Write Something If You Can't Sleep

It's 6:09AM Melbourne time, the usual time that I wake up everyday. Only difference is I'm currently in Penang, Malaysia where the local time is 3:10AM. Still struggling to adjust to the weather and time here after arriving here for almost 1 week already. There is noise everywhere even now in the early morning, I can still hear traffic 27 floors below me on the streets in Pulau Tikus and Gurney Drive. 

The skyline at Gurney Drive has changed quite drastically since I was here 3 years ago. The tallest hotel is currently under construction and has already topped out dwarfing all the other towers which were previously the giants along Persiaran Gurney. Gurney Wharf has been fully reclaimed and construction is currently underway in full capacity to catch up with lost time due to Covid-19. The landscape has certainly changed.

Besides changes to the physical appearance of the place, I noticed that there is another change which is more substantial in terms of its impact to people's lives. Prices for dining out have increased unreasonably, double at some places. A plate of Char Koay Teow is now RM10! This is something unforeseen just 5 years ago. Inflation has affected the whole world and Malaysia is no exception.

So far, my first week has been quite pleasant, get to eat most of the food on my list (my very own Michelin list, not the official one).

I'm looking forward for another 5 weeks of eventful holiday in Malaysia. Today is Christmas Eve, tomorrow is a special day for all Christians. Merry Christmas!

Kita Boleh

Finally Malaysia has a new Prime Minister on 24th November 2022. Much to the excitement of most Malaysian, Anwar Ibrahim has finally the leader of the country after waiting for 24 years!

After almost three years of lock down when hope diminishes by the day, the country has now emerged with a glitter of hope. A big step forward towards a developed nation status. Wawasan 2020 has passed for two years now and we are still a developing nation. If Anwar took over from Dr. Mahathir during the 90s naturally, there is a big possibility that we may have achieved the dream. In reality, it is as if the 24 years were stolen away from us. 

But such is the way how things should be. Man has no control of what will happen tomorrow. Only GOD knows as HE is the only one that can see the big picture.

We have waited for 24 years, what other thing can trouble us.

Kita Boleh!

#anwaribrahim

#anwar

#malaysia

#kitaboleh

A Different CNY During Covid

Today is the fourth day of Stage 4 Snap Lockdown in Melbourne and it is also the fifth day of Chinese New Year. As usual, there is not much new year atmosphere in Australia as it is not a public holiday. This ‘quiet’ atmosphere is magnified this year due to the snap lockdown. Everyone were told to work from home during this five days restrictions. As I look outside my window, there is hardly any car on the road as traveling are only allowed within 5km radius of where we live.

Watching the news for the past week made me realize that I am not the only one who is unable to be with our family back in Malaysia. There are a lot of Malaysians stranded in Taiwan, US, Europe and even those working in Singapore are unable to ‘balik kampung’ (go back hometown literally). Knowing that there are others who are suffering the same fate does not take away the frustration of not being able to go home. Although the authorities and experts keep telling us that we will be back to the so called ‘New Normal’ very soon, it does not help to remove the doubt at the back of our mind whether there is a normal to be looking forward to. The fact is that no one knows when we can get back to normal as each countries is at different position of how well they handle Covid cases.

The pandemic does push all of us into one corner and make us think hard about what matters most in our lives. Most Malaysians who migrated to Australia remains as Permanent Residents because we do not wish to surrender our Malaysian passports (it is required in the event we are to take up Australian citizenship). Malaysian government does not recognize dual citizenship. It is fine with us as most of us go back at least once a year in the past, we still get to see our family and friends back home regularly. After Covid, the situation has dramatically changed. Not only we can’t go back, there are tons of uncertainty ahead of us. Nobody can confidently say when this is going to end, if it ever ends at all.

Such is the dilemma faced by many who currently reside abroad and found themselves stuck. We can’t help but ponder upon the question whether we made the right decision to migrate in the first place. Sure most of us have valid reasons like children education, better environment to raise family, work-life balance, equality etc. But are the sacrifices we made worth it at the end of the day? Recently these questions sound louder and clearer ever since we found ourselves in this pandemic predicament.

