In response to the Malaysiakini report 'Why I left Malaysia' - emigrants tell their tale , readers write to elaborate on the circumstances that surrounded their decision to emigrate and their thoughts and feelings on the move.
Olivia
My name is Olivia and I would like to share my story. I am 34 and married to a French. We have been abroad since 2004 living in the UK, France and now in the Middle East although we did return to Malaysia in 2006 so that my husband could try to find a job in Malaysia but with no success.
I love Malaysia and didn't feel any discrimination until I entered a local university. Non- bumiputeras had to fight against quotas at every corner from getting accommodation to choosing a major.
The worse thing is that as soon as you step into the university, you are being forced into your own racial group which try to brainwash you not to mix with others. When I tried speaking to other races, they looked at me blankly like I was an alien from another planet.
I didn't have so much issues after university as I was working in global companies. The problem was marrying a foreigner. Getting married to a Malaysian doesn't entitle you to work in Malaysia. You still need to get a work permit and the problem is that there is a quota as well. Why are there so many unskilled foreigners compared to those who are skilled? The country I know now doesn't look the same anymore.
This problem occurs to any Malaysian who has married a foreigner and most of them are now living abroad. For example, I know a Malaysian Indian graduated from Cambridge and her Polish husband who even has a Masters from Stanford and he couldn't find a job in Malaysia. Now they're both holding high positions in the UK. Shouldn't Malaysia take advantage of these skilled resources?
After living and working abroad in a few countries, returning to Malaysia again to re-live our disappointment is at the very back of our minds.
Francis Perera
I have been in England for now 33 years, having come over here to study at aged 20. I left UM and the security of home in the summer of 1977 with a suitcase and rice cooker! Having qualified as a chartered accountant, life has been extremely good to me, having married an English lady (my wife of 27 years) and three wonderful children and a lovely home in the country-side.
After all these years, I still retain my Malaysian passport and regularly fly back with the family. It is a disappointment to see the manner in which the country is run these days as it could be a lot better for all.
The Thinker
Like most Malaysians who are staying in Denmark, the reason I am here is because I am married to a Dane. I have been living here for the past eight years and I don't see any reason why I should be coming back to stay in Malaysia for good. First of all, politics and religion should be separated.
Religion is a private matter and besides, most politicians or the religious authority use religion not to educate but to put fear into people to gain power. Corruption, inequality, injustice, nepotism, cronyism, red tape and abuse of power are becoming new traditions in Malaysia.
Perhaps it is not so new because it has been around for quite a while. So reading the news about a Muslim woman or man being caned for drinking alcohol is simply unacceptable. Islam in Malaysia is no longer about the quest for freedom but about fear and control.
I live in a country where people sometimes only get married when they already have two kids. According to some, this is a great sin but it is not much greater a sin than dumping your baby in the garbage bin. The latter only happens in Malaysia and never in Denmark.
There is no freedom of expression and press freedom in Malaysia. If you try this, you will be taken to jail for reasons such as trying to disrupt the peace or harmony. If you are from the press, your license will be taken away. And as for religion, if you are a Muslim, you are not allowed to change your religion. You simply are not given a choice.
The economic system only supports those who are in favour of the government and the rich. Despite the New Economic Policy, there still a lot of people who live under the poverty line. The rich simply become richer and the poor will have to slave.
The education system in Malaysia speaks for itself because most politicians and the rich won't send their children to government schools or the local universities. The standard of teaching in the local universities has gone down over the years and we can see the result with the world ranking of our universities.
We want to be No 1, we want to be the best, the biggest, the tallest or whatever. But collectively we are far from that.
Jeff Balan
I live in Los Angeles, California. I left Malaysia but returned for a short period of time but I became so disgusted at the rampant corruption and the unscrupulous political situation. The deputy prime minister being arrested for sodomy and then the chief of police for assaulting him.
I as a ex-policeman know what's going on in the police force and the Malaysian police force will never change no matter what. Frankly, I cannot blame them. On RM1,200 ringgit a month, they can hardly survive.
