2010年6月28日星期一
分享感人文章——《我们能拥有孩子多少年》
一天,听一个朋友说起一个故事:两个好朋友,各有一个差不多大的孩子。这两个孩子在一起慢慢长大。可是后来一个孩子不小心溺水身亡了。这个孩子的妈妈每次一见到她的朋友就泪流满面,都会说同一句话:我的孩子太可怜了,生前从没过过一天好日子。每天都在读书,都在我们的督促下做各种他不喜欢的事情。另一个孩子的妈妈听了后,就感触良多:生命的变数太多了,我现在能每天看到这个孩子已经是天大的幸福。只希望能在有生之年,尽一切可能让孩子过的幸福。不把太多压力与期待放孩子身上,而放手让他自由快乐成长。谁也不知道,我还能拥有我的孩子多少年?
我们从来没想过意外的发生,我们也不愿意去想,这是我们无法承受的事情,祈求我们的孩子健健康康,平平安安。我们能拥有我们的孩子多少年?或许,我们从来考虑过这个问题。
圣经里说:“儿女是耶和华的产业。” 我们只是代为抚养。他们总会长大,总会离开,有他们自己的家庭。只是我们不曾想过,原来,我们拥有他们的日子,其实是那么少。
3岁,他去上幼儿园了,看着他小小的坚强的背影,心中又喜悦又有点小小的心酸。离别了一整天,孩子看到你高兴得奔跑过来,扑在你的怀里。跟你说:妈妈,我想你了。那一刻,抱着孩子就像抱着了整个世界。
6岁,他上小学了,孩子终于走进校门,这是多么值得纪念的事情,孩子的人生从此翻开了新的篇章,却没想到,这也是孩子离开我们的第一步。他已经对与你分开一天习以为常了,而且他喜欢每天去学校,这是他更喜欢的生活。甚至,他有时还会说:妈妈,在家好无聊,没有小朋友和我玩。
12岁,他上初中了,甚至有的开始上寄宿学校,一个月或者几个月回一次家,见上一次面。他们开始不再依赖你,甚至,他们喜欢和你对着干。你想帮他们做点事情,他们说:妈妈,我自己来吧。突然觉得这句话让我们觉得好失落,孩子是不是不再需要我们了?
18岁,他离开你去上大学,一年回来两次。回来的好几天前,家里的冰箱就装不下了,为他准备了各种各样他喜欢吃的东西。可是一回来打个照面,他就忙着和同学朋友聚会去了。从此,你最怕听到的一句话是:妈妈,我不回家吃饭了,你们自己吃吧。
大学毕业后,孩子留在了远方工作,一年也难的回来一次了。好不容易回来一趟,几天就走了。你最盼望的就是孩子的电话,希望,孩子对你说一声:妈妈,我很好,你保重身体。这样就足够了。
孩子结婚了,回家的时间有一半匀给了你的亲家,孩子回来的更少了。你已经习惯就老两口在家了,但是,你最希望听到孩子对你说:妈妈,今年过年我回家过啊!
当孩子又有了他们自己的孩子,你已经不再是他们的家庭成员了,他们的一家三口(或一家n口)里,已经不包括你们了。
而我们也慢慢的习惯了这样的日子。只是习惯在闲来无事的时候,经常翻翻相册,看看我们自己的一家三口,无论孩子身在何方,他却永远是我们家庭中无可取代的一员。
是啊,其实当孩子在身边的日子,我们是多么幸福。可是有时我们却还会抱怨。抱怨因为他,你做了太多的牺牲。抱怨他晚上老醒来,让你睡不好,抱怨他无理取闹,抱怨他爱撒娇长不大,抱怨他生病,让你操碎了心,抱怨为了培养他,花费了太多的精力与金钱...可是,如果你想想,10多年后,就算你想要,也没有机会了。孩子会不停的长大,过了这个时期他就再没有这个时期的习性。你是不是常常在他断奶后怀念喂他吃奶的日子,可是那时你却觉得好累好辛苦好厌倦。是不是常常看他以前吃手的照片觉得好可爱,可是你曾经却为要不停的给他洗手而烦恼透了。是不是在他褪去童声后,特别想念他曾经奶声奶气的声音,可是他以前撒娇的时候你却很不受用。是不是当孩子去上学后你特别怀念他黏在你身边的日子,可是以前你却总在想他要什么时候才能去上学啊。。。
时间无法倒流,过去了就只能永远过去了。孩子能呆在身边的日子是多么难得与宝贵。因为这一点,我更加的珍惜与孩子相处的每一刻,也让我无论遇到什么,都心存感恩。谢谢上天给我这么一个孩子,让我分享与见证他成长的每一刻。无论带给我多少困难,烦恼,甚至挫败,无论让我失去多少睡眠,时间,金钱,精力,我仍然豁达,因为,这都是上天的恩赐。
当他在身边的每一天,我都会让他觉得幸福,也是让我们都有一个美好的回忆。我不会给他太多压力,束缚,更不会给他牵绊,阻扰,但是我会适时管教,也会做量力而行的投资,因为我有责任与义务教会他生活的本领,好让他来日自由快乐的飞翔。同时,我也会告诉他,就算所有的路都行不通时,还有一条路你可以畅行,那就是回家的路。
2010年6月23日星期三
真的捏了把冷汗!——写给大儿子的信
政:
昨晚你告诉我今早要骑电单车上学,虽然我早有心理准备,可是还是禁不住暗暗紧张起来。