Malaysia Lockdown Again

 

Most parts of Malaysia officially enter into Movement Control Order (MCO) 2.0 today. There are people who are celebrating either because they get an excuse not to work or study. While those group of people who are engaging in online businesses are particularly happy about this since they expect more people to surf the internet while staying at home, consequently becoming their potential customers. At the same time, there are people who feel that the government’s decision is long overdue considering the second wave of Covid-19 outbreak is already more than 3 months old since the Sabah state election at the end of September 2020. They are worry that if no action is taken anytime soon, the current situation may get out of control. Most people are fearful for their lives.

It is particularly worrying when people can see that most of the country’s leaders have no sense of urgency or priority when it comes to tackling this pandemic. They are still politicking for power even up until now. Every politicians tried to beat each other by speaking their minds either on main stream or social media. There is no clear sign of unity. In fact, it looks like we are not in this together. It is as if Malaysia is now one country two worlds. In one world People are fighting for their lives while there is another parallel world where another group of people are plotting and manipulating the system to either stay in power or form a new government.

The situation looks even more worrying when being looked at in the context of the world outside Malaysia. Just heard the news today where World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that herd immunity won’t be achieved in 2021 despite numerous vaccines being rolled out this year. This is because it takes time to administer the vaccines out onto the masses, and we are talking about billions of doses across the globe. Herd immunity is not achievable because not every countries will be able to achieve mass vaccination at the same pace.

So what does this mean for the world? It means we will not see international travel in 2021. The world will be divided, countries will be isolated, people will be separated. There won’t be a global village, instead there will be isolated villages dotting all over the world. 2020 was not the worst, it was just an initial shock to the system. The real test is in the year 2021 and beyond. It is the ultimate test to see how we can persevere in this prolong social separation physically and mentally.

And what does this means for Malaysia? With the ignorance and selfish behaviour shown by most politicians, sadly a lot of lives will be sacrificed. Livelihood will be destroyed as tourists and foreign investments are not forthcoming. The country’s economy will be brought to its knees. What is more worrying is that nobody can confidently say that this will be the worst case scenario. We have never experience this before, no one knows how this is going to end. The endgame can’t be easily predicted.

So whether you welcome or criticize MCO 2.0, let us each do our part to weather this storm and pray that we still can see our loved ones in the end. See you on the other side!

马来西亚大部分地区今天正式进入了行动管制令 MCO 2.0。有些人可能会很开心因为他们不想工作或上课。那些从事网络业务的人对此更加兴奋，因为他们期待更多人待在家里上网，从而最后可能成为他们的客户。同时，有些人认为政府早就该做出这个决定了，因为自从2020年9月底的沙巴州大选以来，第二波Covid-19疫情已经爆发了长达三个多月。他们担心如果再不尽快采取任何行动的话，恐怕当前的情况会失控。到时肯定很多人会不幸的白白丢掉了性命。

到目前为止大多数政治人物还是对着疫情毫不注重，这令人民十分担忧。直到现在，他们仍然忙于在争取权力。每个政客都试图通过主流媒体或社交媒体上发表自私的言论。整个政局有如一盘散沙。

同时，国外的情况似乎更加令人担心。刚刚听到今天的新闻报导，世界卫生组织（WHO）警告说，尽管今年已经推出了许多疫苗，但2021年估计仍无法实现群体免疫的效果。这是因为将疫苗推向大众化还需要花费很多时间。由于每个国家都不能同时间大规模的将疫苗接种， 群体免疫是无法实现的。

这意味着什么？2021年还是不会有国际航线开始启动。这世界将会进一步的被分裂，国家将被孤立，人将面临孤单。2020年并不是最糟糕的一年，它只是一个很重大的警告。真正的考验会在2021年及以后。我们将会面临肢体与精神上的盛大考验。

那这对马来西亚又有什么特别的关系和影响呢？政客们的自私行为将带来许多人民的牺牲。由于失去国外游客和外国投资，马来西亚的经济将受到重大的冲击与考验。

因此，不管您是欢迎还是批评MCO 2.0，让我们每个人都尽自己的一份力量来度过这场风暴，并祈祷我们最终仍能看到我们的亲人。

Can Malaysian Brain Drain Be Stopped?

