as scandalous by Malaysian politics standard.  Anwar Ibrahim – Opposition leader, immediately came out with a press conference, condemning this act as Political assasination (this word became famous during Chua Soi Lek’s porn video), blaming the current Government of master-minding this “wayang kulit” (this is a Malay puppet shadow play), as it prepares to fight in 2 state by-elections.   This is an ongoing power struggle between the rulling party and opposition and may the best party win.

Whether or not, this is a carefully planned publicity stunt to tarnish the image of the opposition or the works of a ex-boyfriend, I think alot of people forget about the victim, Elizabeth.  Her privacy has been invaded and the person who did it, remains un-named and shameless.  I cannot understand this at all and say, we should ” Name and shame the Jerk, if only to ensure that his current and future girlfriends will be aware of his fascination of taking photos of women’s in-betweens.  In Malaysia, we have many laws and immediately I can already list down the laws that this low-life has broken, let’s see: Production and distribution of pornographic (this has wide definitions) material, outraging a woman’s modesty, defamation / libel. [Update 19 Feb 09: Last night's news, mentioned that because the ex was a Muslim, he could get in serious shariah-law kind of trouble, for "khalwat" ( being alone with an opposite sex, who is not your spouse)]

It also dawned on me that perhaps a person in public office, cannot expect to enjoy privacy, that he/she should not trust anyone, not even in private relationships.  I mean, this was an ex-boyfriend, someone at one time who was supposed to love, honor and protect his beloved, who was trusted when she was at her most vulnerable state (sleeping), intimate thoughts and moments and yet, this happened.  It makes a mockery of the sanctity of a relationship and makes me think that this can happen to any one of us.  Except that not many people would be interested, much less excited at seeing me in compromising positions.

After the pictures were published, as expected a few dumbwits in power, made hilarious comments.  The funniest I’ve read so far is this Minister who condemned the fact that her privacy was invaded (so far so good), only to put his foot in his mouth when he said, that if these photos were indication of her “loose-character”, then she was not fit for public office, I am paraphasing but that’s the point I got.  Hey dumb (x2), the photos were taken without her knowledge or permission la, she was not posing for the camera (unless you think that being kang kang is desirable) and being socially-correct, 2 main issues are (i) how can a person’s character be judged from photos and (ii) What does having a “loose-character” have to do with being fit for public office?  We have worst kinds of politicians and I say being a “loose-character” should be less of a worry, definitely after the racist politicians, the religious-intolerants and the few silly fellas who make outrageous statements and make us wonder, why we elected him/her into power.  Many ding-dongs in powers should be sent for compulsory social/gender-re-education, so that they’d at least think before making moronic comments that remind the foreigners, why we’re still a developing nation.

Elizabeth Wong, I empathise with your situation and wouldn’t wish it on anyone.  I wish you courage and a clear conscious, as you sail through this situation.  I speak for myself when I say that that photos do not distract me from the hard work that you do.

Book review: The Attitude of Leadership

I recently completed this book by Keith Harrell and found it an interesting read.  Mostly because it contained advice from real-life  business Leaders, who share their background and what they believe a Leader should have.  Each chapter profiles a Leader and each chapter is short and easy to read.  Here are some snippets that caught my eye:

• Leadership is contagious.  A commitment to be our best and to inspire others to be their best sets up a leadership legacy that motivates others to respond in kind.
• Hire good people because disciplining or firing employees can be a challenge
• We must be in a profession that matches our personality, style and skills or we won’t make it to the top
• If you want to contribute to society and make a difference, figure out your strengths, what you love to do and how you can purposely place yourself in a position to add the most value
• Avoid thinking negative thoughts that hold you back.  Cancel each negative thought with a positive one.
• As a leader who wants better results, it starts with good programming – the things you read, the things you watch on TV, the things you say and what others say to you.  This programming creates your belief and your belief creates your attitude.
• Good habits are hard to develop and easy to live with and bad habits are easy to develop but hard to live with.
• Leaders need to have positive self-esteem, because when you feel good about yourself, you want to enhance yourself.   When you’re confident, you seek to enrich your soul, heart and brain so you can do and be your best.
• Transformational Leadership means the lives we touch, people we grow and environment that we nurture. 
• Passion and Enthusiasm is contagious.
• Control what you can control.  Don’t sweat the small stuff. 
• We may not have control over many of the circumstances in our lives but we can control how we respond to them.  Attitude is a choice.
• A leader’s job is to get results through his or her people, if your staff members are working effectively, autonomously, then you know you’ve succeded as a Leader.
• Leadership is behaving in a way that engenders trust.  Others trust us when they perceive us acting with integrity.  Integrity is understanding that cutting corners is not an option.  Build trust by respecting others and giving others our Trust by allowing them to make things happen and by delivering on our commitment.
• True leadership is not about self-achievement, it’s about empowering and motivating others to achieve.
• The most important responsibility of a leader is to provide strategic direction to the enterprise
• Turn commands into Requests for Cooperation, turning “You Have to” to “Could you please?”
• People are motivated by the mission and purpose of the organisation.  And so it is extremely important for an organisation to have a well-defined mission and purpose.  3 excellent objections : (i) To honor GOD in all we do, (ii) To help people develop and (iii) To pursue excellence.
• PAT Principle of Success= Passion, Approachability, Thoughtfulness.
• Leaders can develop people skills but it starts with the heart and ends with the heart.  You have to care about people.  You can’t fake or learn that.
• Listen to those being led, being a servant-leader and not an authoritative leader.
• The power of love and how to exercise love in challenging situations.  Love finds the pause button, allowing you to gain control of your emotions when you’d rather lose your temper.  Love is coachable, teachable, doesn’t get offended at correction. Love cares more for others than for self.
• An attitude of Leadership is: A leader is patient, kind and walks in love, A leader is not jealous, conceited or proud, A leader is not illmannered, selfish or irritable, A leader does not keep a record of wrong things done to them, A leader is proactive, not reactive, A leader is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth, honest and integrity, A leader is steadfast, focused and committed to their vision, A leader is ever ready to believe the best of every person, and treats everyone with respect.

Arrrrgggghhhh..

I’ve found that since I started this blog, I’ve a tendency to write on things that affect me negatively, more often than the things that have a positive effect.
In a sense, I’ve looked to this blog as a form of therapy, cheap and easily available, a way for me to off-load my nagging worries or mind-irritants, so that I can be free of these negativity! It is purely psychological but it sure helps.
Today, after 1.5 weeks of being positively happy and upbeat, I am hit by stress… the only kind that really upsets me these days – work stress.  Despite being swamped with work at this moment, I’ve decided that I should take some time-off to “offload” this irritant, otherwise I’ll be carrying it through the whole day.  It will be time well-spent.

Maybe I’m disgruntled that I’d spend the last weekend (2 whole days!!!) working and then, stayed past 8pm during the last 2 days, also working.  Coupled with the lack of rest and relaxation and feeling extremely tired, I get cranky and irritable.  I’ve been chanting that mantra – that this is not as big as I magnified it to be – but it doesn’t seem to be working today.  Also tried deep-breathing exercises and drinking soothing, calming tea, while listening to equally relaxing jazz…. still no effect yet.

I hate that I’m complaining and I’m upset that I’ve so little control over these feelings and allow it to affect me.