上星期六你通过交通规则测试,然后再完成JPJ规定的6小时驾驶理论和实验课程,已经要一星期了还领不到你的L执照。于是,星期一早上我打电话到教驶学院催促他们加紧办理你的L执照的工作,因为我知道你一定希望快点拿到执照,可以驾电单车上路。我当然会允许你驾电单车上路,更不想让你久等执照的到来。然而,有一件事让我始终不大放心给你这样贸贸然上路。
孩子,你知道我本来就不是一个迷信的父亲。可是,也不知怎么搞的,想到要让你驾驶电单车,在繁忙的马路上行走,心头总是挂挂的,不能放下。于是,我想起阿嫲的做法:到佛寺去求一本小佛经,还有讨一两张印有“阿弥陀佛”佛号之类的贴纸;佛经让你带在身上,贴纸就贴在车身上。可是,星期一那天我太忙碌了,无法拨出时间到佛寺去求佛经和贴纸,所以星期一当天下午我帮你领取驾照后,真担心你告诉我隔天你就想要自己驾电单车上学。你知道的,我很少拒绝你和弟弟的合理要求。
还好,你不是一个性急的孩子。你没有要求我让你骑电单车上学。你说,“再等几天看看吧!”其实,我早想好借口不要让你骑电单车上学的。星期一下了一整天的雨,所以我会以“担心星期二也会下雨”这个理由不让你骑电单车上学。坦白说,我只想要看到你把小佛经带在身上,还有那保佑你平安的“阿弥陀佛”贴纸贴在你的电单车上之后才会放心让你驾驶电单车上学的。
政,原谅爸爸的迷信。其实,爸爸现在更加明白为什么阿嫲每次都要为我讨来那些小佛经,更要我带在身上。
昨天无论如何我都尽量挤出一点时间为你弄来了一本精小的《大悲咒》以及两张印有佛号的贴纸。然后,我就做好心理准备等着你开口告诉我你想自己驾电单车上学了。
今早,我把佛号贴纸紧紧贴在你的电单车前后,驾着自己的电单车跟在你后头,陪你上学去了。
坦白说,今早上学这段路上你的表现是蛮合格的。只不过在Caltex油站前你尝试超越那辆大型学生巴士时真的害我捏了把冷汗!我看着你越靠越右,速度也越来越快,心里头真想喊出来,“减速!靠回来左边!”结果,你真的放弃超车,可是却不留意后头状况地直接靠向马路的左边,而这时一辆轿车正从左边内侧车道快速驶来。我赶紧按响车笛,示意那辆轿车减速,而那司机也有准备地放慢了速度。。。那时我真的是捏出了一把冷汗啊!
孩子,这是你第一次自己驾驶上路,你缺乏经验,所以千万要特别小心,不要冒险以及做自己没有把握的事,切记!切记!
政,你应该明白,作为父亲,我始终还是不怎么放心让你自己驾驶电单车在马路上行走的!然而,爸爸还是希望你有机会接受磨炼,累积经验,不要做朵温室里的小花,要当旷野上接受风吹雨打的树苗,茁壮成长!
孩子,在路上一定要小心,提高警戒心,一切以自身的安全为重!爸爸相信你能做到这几点的。
昨晚你告诉我今早要骑电单车上学,虽然我早有心理准备,可是还是禁不住暗暗紧张起来。
上星期六你通过交通规则测试,然后再完成JPJ规定的6小时驾驶理论和实验课程,已经要一星期了还领不到你的L执照。于是,星期一早上我打电话到教驶学院催促他们加紧办理你的L执照的工作,因为我知道你一定希望快点拿到执照,可以驾电单车上路。我当然会允许你驾电单车上路,更不想让你久等执照的到来。然而,有一件事让我始终不大放心给你这样贸贸然上路。
孩子,你知道我本来就不是一个迷信的父亲。可是,也不知怎么搞的,想到要让你驾驶电单车,在繁忙的马路上行走,心头总是挂挂的,不能放下。于是,我想起阿嫲的做法:到佛寺去求一本小佛经,还有讨一两张印有“阿弥陀佛”佛号之类的贴纸;佛经让你带在身上,贴纸就贴在车身上。可是,星期一那天我太忙碌了,无法拨出时间到佛寺去求佛经和贴纸,所以星期一当天下午我帮你领取驾照后,真担心你告诉我隔天你就想要自己驾电单车上学。你知道的,我很少拒绝你和弟弟的合理要求。
还好,你不是一个性急的孩子。你没有要求我让你骑电单车上学。你说,“再等几天看看吧!”其实,我早想好借口不要让你骑电单车上学的。星期一下了一整天的雨,所以我会以“担心星期二也会下雨”这个理由不让你骑电单车上学。坦白说,我只想要看到你把小佛经带在身上,还有那保佑你平安的“阿弥陀佛”贴纸贴在你的电单车上之后才会放心让你驾驶电单车上学的。
政,原谅爸爸的迷信。其实,爸爸现在更加明白为什么阿嫲每次都要为我讨来那些小佛经,更要我带在身上。
昨天无论如何我都尽量挤出一点时间为你弄来了一本精小的《大悲咒》以及两张印有佛号的贴纸。然后,我就做好心理准备等着你开口告诉我你想自己驾电单车上学了。
今早,我把佛号贴纸紧紧贴在你的电单车前后,驾着自己的电单车跟在你后头,陪你上学去了。
坦白说,今早上学这段路上你的表现是蛮合格的。只不过在Caltex油站前你尝试超越那辆大型学生巴士时真的害我捏了把冷汗!我看着你越靠越右,速度也越来越快,心里头真想喊出来,“减速!靠回来左边!”结果,你真的放弃超车,可是却不留意后头状况地直接靠向马路的左边,而这时一辆轿车正从左边内侧车道快速驶来。我赶紧按响车笛,示意那辆轿车减速,而那司机也有准备地放慢了速度。。。那时我真的是捏出了一把冷汗啊!