 

Thanks to ease in travel and modern technology, Brain Drain is now a global phenomenon where people especially those with talent will not think twice as soon as they discovered a better place for them to thrive. However, the situation is much dire in Malaysia. A study by World Bank in 2010 shows that 1 in 10 skilled Malaysians choose to move to a foreign country. These people have the skills that a developing country like Malaysia desperately need to grow. 

The government set up Talent Corp to attract thousands of talents back but only a handful hundreds accepted the invitation. So why with all the incentives and benefits offered, people still do not wish to come back to Malaysia?

First, let's look at why people leave in the first place. We can explore this issue by looking at an organization; why people leave a company? I'm sure all of us have been in that situation before where we resigned in order to work for another company. The motives behind our decisions can be simplified into three common reasons:

1) We feel that our contributions are not being acknowledged and appreciated by the current company.

2) We realized that there are other companies out there in the market who are very keen to hire us.

3) Low salary and limited career development in the current company.

Although the above are 3 common reasons why people resign from a company, it can also be applied to a country.

Most people who migrated to other countries based their decisions on one of or all of the three reasons above. Everyone feels that they are not being appreciated in Malaysia with the constant political rhetoric telling them that they don't belong to this country. A lot of them realized that their skills are highly sought after elsewhere, most of people in this category chose to work in Singapore. The third category are those who are looking for higher salary overseas. They move to Singapore and Australia. In the case of Australia, some went legally as Permanent Residents while they are a lot enter the country illegally.

Migration records in Australia shows that Malaysians have been migrated there as early as in the late 60s. That is a mind boggling 5 decades! So clearly this is an open secret that people are leaving the country and the government knows about it. Have they tried to stop it? Yes by setting up Talent Corp but the political will is clearly not serious enough.

There are a lot who choose to leave because they see greener pastures elsewhere, but all of them left because of reason number one: they felt that they are virtually invisible and not being appreciated by their own country. This reason alone will prevent most of them from coming back regardless of how attractive the financial benefits might be, the failed Talent Corp project is the clearest indication of this.

Does Malaysia needs to stop the brain drain? Yes, if the country is to come out of its 'developing' status to become a developed nation.

Can Malaysia do it successfully? Sadly, not in the foreseeable future.

The Iconic Penang Ferry

2nd of January, the transition of the new year seems negligible. We are now in 2021 but I don't feel any significant difference emotionally. Maybe it is due to the fact that I can't travel back to Malaysia this year due to Covid-19.

However, things do change a lot especially for Penang since the beginning of 2021. The iconic Penang Ferry will be replaced by more modern water buses and vehicle transporters. While there are lots of noise mostly created by the politicians on both sides in the social media, let's cast aside emotions and look at what are the changes.

First let's hear the objection voices. DAP's Lim Guan Eng blasted Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong incessantly that the current move to scrap the iconic ferry is a revenge by the current government against the people of Penang. He claimed that Penang contributed RM7 billion to the federal government through taxes but the development fund allocated to the state always trailing behind other states. Lim went on to say that by cancelling the iconic 126 years old ferry service, the PN (Perikatan Nasional) government is declaring war with all Penangites. I think this statement has gone too far and sounds more political than logical to me.

Now, let's look at what the government has to say. Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong defended his decision to cancel the iconic ferry services for the safety and well-being of its passengers. This explanation puzzles me. I have been riding on the ferry numerous times both in person and in my car. The staff of Penang Port are always there to ensure that all passengers and vehicles and on board before they raise ramp/ gate of the ferry. The huge windows on both sides of the ferry providing stunning views of the Penang Channel have very high walls to prevent people from over-leaning and fall into the water. So safety is not the issue. Now what about the well-being of its passengers? The ferry has spacious interior with high ceiling, it is very cooling thanks to the large windows/ openings that allow sea breeze into the vehicles. I find it very comfortable and relaxing every time I'm on one of this iconic ferry.

