Definitely!

How can any sane Malaysian Chinese deny that? It is very very true. I won’t want to add any personal sentiments here, but somehow it was never fair for us Malaysian Chinese.

I was very fortunate to go to have attended schools which do not really marginalise the Chinese, but nevertheless, I do not want to go into the details. I can do a lot of research and line up a lot of evidence, but that would serve no purpose but strengthen personal dislike and distrust toward the Malaysian Government.

I regret that even though I have a passion for leadership, I may not translate this passion to leading the country, since the Chinese are actually prevented from going to far in the Government. This is a far cry from the situation in Singapore, where most of the politicians are Chinese, and there are many that are of other races also. The Malaysian Government needs to address the many problems faced in the country and stop quarrelling among themselves about rights, race issues, etc. Inefficiencies abound, and the government has failed if it does not pay attention to the many blatant imperfections such as corruption and better education, etc.

One may argue that Singapore is small and hence easy to govern, but how can one argue against the fact that Singapore has little or no resources besides manpower, and good leadership as well? Strong leadership is all that is needed for the country to flourish, and I do not mean leadership at the top only, but also good leadership throughout all levels of society.

The marginalisation of Chinese is but a vicious cycle. They oppress us, but they were ignorant of the fact that the more a community is oppressed, the stronger is the spirit for survival. We will thrive under pressure. We shall still be the leaders in the economy and in education. The Chinese (and I mean both ethnic Chinese and citizens of China) have proven to be very hard-working and resilient people. Marginalization only serves to make us innovate and walk different routes in order to achieve our goal.

Sadly, since the government does not give out too many scholarships to the deserving Chinese, more and more Chinese have left or are leaving the country. Both my cousins also studied in Singapore, and one even took up the Singaporean citizenship upon acceptance of an overseas scholarship. It is undeniable that a growing number of Malaysians are leaving home soil to work and study. Globalization today has caused the freedom of choice to extend beyond anything ever imagined a century ago. We now have the freedom to choose even the governments in different nations, simply by migrating there. Malaysia, this is a warning sign, buck up on your policies and leaders, or lose significant talent to Singapore or other well governed nations.

In light of all this, there’s hope for me out there. Thank God for what is known as the private sector. Here, the playing field is level for everyone. Here is where the Chinese can thrive. Let the games begin!