In 1964, I joined the force with a Higher School Certificate. All my abang were promoted with only a Form Five cert. I could speak Chinese and Tamil but realised after the 1969 riots that I had to get out if I wanted to become successful.
I love my country, Malaysia. I love the people, even my abang . Till today, I still speak and practice my Bahasa Malaysia and am even better at it than most Malaysians.
But it boils my blood to see this beautiful country go to the dogs. The political masters of 52 years have brought utter destruction to my country.
They should be asked to account on how they made their millions. Only in Malaysia can a peon become a multi-millionaire. Only in Malaysia can an insurance man own half of the city. Only in Malaysia, can an idiot who has the right connections become so filthy rich.
Yes, these people become filthy rich at the expense of the kampung Melayu, the poor Indians and Chinese.
I wish I can stay in Malaysia but I cannot tell a lie, so that's why I live overseas.
Razman Mohd Noor
Anak saudara saya seorang jurutera, sekarang ini bekerja di Kuwait sebagai seorang ‘senior engineer'. Sebelum ini, beliau bekerja di sebuah kilang usahasama Petronas. Gaji yang ditawarkan RM4,000.
Isterinya bekerja sebagai ustazah di sekolah menengah. Setiap bulan, pendapatan tidak mencukupi walaupun kedua-duanya bekerja. Bayar duit kereta, hutang Bank Rakyat, hutang itu dan ini. Duit anak-anak untuk pengasuh. Banyak kali berpindah syarikat untuk mendapat gaji yang lebih dan yang paling tinggi diperolehi RM5,000.
Akhir sekali, beliau mendapat tawaran kerja di Kuwait di sebuah syarikat berasaskan barangan petroleum. Berapakah gaji beliau? Adakah beliau susah? Sudah tiga tahun bekerja di sana, segala hutang dan kesempitan hidup tidak berlaku lagi.
Kereta (MPV) sudah habis dibayar sebelum tempoh, dia telah membeli sebuah rumah banglo, setiap bulan memberi kepada ibu dan ayah RM3,000. Pendapatan beliau sekarang ini 10 kali ganda. Menurutnya, beliau tidak akan balik bekerja di Malaysia dan akan habiskan usia beliau di sana.
Sekarang ni saya pula sedang menunggu tawaran untuk bekerja di sana. Melihat keadaan semasa Malaysia amat tidak menggalakkan. Barangan semakin mahal dan tinggi. Kadar kenaikan gaji dan barangan keperluan tidak seiring.
Kasihan juga kapada siswazah kita yang dapat tawaran gaji RM1,800. Ada ijazah tapi gaji setakat itu sahaja. Cukuplah sekadar guna kereta Proton atau kereta ‘second-hand'.
ESB
Assalammualaikum . Saya adalah salah seorang rakyat Malaysia yang meninggalkan negara. Dan saya pernah bekerja di sebuah syarikat telekomunikasi Malaysia selama 10 tahun.
Kini saya berasa amat selesa dan gembira bekerja di luar negara sebagai penasihat telekomunikasi kepada syarikat-syarikat luar negara di Arab Saudi, Afrika Selatan, Kenya dan Eropah kerana mereka begitu mementingkan profesionalisme berbanding dengan syarikat-syarikat telekomunikasi Malaysia yang lebih berwajahkan politik semata-mata.
Saya amat bersetuju sekali dengan pembaca lain bahawa saya tidak terfikir akan kembali ke Malaysia demi pendidikan anak-anak.
Dan bayaran yang diterima sebagai penasihat telekomunikasi di luar adalah berdasarkan profesionalisme dan kepakaran bukan kerana kelulusan akademi atau membodek.
This is the second of a four-part series where Malaysiakini invited the Malaysian diaspora to write about why they left the country. More tomorrow.
This is second of a four-part series where Malaysiakini invited the Malaysian diaspora to write about why they left the country. More tomorrow.
Part 1: 'Leaving Malaysia a necessity'