So if safety and well-being are not the real issue, what then drove the government's decision to cancel this much loved iconic and historic vehicles from keep on operating? The answer lies in the operating and maintenance costs. Everyone knows that an old car requires more frequent service/ repairs than a brand new one. More spare parts have to be changed due to prolonged wear and tear. Now imagine that your car is 126 years old! So does this justify the government's decision to scrap it all together. Lim Guan Eng argues that there are only 3 such ferries in operation, new engines can bee fitted into them and the cost will not be exhorbitant.

Cast politics aside, I think we should keep at least one of such ferry for its significant historical values especially when George Town is an Unesco World Heritage city. We should still use it as transport vessel and not just for recreational purposes as there is no issue with its safety and well-being to its passengers. In Melbourne, old trams were fitted with new spare parts and equipped with air-conditioned and still carrying passengers around its century old rail network. It can be done technically but there must be a political will to do it.

However, we must also welcome the government's plan to introduce modern fleet to improve efficiency in carrying people across the Penang Channel. Let's get less political and focus on logic and practicality. Same goes to all the other issue that the country is now facing.

Hundreds of people rushed to ride on the ferry on its last day of service to count down for 2021.

The Pearls of Malaysia

Malaysia celebrated her 63rd Merdeka (Independence Day) this week. One of my friend asked me on social media how I was going to celebrate this event in Melbourne, my response to him was that with all the disappointing political development that is going on there, I wasn't really in the mood to celebrate anything. Then I heard 988 DJ Chan Fong said asking the audience on radio to focus on sharing the good things about Malaysia and I thought what a wonderful idea it was! There are indeed many good things about Malaysia that hold many people back from emigrating to a foreign country. 

 

Everyone I ask about what they miss the most while being away from Malaysia has given me the same consistent answer: food. It doesn’t matter whether you are from Penang, KL or Kuching, food seems to be the popular topic whenever you see a group of Malaysian get together overseas. Malaysian cuisine is so unique that you can’t find it elsewhere. Malaysian food is the father of fusion cuisine. Malaysian Chinese food is so much richer in taste, texture, colour and aroma that we can’t find it anywhere else in China. Chinese has settled here for centuries and we have managed to merge Chinese cuisine with the Indian and local Malay food to come up with a hybrid version. Curry noodle is one such example of fusion between Chinese and Indian cuisine.

In Penang, there are massive choices of cheap street food available everywhere you go in the city. Local cuisine is something that all Penangites are proud of simply because it is so unique that you can’t find it anywhere else in the world. With all the variety of international cuisine available in Melbourne where I live now, I still find Penang food is the best. Nothing beats a well stir fried Char Koay Teow! All the food experience that I have been taken for granted in the past has now become luxurious lifestyle while living in Australia. The good authentic ones are hard to find and the they are pricey. And the silky smooth Penang Koay Teow (rice noodle) is still not available anywhere in Australia today.

 

Then we have our colourful festivities throughout the year. Malaysia probably has the most public holidays in the world as we celebrate major festivals of our multi-racial society. We have three major new years to celebrate, Chinese, Malay and the common 1^st of January New Year. Tourists from all over the world come to Malaysia just to witness some of these festivals such as Chinese New Year and Thaipusam etc. These events are usually carried out with massive public parade, staged performances and concerts. The message that these festivals sent across to foreigners is that we cherish our heritage and we are not shy at all to show them off whenever possible.

 

My personal favourite festival has got to be Chinese New Year. It is a fifteen days long celebration and each day come with its own unique significance. Take the Chinese New Year Eve for example, it is one of the most meaningful event that I can think of where all the family members from all over the world will try to make it home just to have ‘reunion’ dinner together. It is a perfect occasion for everyone to see each other and catch up. Our home would inflate in residents number every time during that period of time. We will gather together in the living room to watch the special TV programmes that were on during this period of holiday. In the evening, people would play fireworks bought from the roadside stalls. There were more fireworks back then when the government was not so strict in enforcement. Nights never sleep during those 15 days period.

It is indeed a blessing to be able to live in Penang. Recently, I have seen many people posted on YouTube about the benefits of retiring in Penang. With its rich heritage, culture, food and beautiful beaches, it is not hard to understand why people are migrating to this idyllic island for good. Although small in size, Penang has one of the most diverse natural environment in the region. It is an island surround by sea with its own hill ranges in the middle of this turtle shaped land mass. I used to hike up Penang Hill regularly. It only took me an hour to reach the peak and experience the cooler climate up there. The beach at Tanjung Bungah is just 10 minutes drive away from home and it is one of the best place to enjoy the golden sunset of the tropics. 