孩子,这是你第一次自己驾驶上路,你缺乏经验,所以千万要特别小心,不要冒险以及做自己没有把握的事,切记!切记!
政,你应该明白,作为父亲,我始终还是不怎么放心让你自己驾驶电单车在马路上行走的!然而,爸爸还是希望你有机会接受磨炼,累积经验,不要做朵温室里的小花,要当旷野上接受风吹雨打的树苗,茁壮成长!
孩子,在路上一定要小心,提高警戒心,一切以自身的安全为重!爸爸相信你能做到这几点的。
2010年6月21日星期一
学校假期结束了
时间飞逝。两个星期的学校假期就这么过去了。这两个星期里,我懒得上来这里留下文字和痕迹,也很少到别人的部落格去逛逛看看。好像是对写部落格及阅读他人的部落格的热忱消失似的。我想这是正常的事来的。每件事情都会有调整步伐的阶段出现。我想,这一段日子的“失踪”就是我的调整期吧。
整个假期除了教书,就是看书。我把《20世纪50年代学生运动史料汇编》这本比较沉闷的书搁置了,改换口味,把Herbert Benson医学教授所著的《The Relaxation Response》读完,然后继续阅读Bruce H. Lipton Ph.D 的《The Biology of Belief》。回顾年头迄今所读过的书,发现最近所接触的4本书都是属于科学家或专科医生的著作。阅读这类的书,让自己感觉越来越渺小。原来外面的世界的脚步走得那么快,而自己几乎是固步自封,原地踏步地远远落后着。觉得很惭愧。
这两星期的假期还完成了两件比较有意义的是。一是让大儿子去考取驾驶执照。阿政16岁了,可以驾摩托车。内心挣扎了好一阵,终于决定让他去考取驾照。其实,他并没有吵着要去考摩托执照,反倒是我主动问他要不要像同学那样自己驾摩托车到处去。其实,内心底我是担心他在马路上驾驶摩托车时的安全问题的。然而,我不能够对一个16岁的少年给与太多的保护,应该是放手让他出外去面对磨练的时刻了。况且我相信自己的孩子不会乱来。他是一个懂得照顾自己的孩子, 绝对不会去做危险的事。所以,他顺顺利利地考获驾照了。一开始,我看着他在公寓里的一个小范围练习驾驶电单车,接着是看他绕着公寓内范围的泊油路兜圈子,最后给他买了一辆崭新的电单车,让他有空就自己驾着电单车载公寓里乱兜。再过几天应该是可以让他自己驾电单车上学了。
除了大儿子学会了驾驶电单车,小儿子也学会骑脚踏车了。之前,阿进的脚踏车是多安装两个小轮子的,所以那不算会踏脚车。我问他,“爸爸把小轮子拆掉,教你踏脚车好吗?”他欣然答应。于是我就带他到公寓停车场顶楼的脚车跑道去练习。好小子,不一下子功夫就上手了!
今天一切好像是要恢复“正常”了。早上载大儿子上学,然后到菜市买菜,回来后就穿上跑步鞋去跑个12公里。今天身体状态很好,心态也很正,可惜天不作美,下起大雨来了。我不理这么多了,冒着大雨,沿着槟威大桥海边直跑到Queensbay Mall去了。整身从头到脚都被雨水淋湿了,可是心情却很满足。 心情大好之下,于是就上来这里留下这段文字记录了。。。
整个假期除了教书,就是看书。我把《20世纪50年代学生运动史料汇编》这本比较沉闷的书搁置了,改换口味,把Herbert Benson医学教授所著的《The Relaxation Response》读完,然后继续阅读Bruce H. Lipton Ph.D 的《The Biology of Belief》。回顾年头迄今所读过的书,发现最近所接触的4本书都是属于科学家或专科医生的著作。阅读这类的书,让自己感觉越来越渺小。原来外面的世界的脚步走得那么快,而自己几乎是固步自封,原地踏步地远远落后着。觉得很惭愧。
这两星期的假期还完成了两件比较有意义的是。一是让大儿子去考取驾驶执照。阿政16岁了,可以驾摩托车。内心挣扎了好一阵,终于决定让他去考取驾照。其实,他并没有吵着要去考摩托执照,反倒是我主动问他要不要像同学那样自己驾摩托车到处去。其实,内心底我是担心他在马路上驾驶摩托车时的安全问题的。然而,我不能够对一个16岁的少年给与太多的保护,应该是放手让他出外去面对磨练的时刻了。况且我相信自己的孩子不会乱来。他是一个懂得照顾自己的孩子, 绝对不会去做危险的事。所以,他顺顺利利地考获驾照了。一开始,我看着他在公寓里的一个小范围练习驾驶电单车,接着是看他绕着公寓内范围的泊油路兜圈子,最后给他买了一辆崭新的电单车,让他有空就自己驾着电单车载公寓里乱兜。再过几天应该是可以让他自己驾电单车上学了。
除了大儿子学会了驾驶电单车,小儿子也学会骑脚踏车了。之前,阿进的脚踏车是多安装两个小轮子的,所以那不算会踏脚车。我问他,“爸爸把小轮子拆掉,教你踏脚车好吗?”他欣然答应。于是我就带他到公寓停车场顶楼的脚车跑道去练习。好小子,不一下子功夫就上手了!
今天一切好像是要恢复“正常”了。早上载大儿子上学,然后到菜市买菜,回来后就穿上跑步鞋去跑个12公里。今天身体状态很好,心态也很正,可惜天不作美,下起大雨来了。我不理这么多了,冒着大雨,沿着槟威大桥海边直跑到Queensbay Mall去了。整身从头到脚都被雨水淋湿了,可是心情却很满足。 心情大好之下,于是就上来这里留下这段文字记录了。。。
2010年6月8日星期二
脚伤没复发!
