After five decades of BN governance, what have Malaysians gained and at what price and what have we lost in exchange?
To begin with, where is all of this nation’s booty? There was a time when the colonial masters (rather raiders) came and took all our rubber and tin. But at least they gave us education, healthcare, roads and rails without asking us to pay toll and taxes. Right?
But what can we say of our post-independence masters? They lorded over us and sold us the ‘nationalism’ mantra. They sang ‘Look East’ and ‘Buy British Last’. Later they seemingly sold us that piped-dream of a modern Malaysia with jobs for all and wealth to be shared by Malaysians.
And so we ran the race at full throttle for the local masters and helped them build their own cartels and fortunes. Today, not only are we left in serious debt but have also pawned our bread and butter jobs that are enriching neighboring countries at the expense of the 27 million citizens of this land.
The factory jobs have gone to foreign labor. The petrol kiosk attendant and car wash jobs have gone to the illegal labor. The maid jobs are sold too. The construction industry is no more an easy entry for locals. Let us not forget the plantation sectors.
We are not even talking about the thousands of massage parlor workers and sex workers coming in under the cover of tourist visas.
Even pasar malam stalls, taxi driving, retail outlets – and many more have all gone to the foreign labor. Just take a tour of Petaling Street or any pasar malam all across the nation to see the reality.
And mind you, there must be truth in the perception that while there may be two million legalized (or authorized) immigrant workers here, it is everyone’s guess that that figure could just as well be doubled given the illegal workers coming and going and the recently ‘malaysianized’ foreigners.
So today we have a situation where foreign workers are not only talking back money by the millions from the country but are also leaving us with a youth population that knows nothing about housekeeping, building and construction, harvesting the fields, trading, and a long list of economic activities, survival skills and know-how.
And let us cut the bull out of that argument that the nation is advancing and therefore Malaysians will not take on menial tasks. Take a look at the West or the East if you will. Their retired folks are gainfully engaged. Their youth population Has the option to go into any of the industries that BN has ‘pajak’ to the foreign cheap substitute.
26
Jan
12
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