Perhaps the beauty of Penang is best summarized by the comment of one foreigner. I once attended a lecture by a British architect at the majestic E&O Hotel. During the break as we were mingled around at the outdoor forecourt of the conference room, I overheard his conversation with one audience. His gaze fixed on the distant Gunung Jerai in Kedah across the sea and commented: “This is heaven!” I immediately took a look at the majestic mountain myself and thought that it was indeed a beautiful sight to behold.

Well Said Tun M

Whether you like him or not, what Tun Mahathir said today does make sense and he has managed to summarize the current complicated situation of Malaysian politics into very clear perspective. Extract below from his FB page:

1. The political state of the confused country is getting more confused by the action taken by some parties. Many have lost their way and are willing to do anything just to get support.

2. Bersatu which was originally formed to bring down Najib has now becomes a party that fight to bring Najib and the National Barisan (BN) back to life.

3. Then out of the blue a Bersatu Leader became the Prime Minister of the Perikatan Nasional Party which doesn't even exist.

4. Hope that the Perikatan Nasional becomes a joint party of three parties which are Bersatu, PAS and UMNO will not come true. UMNO claims that its members are only allowed to support Bersatu to topple the Pakatan Harapan (PH) Government. And yet Bersatu leaders conspire to this evil plan whole heartedly.

5. Now Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional (PN) depends on UMNO. If UMNO people don't support it, the alliance will fall. The irony is if UMNO doesn't support them they themselves will also fall. That's why UMNO has to support.

6. But there are still 5 UMNO people who may be found guilty (one was already found guilty ad is currently waiting for the appeal process to run its course) cannot remain as representatives of the people. If they lose their positions as representatives of the people, Bersatu and PN will fall.

7. To avoid this from happening, the Prime Minister needs to look for replacement. So Bersatu dropped its original principle as a party that fights for the Malays and has now opened its membership to all races. Is the name of PPBM still relevant then? This is the fourth time Bersatu has broke its promises.

8. Now Bersatu decides to join Muafakat. But Muafakat is an alliance of Islamic Malay parties. While Bersatu's is now multi-racial party. What will happen to Muafakat? Is it still fighting for Malay and Islam??

9. UMNO is said to have broken into three. There are factions that disagree with Bersatu joining Muafakat. As well as PAS. Some agree, some are not.

10. Among the parties that support the government, some believe in winning the election some don't like to have the election.

11. Prime Minister is afraid to lose his position if he loses 6 chairs. Looking for a replacement. But from where? Maybe from Keadilan. But the cost is high.

12. Comes Pejuang. Bersatu lost its grassroots. Many leaders but few people to be led. It has become an empty party. Grassroots have moved to Pejuang.

13. In the upcoming general election, Bersatu will not get support from UMNO and PAS, nor from PH.

14. Bersatu may be disbanded and joins UMNO. This will most likely be the end of the stolen party.

15. This is a headache for Muhyiddin. There's nowhere he can turn to.

16. Looking for pain. Pain is what he will get.

Source: Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad Facebook Page

The News That People Want To Hear?

As I about to enjoy a cup of hot coffee after reluctantly woke up from this cold winter morning, when my eyeballs were still struggling to reveal themselves from the warm embrace of my eyelids, one particular news headline attracted my instant attention. My eye were wide opened by now. No, I wasn't surprise with the news, I was more shocked by why this same news over and over again, it started to sounds like a broken record.

The headline reads: "Waste of police resources, says IGP as Bukit Aman probes new sodomy allegation". Really? I mean sodomy AGAIN!!??? Come on lah! Be more creative lah Malaysian politicians. Can't you come up with something new? Alright, alright, before we get too agitated, let's explore further what the report says.