时间过得真快。已经一个星期没张贴任何文字在这里了。再不写些东西,恐怕人们都要担心我发生什么事啦! 第一个念头当然是“这家伙的脚伤复发了!又得拿拐杖走路了,所以没心情写部落格了!”
其实,我人好好的。跑完Malakoff 26公里的比赛后,原本一直担心会复发的脚伤一点儿都没有动静。双脚真的好好的!5月30日星期天跑完比赛后,休息了2天,就开始跑步了。先是6月2日星期三轻微跑了5公里,然后是星期四跑12公里,接下来星期五跑5公里,星期六也跑了8公里。一切进展得很顺利,脚跟一点儿都没有痛!其实我还真担心提及自己的脚伤的,难免会有点避忌,迷信着担心说了自己脚没伤痛了,结果却让伤痛摸上门来!(触木!触木!——洋人的迷信!)
有些事情真的难以教人不得不相信。2个医生曾经断定我不可以再跑长途比赛,我也曾经相信自己凡是跑长途比赛后必会承受脚伤困扰。然而,我尝试了一些“新奇治疗法”,结果似乎看到成效了!
到底是什么“新奇治疗法”?请允许我暂时卖个关子,不告诉大家。等我下个月到太平参加一项14公里比赛后(也可能没去太平,换作去怡保参加另一个半马拉松比赛),确定自己的脚伤照样不会发作后才来和大家分享这个“新奇的治疗法”,好吗?毕竟我还不是那么肯定这个“新奇治疗法”真的那么神奇,也不敢断言说我的脚伤是因为进行这个“新奇治疗法”而痊愈的!
其实,我人好好的。跑完Malakoff 26公里的比赛后,原本一直担心会复发的脚伤一点儿都没有动静。双脚真的好好的!5月30日星期天跑完比赛后,休息了2天,就开始跑步了。先是6月2日星期三轻微跑了5公里,然后是星期四跑12公里,接下来星期五跑5公里,星期六也跑了8公里。一切进展得很顺利,脚跟一点儿都没有痛!其实我还真担心提及自己的脚伤的,难免会有点避忌,迷信着担心说了自己脚没伤痛了,结果却让伤痛摸上门来!(触木!触木!——洋人的迷信!)
有些事情真的难以教人不得不相信。2个医生曾经断定我不可以再跑长途比赛,我也曾经相信自己凡是跑长途比赛后必会承受脚伤困扰。然而,我尝试了一些“新奇治疗法”,结果似乎看到成效了!
到底是什么“新奇治疗法”?请允许我暂时卖个关子,不告诉大家。等我下个月到太平参加一项14公里比赛后(也可能没去太平,换作去怡保参加另一个半马拉松比赛),确定自己的脚伤照样不会发作后才来和大家分享这个“新奇的治疗法”,好吗?毕竟我还不是那么肯定这个“新奇治疗法”真的那么神奇,也不敢断言说我的脚伤是因为进行这个“新奇治疗法”而痊愈的!
2010年5月31日星期一
我的Malakoff 26km, Penang 2010
没有抱着太大的期望,反倒是怀着矛盾的心情前往青年公园参加今年的Malakoff 26km。因为缺乏练习,所以抱着只要能在大会指定的3小时10分钟的时限内完成比赛就算成功的心态站上起跑线。
一投入比赛,跟着大队人群一起跑,整个人的感觉变得十分轻松,没有压力。告诉自己:尽量享受比赛!
于是老老实实地按照自己的能力所及的节奏一步一步前进。战胜了白云山渐渐倾斜的公路,再克服了水池路蜿蜒陡峭的山路,在清凉的晨风和昏暗的天色中跑在渐渐平坦的公路,感觉很好。虽然知道前面等着的又是一段倾斜的山路——丹绒武雅沿海一带的公路,但是一直告诉自己:不急,按照自己的能力前进,之后的路会比较容易跑多了。
终于,我顺利完成比赛了!时间是2小时44分22秒,比去年的时间还要快了9分钟!
同来参加比赛的朋友个个都提升各自的PB,可喜可贺!
脚跟没有疼痛(不过,3、4天后会不会疼痛才是关键!)。膝盖只是在最后的2公里时才隐隐作疼。没有抽筋。只不过脚趾头还是摩出大大的水疱,也破了,所以会疼痛。不过这一切是意料中的事,是长途赛跑中无法避免的小伤。
感觉今年的参赛者都比较有水准,沿路上碰见到放弃跑步改用走路的并不多。也许是我跑在前头吧!那些轻易放弃的都被远远抛在后头了。
下一站将和朋友到太平去参加“Taiping Heritage Run 2010”。
2010年5月30日星期日
《华人真正要的是什么?》——回应马来西亚前锋报文章
阅读了马来西亚前锋报那篇偏激的“烂”文章之后,我有幸找到了针对相关的应对文章,特别转载在这里和大家分享。
What the Chinese want
By Kee Thuan Chye
COMMENT Every time the Barisan Nasional gets less than the expected support from Chinese voters at an election, the question invariably pops up among the petty-minded: Why are the Chinese ungrateful?
So now, after the Hulu Selangor by-election, it’s not surprising to read in Utusan Malaysia a piece that asks: “Orang Cina Malaysia, apa lagi yang anda mahu?” (Chinese of Malaysia, what more do you want?)
Normally, something intentionally provocative and propagandistic as this doesn’t deserve to be honoured with a reply. But even though I’m fed up of such disruptive and ethnocentric polemics, this time I feel obliged to reply – partly because the article has also been published, in an English translation, in the Straits Times of Singapore.
