YOURSAY | ‘If Malaysia doesn't love and care for you, just pack up and go.’

Odysseus: Currently, it's still bearable to live in this country which we call home. If those who champion the single race and single religion were to come to power, they will ruin the country by dishing out freebies which the country can ill afford.

As parents, it's our responsibility to educate our children to be global citizens who are mobile and able to live anywhere in this world. If Malaysia doesn't love and care for you, just pack and go.

You have given your best and it's not appreciated, so just go.

BH Yap: The handouts cannot last forever. On the day it stops, the Malays will suffer a severe setback economically.

It's better and more sensible to decrease dependence on government handouts and discriminatory practices now and inculcate pride in one's own abilities. Those who seek to continue such practices have no shame.

Headhunter: @BH Yap, I absolutely agree with you but when is the practice of giving handouts going to stop? Most of us would never see it within our lifetime.

People leave because they feel they get a better life elsewhere. Some leave because they see no future for them and their children by staying. Nothing wrong with that.

After all, we are all ‘pendatangs’ (migrants). Even all the blacks and whites in America are not natives there.

Race-based discrimination and religious intolerance in the country are the biggest deterrence for many to remain in the country. It's not just the Chinese, but others like the natives of Sabah and Sarawak and a small number of Malays are leaving too for economic reasons.

If you have not lived in a developed country, you would not likely to appreciate why people choose to leave.

Anonymous 9916: It looks like Yuen-Woh Voon lost his opportunity to emigrate, so decided to pen something to console himself.

Well, firstly I agree it is a struggle to fight injustice, but we should already be making some headway after 60 long years.

Where are we today? Nowhere still. Why? Because one race dominates and discriminates against others. That’s why other parents are wise enough to help their children to build up their character.

I sent my daughter overseas to pursue her studies and I can assure the writer that she is tough as nails. It’s about how you bring your child up. Positive thinking begins at home.

What our majority is learning at home now is they are the ‘tuan’ (masters) and nobody can tell them differently. So, how do you expect conditions here to improve?

Wira: Voon, you've made your decision to build a family here despite adversity. However, it's unnecessary to justify why you should stay behind. I believe you are both naive and short-sighted.

I too stayed, but that was many years ago before the surge of 'democratic' political Islam. I advise every responsible parent to ensure that their children receive a globally acceptable education and push them to emigrate.

Our forefathers came here because of hardship in their motherland. They gave us a beautiful land then to plant new roots.

Today, we should act responsibly to our descendants. This country fits the pattern of many countries where Muslims are the majority. They are on a uni-direction to internal and external strife, intolerance and misery.

Anonymous_267c6e5: Voon, be strong and stay true to your convictions and purpose. Those people as reflected by their comments here are of the lowly types who will never understand the reasons for your decision.

It’s all about themselves and not about the greater purpose and the bigger picture. That is why the Chinese who stay and fight injustice serve their community better than those who weaken their numbers through emigration and those who become cynical at everything because of what life and the other race throw at them.

Never buckle under pressure, and always stand up for the rights of those who are weak and unable to speak. Fight those who try to dominate you and intimidate you through their misguided superior and racist mentality.

Only through this will you become stronger than those who do not face adversities and are always being protected.

Just A Malaysian: Voon, I respect your opinion and understand your thoughts on this matter. I was one of your generations and did grabble with the option of staying or leaving.

But growing up and working in the 1980s and today is a very different thing altogether. Malaysia was growing fast, our resources plenty, jobs were abundant and many of us graduating in the early 1980s were able to get high-paying positions.

Bumiputera policy hurts, but the pie was expanding fast and everybody had a piece of it. But the situation has changed. Our poisonous policy has wrought havoc to this country.

Unless you have built up a huge nest egg for your kids, chances of them starting from scratch is very low. So your argument may not be so correct in the present situation.

DEX: I, too, had friends who migrated for the sake of the children.

Their children became professionals and moved up very fast, but sadly they are also infected by the moral and social diseases of their adopted country. Many have broken homes and living under "contract marriages".

My son who is a professional has migrated to Australia. He has a nice home and a good job with opportunities for moving up. In one of my trips to visit him, he suggested that I take up PR (permanent resident) with the view of retiring there.

I think that was the proudest moment of my life when I said, "This is a good country with a lot of opportunities. But my motherland is Malaysia. I was born there and I will live there and I will never give up on Malaysia."

Some cooks will get out of the kitchen when the fire gets too hot. But the ones who stay back will savour the delights of the food.

Toh May Fook: Well said, and those are the reasons why I chose to remain in this wonderful country which I refer to as my home.

Growing up amidst the many adversities around us made us much stronger and more competitive. I can readily confirm that with my experience serving in various other countries as an accountant.

Casper: Sometimes you fight from within, other times from outside. As long as your intention and goal are good, I’m all for it.

Remember when Sarawak Report was banned and blocked in the country, the ones on the outside can feed the portal's information to all.

However, only the ones inside can make meaningful changes, as happened one year ago.

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