Apparently Bukit Aman has received a Statutory Declaration (SD) alleging that a prominent opposition politician committed sodomy. Seems like it is a trend now to issue Statutory Declaration freely. SD may become more easily accessible than masks! Anyway, the Malaysian Police Chief Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said that he is sick of such matters. I have to agree with him, I'm sure we are all sick of this, not because there are many such allegation, but the fact that Malaysian politics can get to such low level, it is like watching a low budget movie being played before you over and over again even though you did not purchase a ticket to watch them!

It is reported that the SD contains explicit details which the man claimed that the indecent activities occurred four times in 2013. What? I heard you shout 2013!? Are you sure this guy is not hallucinating about some fantasy he has in his mind? I'm sure everyone is curious to know who this person is, further details of the incidents, how this will play out in the political scenes etc. 

Can you see what is happening here? A piece of paper from someone has already managed to arouse such curiosity in our minds. Is this the best distraction strategy or not? Why these types of scandals kept being recycled over and over again? Is it really because those who made the allegations are not creative? No. I think the problem lies in us, the ordinary Malaysians who read the news. We joked about news like these, we speculate on conspiracy theories like how we talk about our favourite TV series on Netflix. 

The reason that this type of news still sells is because we are all not mature enough. Our principle are not strong enough to instantly reject this type of nonsense. The politicians are manipulating how we think and make decision. It is time that this be reverse. The Rakyat should determine the future of this country. We should send out the message that we are not interested in this type of stupid dramas. We want progress for this country. All the politicians that we voted for should concentrate on doing their job, not wasting time spying on other people's bedrooms. We should tell them that, no, this is not good enough, we are not buying that, come up with something better otherwise you are fired! 

Just ask yourself this, do you want your daily news headlines to be covered with sodomy cases or constructive vision of how the country would progress.

 

Misconceptions About Penang

LETTER | Over the weekend, I had active discussions with my Penang friends who had migrated outstation and overseas over the state affairs in Penang within the context of the Federation of Malaysia. The issues are important for Penang specifically and Malaysia generally.

Misconception 1: Penang is stagnating and hasn’t been able to reinvent itself. The state remains dependent on the electrical and electronics (E&E) sector.

There is definitely nothing wrong in excelling in the E&E sector and, in fact, it is a sector that is extremely important to Malaysia’s economy.

From the country’s perspective, in 2018, the E&E sector created a trade surplus of RM119 billion (the highest among all subsectors for the manufacturing industry). The E&E sector represented 38% of Malaysia’s total exports in 2018, amounting to RM 380billion (+11% YoY), and Penang is the powerhouse that drives the sector.

Without it, Malaysia will be in deep financial trouble. While there could be a slowdown in the first half of 2019 due to uncertainties arising from a trade war among others, industry research expects a recovery in 2020 as the world moves into the 5G stage and the proliferation of many new technologies such as autonomous driving, IoT, Industry 4.0, augmented/virtual reality etc.

On the Penang economic front, the E&E sector contributes at least 300,000 jobs and more than RM1.5 billion in wages per month to drive the Penang economy.

If we have doubt about our capability, just look at the high value added, knowledge base products manufactured by the MNCs using local talents.

In addition, we have been seeing an increasing number of MNCs with a manufacturing footprint in Penang also choosing to operate their Global Business Centers (GBS) here, suggesting that Penang is versatile in terms of ecosystem and talents.

In recent years, the state also diversified into new segments of the economy, attracting investments for medical devices, aerospace, automation and equipment manufacturing.

In fact, the E&E industry in Penang is not only about creating jobs but the strong technical know-how of the engineering pool has successfully nurtured entrepreneurs who are able to compete on the global stage.

One only has to scan the Bursa Malaysia for these Penang-based listed companies and get a sense of their earnings growth record. For examples, Vitrox Corporation, founded by two ex-Hewlett-Packard engineers, has recorded a net profit compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34% in 2013-2018 and its direct competitors are the renowned automated test equipment (ATE) companies from the US, Korea, Germany and Japan. The company’s market cap is now at RM3.3 billion.

Inari, an outsource semiconductor assembly and test vendor, recorded sales CAGR of 42% in FY11-18, with its market cap currently at RM5.6 billion.
Other home-grown Penang-based international E&E players are Globetronics, Pentamaster Corporation, SRM Integration to name but a few.