I wish to emphasise here that I am replying not as a Chinese Malaysian but, simply, as a Malaysian.
Let me say at the outset that the Chinese have got nothing more than what any citizen should get. So to ask “what more” it is they want, is misguided. A correct question would be “What do the Chinese want?”
All our lives, we Chinese have held to the belief that no one owes us a living. We have to work for it. Most of us have got where we are by the sweat of our brow, not by handouts or the policies of the government.
We have come to expect nothing – not awards, not accolades, not gifts from official sources. (Let’s not lump in Datukships, that’s a different ball game.) We know that no Chinese who writes in the Chinese language will ever be bestowed the title of Sasterawan Negara, unlike in Singapore where the literatures of all the main language streams are recognised and honoured with the Cultural Medallion, etc.
We have learned we can’t expect the government to grant us scholarships. Some will get those, but countless others won’t. We’ve learned to live with that and to work extra hard in order to support our children to attain higher education – because education is very important to us. We experience a lot of daily pressure to achieve that. Unfortunately, not many non-Chinese realise or understand that. In fact, many Chinese had no choice but to emigrate for the sake of their children’s further education. Or to accept scholarships from abroad, many from Singapore, which has inevitably led to a brain drain.
The writer of the Utusan article says the Chinese “account for most of the students” enrolled in “the best private colleges in Malaysia”. Even so, the Chinese still have to pay a lot of money to have their children study in these colleges. And to earn that money, the parents have to work very hard. The money does not fall from the sky.
The writer goes on to add: “The Malays can gain admission into only government-owned colleges of ordinary reputation.” That is utter nonsense. Some of these colleges are meant for the cream of the Malay crop of students and are endowed with the best facilities. They are given elite treatment.
The writer also fails to acknowledge that the Chinese are barred from being admitted to some of these colleges. As a result, the Chinese are forced to pay more money to go to private colleges. Furthermore, the Malays are also welcome to enrol in the private colleges, and many of them do. It’s, after all, a free enterprise.
Plain and simple reason
The writer claims that the Chinese live “in the lap of luxury” and lead lives that are “more than ordinary” whereas the Malays in Singapore, their minority-race counterparts there, lead “ordinary lives”. Such sweeping statements sound inane especially when they are not backed up by definitions of “lap of luxury” and “ordinary lives”. They sound hysterical, if not hilarious as well, when they are not backed up by evidence. It’s surprising that a national daily like Utusan Malaysia would publish something as idiosyncratic as that. And the Straits Times too.
All smiles from PM Najib
The writer quotes from a survey that said eight of the 10 richest people in Malaysia are Chinese. Well, if these people are where they are, it must have also come from hard work and prudent business sense. Is that something to be faulted?
If the writer had said that some of them achieved greater wealth through being given crony privileges and lucrative contracts by the government, there might be a point, but even then, it would still take hard work and business acumen to secure success. Certainly, Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, who is one of the 10, would take exception if it were said that he has not worked hard and lacks business savvy.
Most important, it should be noted that the eight Chinese tycoons mentioned in the survey represent but a minuscule percentage of the wider Chinese Malaysian population. To extrapolate that because eight Chinese are filthy rich, the rest of the Chinese must therefore live in the lap of luxury and lead more than ordinary lives would be a mockery of the truth. The writer has obviously not met the vast numbers of very poor Chinese.
The crux of the writer’s article is that the Chinese are not grateful to the government by not voting for Barisan Nasional at the Hulu Selangor by-election. But this demonstrates the thinking of either a simple mind or a closed one.
Why did the Chinese by and large not vote for BN? Because it’s corrupt. Plain and simple. Let’s call a spade a spade. And BN showed how corrupt it was during the campaign by throwing bribes to the electorate, including promising RM3 million to the Chinese school in Rasa.
The Chinese were not alone in seeing this corruption. The figures are unofficial but one could assume that at least 40 per cent of Malays and 45 per cent of Indians who voted against BN in that by-election also had their eyes open.
So, what’s wrong with not supporting a government that is corrupt? If the government is corrupt, do we continue to support it?
To answer the question then, what do the Chinese want? They want a government that is not corrupt; that can govern well and proves to have done so; that tells the truth rather than lies; that follows the rule of law; that upholds rather than abuses the country’s sacred institutions. BN does not fit that description, so the Chinese don’t vote for it. This is not what only the Chinese want. It is something every sensible Malaysian, regardless of race, wants. Is that something that is too difficult to understand?
Some people think that the government is to be equated with the country, and therefore if someone does not support the government, they are being disloyal to the country. This is a complete fallacy. BN is not Malaysia. It is merely a political coalition that is the government of the day. Rejecting BN is not rejecting the country.
A sense of belonging
Let’s be clear about this important distinction. In America, the people sometimes vote for the Democrats and sometimes for the Republicans. Voting against the one that is in government at the time is not considered disloyalty to the country.
Banner reads 'We are Malaysians too'
By the same token, voting against Umno is also voting against a party, not against a race. And if the Chinese or whoever criticise Umno, they are criticising the party; they are not criticising Malays. It just happens that Umno’s leaders are Malay.
It is time all Malaysians realised this so that we can once and for all dispel the confusion. Let us no more confuse country with government. We can love our country and at the same time hate the government. It is perfectly all right.
I should add here what the Chinese don’t want. We don’t want to be insulted, to be called pendatang, or told to be grateful for our citizenship. We have been loyal citizens; we duly and dutifully pay taxes; we respect the country’s constitution and its institutions. Our forefathers came to this country generations ago and helped it to prosper. We are continuing to contribute to the country's growth and development.
