We are all Malaysians
COMMENT | A Pakistani man who lives in my kampung recently stopped his motorbike in front of my house as my dad was gardening to ask him if he knows any single woman looking for a potential husband.
Completely taken by surprise, dad asked him who he was looking a bride for.
“Uncle, saya duduk sini kampong sudah lama. Saya punya bini orang Melayu. Sekarang saya punya adik lelaki sudah datang sini kerja. Saya mau cari bini untuk dia juga (Uncle, I’ve been living in this village for quite some time. I am married to a Malay lady. Now that my younger brother is working here as well, I am finding a wife for him.)”
My dad told him that he knew no one who’d be interested and sent him away.
When I told my city friends about the Pakistani man in my village and his quest for a bride, they had a good laugh. They claimed it was such a bizarre story. I don’t blame them though, living in a fast-paced, busy city, many things go unnoticed...
COMMENT | A Pakistani man who lives in my kampung recently stopped his motorbike in front of my house as my dad was gardening to ask him if he knows any single woman looking for a potential husband.
Completely taken by surprise, dad asked him who he was looking a bride for.
“Uncle, saya duduk sini kampong sudah lama. Saya punya bini orang Melayu. Sekarang saya punya adik lelaki sudah datang sini kerja. Saya mau cari bini untuk dia juga (Uncle, I’ve been living in this village for quite some time. I am married to a Malay lady. Now that my younger brother is working here as well, I am finding a wife for him.)”
My dad told him that he knew no one who’d be interested and sent him away.
When I told my city friends about the Pakistani man in my village and his quest for a bride, they had a good laugh. They claimed it was such a bizarre story. I don’t blame them though, living in a fast-paced, busy city, many things go unnoticed.
A Bangladeshi who owns his business
A couple of years ago, I was driving around town looking for fresh halal chicken when I ended up at a shop owned by a Bangladeshi man. While waiting at his shop for the freshly slaughtered chicken, we ended up chatting. I was curious about how a foreigner could own a shop so I asked him lots of questions which he was happy to answer.
According to him, his shop was registered under the name of a friend’s wife. His friend who is also a Bangladeshi had married a local woman. Together, the couple would assist other Bangladeshis who were keen to do business in Malaysia by registering the business under the wife’s name for a small monthly fee.
Apparently, this is how many Bangladeshis end up owning restaurants, clothing shops, DVD and grocery shops in Malaysia.
I suppose marrying a local is a lucrative business on its own. This is also a good way for foreigners to assimilate with the locals in our country. After all, most Bangladeshis and Pakistanis are very hardworking and some of them are quite good looking, to be honest. I mean, what more can a Malaysian woman want, right?
Besides their good looks, charm and hardworking nature, they are also quite smart – they know very well where to find good opportunities and stay put long enough to enjoy those opportunities.
A Pakistani who plans to stay
Some time ago I met a Pakistani man who was selling stationeries and leather products.
“Miss, mau beli pen, ka? Beg pun ada, tali pinggang, pouch… semua kulit punya barang. Murah miss (Miss, would you like to purchase a pen? I also have bags, belts, pouches…they are leather products. I sell them very cheap, miss),” he said as he placed the items on the table.
I wanted to get rid of him but the poor guy was sweating profusely and kept pulling his wet shirt to prevent it from sticking to his body. Also, I was quite bored at the time and was intrigued to find out what his story was.
According to Basheer, he was from Pakistan and has been living in Malaysia for a few years. He came with a tourist visa and stayed with friends who were working several jobs – selling carpets, managing small street eateries, being handymen and doing plumbing.
When Basheer’s visa expired a few months later, he was brought to Putrajaya by his friends.
There, they met an officer who provided him with a work permit for RM300. According to him, many of his friends acquired their permit the same way and there were a few more from his village who would join them in Malaysia soon.
I tried getting more information about the work permit – who did he actually meet at Putrajaya – but he was tight-lipped about it.
“Saya tak boleh cakap banyak. Tapi ada orang mau tolong… (I can’t say much but there are people willing to help us…)” he said, reluctantly.
According to him, getting a work permit isn’t difficult - with just a photo, passport and RM300, it was easily done. He stressed that his permit is legal, it even passes through police inspections.
He added that later on his friends had exposed him to many things Malaysian. They took him sightseeing and got him acquainted with the city, its people and the local language.
Basheer claimed to enjoy the country and has no plans to leave in the near future.
I suppose my Pakistani neighbour, the Bangladeshi businessperson and Basheer have one thing in common – they enjoy living in Malaysia. And who knows, in the future, these foreigners would assimilate with the locals and end up Malaysians as well.
Why leave when you can be Malaysians
A Bangladeshi worker at a vegetable stall in a morning market once told me that we are all Malaysians.
I was busy buying some loh hon go at the time when I pointed at a packet of Holland peas and asked for the price.
“RM4.50. Ini dari China (This is from China),” he said.
“Bunga kobis tu berapa (How about that cauliflower)?” I asked.
“RM6.90. Malaysia punya (From Malaysia),” he replied. “Ini mushroom dari China dan itu jagung manis dari Malaysia. Saya dari Bangladesh, kakak dari India dan saya punya bos dari China (This mushroom is from China and that sweet corn is from Malaysia. I am from Bangladesh, you are from India and my boss is from China)!” he chuckled.
I smiled at his reply and corrected him. I told him that his boss and I were Malaysians.
He laughed.
“Maksud saya, dia punya datuk nenek dari China. Kakak punya datuk nenek dari India. Saya punya datuk nenek dari Bangladesh. Tapi sekarang kita semua orang Malaysia (I mean his great grandparents were from China. Your great grandparents were from India. And my great grandparents were from Bangladesh. But now we are all Malaysians)!”
We both laughed.
Ahh… Malaysia is surely Bolehland - semua pun boleh!
While Malaysians bicker about everything under our roof, at least foreigners like the Bangladeshis and Pakistanis are completely in love with our country, so much so that they would do anything to stay in Malaysia. Ah, bless them!
Selamat Hari Malaysia to all Malaysians, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Nepali, Burmese and to everyone who loves Malaysia!
FA ABDUL is a passionate storyteller, a media trainer, an aspiring playwright, a director, a struggling producer, a photographer, an expert Facebooker, a lazy blogger, a part-time queen and a full-time vainpot.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
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