What the Chinese Want

As a Malaysian of Chinese descent, I've always wondered what the rest of the country thinks of us. Following the racist stereotypes prevalent here, the Malaysian Chinese would no doubt be the slit-eyed, greedy capitalists out for a quick buck - utterly ungrateful to be given a place in this country.

Worst case scenario of course but a skewed perception quite obviously seen here in Utusan Malaysia - and a translated version here in the Straits Times. All written by the endlessly xenophobic Zaini Hassan who obviously enjoys trampling on racial sensitivities. Quite disheartening to hear such racist thoughts from a supposedly 'learned' Malay editor in Utusan Malaysia. If a member of the cultured literati has thoughts such as this, what about the rest of the uneducated masses?

Of course the paragraph that really pissed me off - oh yes prepare for a rant - came from his article.

The Chinese produce the largest number of, and the most successful professionals. The school system of the Chinese Malaysians is the best among similar school systems in the world. The Chinese account for most of the students studying in the best private colleges in Malaysia. The Malays can gain admission into only government-owned colleges of ordinary reputation.

Somehow he succeeded in making it all sound vaguely disreputable.


Maybe we should just stop working and wait for manna to fall from the sky!
Does he honestly think all the apparent success of an immigrant race comes from nowhere? Does he assume the wealth of the Chinese drops like so much manna from the sky? It wasn't handed to them on a silver platter. It took lots of sheer hard backbreaking work. Doesn't he know that the money to procure a place in those self-same private colleges comes from the sweat of their fathers' brows? Doesn't he know those successful professionals worked damned hard to get where they are now?

Education is all important for the Chinese and it shows. Compare this to the lackadaisical attitude I once saw in a neighbouring family.

Boy : Oh mom. I got a couple of Cs for my exams. Enough to slide through.
Mother : You're going on to the next form?
Boy : Oh yes, this is my report card.
Mother : Only a D for Math? Perhaps you should attend extra tuition for Math?
Boy : Nah, I don't feel like it.
Mother : Alright then. You coming back for dinner?
Boy : Think I might go cycle to the cybercafe.
Mother : But it's late. And it's a school night.
Boy : It's not even past midnight yet.
Mother : Well okay.

I kid you not.

If it were my own mother, I'd have been skinned alive for any one of those comments. Yet his mother seemed to take it in stride that her kid was practically flunking out of school - and then rewarded himself with a games night.

Left to me, I'd probably have tied him to a chair and shoved his face into a textbook. Trying my best not to disparage anyone's parenting skills but it just goes to show how much education means to the Chinese. Any score less than a C would probably mean the almighty cane.

Or the deeply disappointed sigh.

Never knew which was worse but it was something we all worked very hard to avoid.

Fortunately I'm not alone in my disgust. In reply to Zaini Hassan's racist rhetoric, we also have an article by Kee Thuan Chye as a rebuttal.