Would anyone like to be disparaged, made to feel unwelcome, unwanted? For the benefit of the writer of the Utusan article, what MCA president Chua Soi Lek means when he says the MCA needs to be more vocal is that it needs to speak up whenever the Chinese community is disparaged. For too long, the MCA has not spoken up strongly enough when Umno politicians and associates like Ahmad Ismail, Nasir Safar, Ahmad Noh and others before them insulted the Chinese and made them feel like they don’t belong. That’s why the Chinese have largely rejected the MCA.
You see, the Chinese, like all human beings, want self-respect. And a sense of belonging in this country they call home. That is all the Chinese want, and have always wanted. Nothing more.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dramatist and journalist Kee Thuan Chye is the author of 'March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up'. He is a contributor to Free Malaysia Today.
What the Chinese want
By Kee Thuan Chye
COMMENT Every time the Barisan Nasional gets less than the expected support from Chinese voters at an election, the question invariably pops up among the petty-minded: Why are the Chinese ungrateful?
So now, after the Hulu Selangor by-election, it’s not surprising to read in Utusan Malaysia a piece that asks: “Orang Cina Malaysia, apa lagi yang anda mahu?” (Chinese of Malaysia, what more do you want?)
Normally, something intentionally provocative and propagandistic as this doesn’t deserve to be honoured with a reply. But even though I’m fed up of such disruptive and ethnocentric polemics, this time I feel obliged to reply – partly because the article has also been published, in an English translation, in the Straits Times of Singapore.
I wish to emphasise here that I am replying not as a Chinese Malaysian but, simply, as a Malaysian.
Let me say at the outset that the Chinese have got nothing more than what any citizen should get. So to ask “what more” it is they want, is misguided. A correct question would be “What do the Chinese want?”
All our lives, we Chinese have held to the belief that no one owes us a living. We have to work for it. Most of us have got where we are by the sweat of our brow, not by handouts or the policies of the government.
We have come to expect nothing – not awards, not accolades, not gifts from official sources. (Let’s not lump in Datukships, that’s a different ball game.) We know that no Chinese who writes in the Chinese language will ever be bestowed the title of Sasterawan Negara, unlike in Singapore where the literatures of all the main language streams are recognised and honoured with the Cultural Medallion, etc.
We have learned we can’t expect the government to grant us scholarships. Some will get those, but countless others won’t. We’ve learned to live with that and to work extra hard in order to support our children to attain higher education – because education is very important to us. We experience a lot of daily pressure to achieve that. Unfortunately, not many non-Chinese realise or understand that. In fact, many Chinese had no choice but to emigrate for the sake of their children’s further education. Or to accept scholarships from abroad, many from Singapore, which has inevitably led to a brain drain.
The writer of the Utusan article says the Chinese “account for most of the students” enrolled in “the best private colleges in Malaysia”. Even so, the Chinese still have to pay a lot of money to have their children study in these colleges. And to earn that money, the parents have to work very hard. The money does not fall from the sky.
The writer goes on to add: “The Malays can gain admission into only government-owned colleges of ordinary reputation.” That is utter nonsense. Some of these colleges are meant for the cream of the Malay crop of students and are endowed with the best facilities. They are given elite treatment.
The writer also fails to acknowledge that the Chinese are barred from being admitted to some of these colleges. As a result, the Chinese are forced to pay more money to go to private colleges. Furthermore, the Malays are also welcome to enrol in the private colleges, and many of them do. It’s, after all, a free enterprise.
Plain and simple reason
The writer claims that the Chinese live “in the lap of luxury” and lead lives that are “more than ordinary” whereas the Malays in Singapore, their minority-race counterparts there, lead “ordinary lives”. Such sweeping statements sound inane especially when they are not backed up by definitions of “lap of luxury” and “ordinary lives”. They sound hysterical, if not hilarious as well, when they are not backed up by evidence. It’s surprising that a national daily like Utusan Malaysia would publish something as idiosyncratic as that. And the Straits Times too.
All smiles from PM Najib
The writer quotes from a survey that said eight of the 10 richest people in Malaysia are Chinese. Well, if these people are where they are, it must have also come from hard work and prudent business sense. Is that something to be faulted?
If the writer had said that some of them achieved greater wealth through being given crony privileges and lucrative contracts by the government, there might be a point, but even then, it would still take hard work and business acumen to secure success. Certainly, Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, who is one of the 10, would take exception if it were said that he has not worked hard and lacks business savvy.
Most important, it should be noted that the eight Chinese tycoons mentioned in the survey represent but a minuscule percentage of the wider Chinese Malaysian population. To extrapolate that because eight Chinese are filthy rich, the rest of the Chinese must therefore live in the lap of luxury and lead more than ordinary lives would be a mockery of the truth. The writer has obviously not met the vast numbers of very poor Chinese.
The crux of the writer’s article is that the Chinese are not grateful to the government by not voting for Barisan Nasional at the Hulu Selangor by-election. But this demonstrates the thinking of either a simple mind or a closed one.
Why did the Chinese by and large not vote for BN? Because it’s corrupt. Plain and simple. Let’s call a spade a spade. And BN showed how corrupt it was during the campaign by throwing bribes to the electorate, including promising RM3 million to the Chinese school in Rasa.
The Chinese were not alone in seeing this corruption. The figures are unofficial but one could assume that at least 40 per cent of Malays and 45 per cent of Indians who voted against BN in that by-election also had their eyes open.
So, what’s wrong with not supporting a government that is corrupt? If the government is corrupt, do we continue to support it?