Penang is also proud of its tech start-ups such as Jobstreet, which grew exponentially before it was sold for a staggering RM1billion and Exabytes, a young web hosting and cloud service provider in Penang which attracted RM44 million investment recently.

Penang does have the environment to nurture high-potential local companies that are ready to scale and compete regionally, if not globally. To conclude otherwise is to ignore the facts before us.

However, we must not be complacent and we need to continuously upskill our labour force to ensure our competitive edge remains.

Misconception 2: For decades, skills migration, brain drain and the lack of high-quality job opportunities has been Penang’s Achilles heel.

There are plenty of jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for both the manufacturing and service industries, the mainstay of the state economy. For other sub-sectors of the service industry, such as financial services and journalism, Penang just doesn’t have the related industries due to the size of the state economy. 

No doubt Penang has been facing the brain drain issue but this is not solely out of Penang alone. In fact, this applies to all other states and this is a challenge to Malaysia. In actual fact, Penang is the state that registered the highest positive effectiveness ratio of migration at 58.4% in 2015-2016, according to Department of Statistics.

Misconception 3: Despite having achieved a high growth rate of 11% per annum between 1970 and 2008, growing from RM790 million in 1970 to RM49 billion in 2008, GDP growth rate has slowed down to 5% for the past 10 years.

It is illogical to look at Penang’s growth rate entirely on its own while we are a state within the Federation of Malaysia. However, Penang’s GDP growth rate has always mirrored that of Malaysia’s and most of the time, Penang is doing better than that of the country.

Further, many licenses and development budgets need to be approved at the federal level. Just imagine, if Penang could have the necessary financial licenses and more money to expand the airport, for example, Penang can do much better economically than what it is doing now.

Misconception 4: The state is losing ground in tourism, especially with it having not invested sufficiently in this sector, a situation compounded by how cities around the world are reinventing themselves.

As a state within the Federation of Malaysia, Penang’s economic growth is constrained by the national context. An example is the Penang International Airport which is now at a utilisation rate of 120% (demand more than supply) due to the increasing number of passengers.

It is worth to highlight that Malaysia is one of the top ten medical tourism destinations in the world with Penang being the leader contributing close to a 50% share for medical tourism to Malaysia.

A Malaysian In Singapore

The post, though written in a listicle format, is surprisingly poetic – especially when she talks about her personal experience when she first came to Singapore alone at 19 to work. Her post has garnered over 1,900 reactions and has been shared over 766 times at time of writing – quite an impressive feat for 3 day old Facebook post.

She shares with her readers (or, ‘friends’, as she refers to them) the reality of working in Singapore – from the amount of money needed to survive, to the types of permits foreign workers hold, to asking if their urge to work in Singapore is simply for pride’s sake, since scrimping and saving in Malaysia might earn them similar rewards.

Here’s our translation:

#latenightinspiration #workinginsingapore #tips #thingsyouneedtoknow

I still remember I was 19 when I came to Singapore alone for work.

The first job had a basic salary of S$700 – I had to OT to death to get the salary I’m earning now.

Along this journey,

I would be lying to myself if I said I didn’t miss home;

saying that I’m not feeling sad when I’m sick and alone is lying to my parents;

eating instant noodles for 3 consecutive weekends and pretending I’m not hungry is also a lie I tell myself.

But since you want to earn 3 times the amount of money,

you need to work at least 3 times as hard!

Especially in a financially-advanced country like Singapore,

I’d suggest you find another route if you want to enjoy and yet earn 3 times the salary.

When you think about home expenses,

when you think about buying clothes, bags, shoes and plane tickets,

do you also realise that by earning and saving back in Malaysia, you can get them too?

Did anyone force you to come to Singapore to work at gunpoint, or is it simply for your pride?