To answer the question then, what do the Chinese want? They want a government that is not corrupt; that can govern well and proves to have done so; that tells the truth rather than lies; that follows the rule of law; that upholds rather than abuses the country’s sacred institutions. BN does not fit that description, so the Chinese don’t vote for it. This is not what only the Chinese want. It is something every sensible Malaysian, regardless of race, wants. Is that something that is too difficult to understand?
Some people think that the government is to be equated with the country, and therefore if someone does not support the government, they are being disloyal to the country. This is a complete fallacy. BN is not Malaysia. It is merely a political coalition that is the government of the day. Rejecting BN is not rejecting the country.
A sense of belonging
Let’s be clear about this important distinction. In America, the people sometimes vote for the Democrats and sometimes for the Republicans. Voting against the one that is in government at the time is not considered disloyalty to the country.
Banner reads 'We are Malaysians too'
By the same token, voting against Umno is also voting against a party, not against a race. And if the Chinese or whoever criticise Umno, they are criticising the party; they are not criticising Malays. It just happens that Umno’s leaders are Malay.
It is time all Malaysians realised this so that we can once and for all dispel the confusion. Let us no more confuse country with government. We can love our country and at the same time hate the government. It is perfectly all right.
I should add here what the Chinese don’t want. We don’t want to be insulted, to be called pendatang, or told to be grateful for our citizenship. We have been loyal citizens; we duly and dutifully pay taxes; we respect the country’s constitution and its institutions. Our forefathers came to this country generations ago and helped it to prosper. We are continuing to contribute to the country's growth and development.
Would anyone like to be disparaged, made to feel unwelcome, unwanted? For the benefit of the writer of the Utusan article, what MCA president Chua Soi Lek means when he says the MCA needs to be more vocal is that it needs to speak up whenever the Chinese community is disparaged. For too long, the MCA has not spoken up strongly enough when Umno politicians and associates like Ahmad Ismail, Nasir Safar, Ahmad Noh and others before them insulted the Chinese and made them feel like they don’t belong. That’s why the Chinese have largely rejected the MCA.
You see, the Chinese, like all human beings, want self-respect. And a sense of belonging in this country they call home. That is all the Chinese want, and have always wanted. Nothing more.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dramatist and journalist Kee Thuan Chye is the author of 'March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up'. He is a contributor to Free Malaysia Today.
2010年5月29日星期六
2019年,马来西亚破产?
昨天我家订阅的两份中文报章头的版标题都十分刺眼:《不减补贴,国家破产》(南洋商报)、《不减津贴将破产》(光华日报)。我想其它中文报章的头版标题也应该和这两份报章相差不远吧!
这样震撼性的言论来自我国首相属部长依德利斯贾拉德尊口。他说,如果我国政府继续维持现有的补贴制度,到了公元2019年,国债将高达1万1千5百80亿令吉(RM1,158,000,000,000),从而导致马来西亚像欧洲的希腊那样必须宣布破产!他还指出,我国目前的国债已经高达3620亿(RM362,000,000,000),去年的补贴总额高达740亿令吉,若不重组和消减补贴,我国将会步希腊的后尘,宣布破产。
依德利斯绝对没有危言耸听。我国的确存在着破产的危机!人民最好自我保重,苦日子正渐渐逼近我们。可惜天真又容易被腐败政府蒙骗的马来西亚国民似乎还生活在美梦当中而不自知!
国家面临破产危机是事实,然而导致国家破产的原因并不如我们尊贵的部长所说的那样,我坚决反对破产危机是因为政府给与人民太多津贴所引起的!
我的看法是,导致国家面临破产危机的真正原因是政府一直以来所承担的庞大结构性财政赤字、巨额的公共开销、无效率的官僚制度、公共领域的贪污舞弊、逃税等。
自独立以来,国阵政府在执政的52年来,有46年的时间是在处于财政赤字状态,只有短短六年取得财政盈余。虽然马来西亚曾在1993年至1997年这段经济蓬勃期出现过短暂六年的财政盈余,不过,随着亚洲金融风暴的爆发,那年在马哈迪领导之下的国阵政府通过大规模的财政支出,死命地支撑了国家经济成长,表面上是让马来西亚安然度过经济危机,但同时也导致了我国从财政盈余的状态重新跌回被财政赤字困扰的尴尬局面。
亚洲经济危机过后,政府似乎染上财政赤字瘾,不能自拔。即便在过去十多年经济好转时期,尤其是当国际石油的价格在过去几年飙升,促使联邦政府收入激增之际,政府本来有机会回到财政平衡,但是,政府还是放任不管,一直维持在财政赤字状态。
自亚洲金融风暴后,亚洲国家纷纷通过加强政府收入以及稳定政府开销,来达到削减财政赤字的目标,整体而言,亚洲各国的财政赤字在过去10年来出现逐步缩窄的趋势,一些国家如韩国与中国更从财政赤字变成财政盈余。
然而,马来西亚却不自爱,继续编织泡沫般的美梦。虽然联邦政府的收入在近年来有所增长,但是,政府的营运开销近年来的增幅,却比政府收入的增幅还要快。如果这样的趋势没有获得控制,在可预见的未来里,营运开销可能超越收入,导致政府陷入入不敷出的窘境。这才是导致国家面临破产危机的主要原因!
政府的营运开销激增的背后原因,主要包括了沉重的公务员薪金、贪污舞弊、滥用拨款、缺乏财政纪律、监督与执行力不足、低透明度、营运不当等。
我们不得不承认我国拥有非常臃肿的公共官僚体系,公务员总数估计高达120万人,占我国就业人口超过10%的比重。这导致政府必须承担庞大的薪金支出。政府在2009年公共领域的薪金就占了总营运开销的23.7%比重(相当于380亿元)。若是政府在这方面进行严密的“瘦身”计划,相信政府可以省下一笔十分可观的数目。
另一方面,《2008年度国家总稽查司报告》显示,政府部门与机构的种种弊端,包括舞弊、滥用拨款、缺乏财政纪律、监督与执行力不足、低透明度、营运不当等财政管理问题,导致政府的公共开销飙涨。
联邦政府在2008年批准的行政开销为马币1520亿1000万元,不过实际开销却高达1535亿元,整整超支了14亿9000万元。
此外,许多官联公司与政府发展计划,也出现财政与投资管理不当、无节制超支以及舞弊等问题。实际例子包括了国家基建管理公司因财政与营运管理不当,导致该公司在2007年底累计高达8.4亿元的亏损;而怡保万绕双轨电动火车工程计划也因为工程展延,导致成本增加14.3亿元。
首相属部长说,政府给与人民的补贴制度是导致国家面临破产危机的主要原因,那么我们可以清楚看到了这个政府不诚恳的一面。政府宁愿牺牲人民的福利,选择消减应该给与人民的补贴,也不肯承认自身管理不当、顾及朋党利益及贪污舞弊事件横行等问题的存在,那么身为人民的我们是否应该睁大眼睛看清事实,利用手中的选票来推举更贤明的政府来领导我们度过难关呢?
这样震撼性的言论来自我国首相属部长依德利斯贾拉德尊口。他说,如果我国政府继续维持现有的补贴制度,到了公元2019年,国债将高达1万1千5百80亿令吉(RM1,158,000,000,000),从而导致马来西亚像欧洲的希腊那样必须宣布破产!他还指出,我国目前的国债已经高达3620亿(RM362,000,000,000),去年的补贴总额高达740亿令吉,若不重组和消减补贴,我国将会步希腊的后尘,宣布破产。
依德利斯绝对没有危言耸听。我国的确存在着破产的危机!人民最好自我保重,苦日子正渐渐逼近我们。可惜天真又容易被腐败政府蒙骗的马来西亚国民似乎还生活在美梦当中而不自知!
国家面临破产危机是事实,然而导致国家破产的原因并不如我们尊贵的部长所说的那样,我坚决反对破产危机是因为政府给与人民太多津贴所引起的!
我的看法是,导致国家面临破产危机的真正原因是政府一直以来所承担的庞大结构性财政赤字、巨额的公共开销、无效率的官僚制度、公共领域的贪污舞弊、逃税等。
自独立以来,国阵政府在执政的52年来,有46年的时间是在处于财政赤字状态,只有短短六年取得财政盈余。虽然马来西亚曾在1993年至1997年这段经济蓬勃期出现过短暂六年的财政盈余,不过,随着亚洲金融风暴的爆发,那年在马哈迪领导之下的国阵政府通过大规模的财政支出,死命地支撑了国家经济成长,表面上是让马来西亚安然度过经济危机,但同时也导致了我国从财政盈余的状态重新跌回被财政赤字困扰的尴尬局面。
亚洲经济危机过后,政府似乎染上财政赤字瘾,不能自拔。即便在过去十多年经济好转时期,尤其是当国际石油的价格在过去几年飙升,促使联邦政府收入激增之际,政府本来有机会回到财政平衡,但是,政府还是放任不管,一直维持在财政赤字状态。
自亚洲金融风暴后,亚洲国家纷纷通过加强政府收入以及稳定政府开销,来达到削减财政赤字的目标,整体而言,亚洲各国的财政赤字在过去10年来出现逐步缩窄的趋势,一些国家如韩国与中国更从财政赤字变成财政盈余。
然而,马来西亚却不自爱,继续编织泡沫般的美梦。虽然联邦政府的收入在近年来有所增长,但是,政府的营运开销近年来的增幅,却比政府收入的增幅还要快。如果这样的趋势没有获得控制,在可预见的未来里,营运开销可能超越收入,导致政府陷入入不敷出的窘境。这才是导致国家面临破产危机的主要原因!
政府的营运开销激增的背后原因,主要包括了沉重的公务员薪金、贪污舞弊、滥用拨款、缺乏财政纪律、监督与执行力不足、低透明度、营运不当等。
我们不得不承认我国拥有非常臃肿的公共官僚体系,公务员总数估计高达120万人,占我国就业人口超过10%的比重。这导致政府必须承担庞大的薪金支出。政府在2009年公共领域的薪金就占了总营运开销的23.7%比重(相当于380亿元)。若是政府在这方面进行严密的“瘦身”计划,相信政府可以省下一笔十分可观的数目。
另一方面,《2008年度国家总稽查司报告》显示,政府部门与机构的种种弊端,包括舞弊、滥用拨款、缺乏财政纪律、监督与执行力不足、低透明度、营运不当等财政管理问题,导致政府的公共开销飙涨。
联邦政府在2008年批准的行政开销为马币1520亿1000万元,不过实际开销却高达1535亿元,整整超支了14亿9000万元。
此外,许多官联公司与政府发展计划,也出现财政与投资管理不当、无节制超支以及舞弊等问题。实际例子包括了国家基建管理公司因财政与营运管理不当,导致该公司在2007年底累计高达8.4亿元的亏损;而怡保万绕双轨电动火车工程计划也因为工程展延,导致成本增加14.3亿元。
首相属部长说,政府给与人民的补贴制度是导致国家面临破产危机的主要原因,那么我们可以清楚看到了这个政府不诚恳的一面。政府宁愿牺牲人民的福利,选择消减应该给与人民的补贴,也不肯承认自身管理不当、顾及朋党利益及贪污舞弊事件横行等问题的存在,那么身为人民的我们是否应该睁大眼睛看清事实,利用手中的选票来推举更贤明的政府来领导我们度过难关呢?
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