Even though I’m simply a young person in society,

but I still wish to give some piece of advice to those who have just arrived in, or are planning to come to Singapore to work:

• Please prepare a resume before coming to find a job: a person with a proper resume will always succeed over someone who calls and says, “Hello, are there any job vacancies? I’m Malaysian, do you hire Malaysians?”
• Please do not use your Malaysian educational background to ask for a higher salary: do you think Singaporeans have lower education levels? Or do you think they aren’t as skilled in verbal communication?
• Please ensure that you can afford at least one month of living expenses before coming down (1 month of rent + 1 month of deposit + 1 month of food expenses + 1 month of transport expenses)
• Holding the same job for over 6 months can help you avoid taxes from the government, and is also good for your resume (even if you change your work permit, the record follows you)
• If you came to Singapore for a friend/relative/significant other with plans to live with each other, you’re simply wasting your time. Yes, you thought about the other person, but will the other person think of you? *Bosses very rarely hire sisters or friends because when one runs, the other does too.
• Don’t be limited by locations, Singapore’s public transport makes travel very convenient. “I want to find a place in Yishun because my boyfriend lives there”, “I want to find a place in Jurong, so I can live between M’sia and S’pore”, “I want to find a place near town, it feels more high class”. Why don’t ask for a job at the house next door then?
• When starting at your job, never ask your boss to lend you money, even if it gets tough. Once you ask, you’re done for.
• Malaysians need to be 18 years old before coming to Singapore to work.
• You must have a work permit before starting work, or else your boss and colleagues would be fined.
• You can’t do part-time jobs with your permit – if found out, you’ll be fined.
• You need to have a medical examination before applying for a permit. Those with diabetes, heart disease and other serious illnesses would not be allowed to get their permits. Most importantly, get appropriate spectacles if you are short-sighted.
• The company needs 2 Singaporeans’ CPF before they can hire 1 Malaysian.
• Levies are subject to grades: If foreign workers account for 25-40% of your company, and if you don’t have SPM, then the levy would be S$700. 10-25% would bring it to S$550, and those below 10% would be S$420. (With SPM, the amount would be cut by S$100, and so on)
• What is considered a pass in SPM: This is subject to approval. Even though the Malaysian government says that failing Bahasa Melayu and Sejarah means that you don’t possess SPM, an official from Ministry of Manpower (MOM) would sometimes accept it on a case-by-case basis. *You must have at least one pass. The transcript must be original with the green-coloured paper and the education ministry’s logo. Transcripts on white paper will not be accepted.
• A diploma in welding can only be used to reduce levies in a welding factory!
• Renting a HDB in Singapore: 1 room costs around S$700-1,000; sharing a room with 1 person would cost around S$250-350.
• The landlord will definitely ask for your temporary permit or passport – this is because they need to declare to HDB before you can apply for a formal permit.
• Regarding WP, SP, EP: WP is the lowest grade of permits (you can apply with even with Primary School education); SP is when your monthly salary is at least S$2,200 (Diploma); EP is when your salary is S$3,500 and above (Diploma/Degree).

If there are any mistakes, please correct me, and do message me if there are any queries!

I’ll help when I can, because Malaysians should help each other!

Malaysian readers who have experienced working in Singapore, do you agree with her statements?

Source: Vulcan Post 

And here is her original Facebook post in Chinese:

#‎深夜有感而发‬ ‪#‎新加坡工作‬ ‪#‎Tips‬ ‪#‎须知‬
还记得19岁那年一个人来到新加坡找工作
第一份工作底薪也就700新币 OT到死才换到我现在的薪水
这一路走来
没有想回家是骗自己的
一个人生病不难过是骗爸妈的
连续几个礼拜吃泡面假装不饿也是骗自己的
不过既然你要赚三倍的钱
就要比别人多付出三倍的努力！
尤其新加坡也算是经济发展最快国家之一
要享福又要赚三倍建议你绕道

当你给得起家用的时候
当你买衣买包买鞋买机票的时候
又有想过这些你其实都可以在马来西亚省吃俭用得到的？
来新加坡工作有人拿枪逼你来吗？是自己的虚荣心还是...？
我虽然算是这个社会的初学者
但是我还是想给那些刚来/想来/计划来新加坡的朋友们一点建议和须知
-麻烦请准备一份简历（Resume）才来找工作
一个有简历的人会比一个打电话说“hello找人做工是吗？我马来西亚人 请吗？”好太多
-请不要拿在马来西亚的学历来要求更高的薪水
难道新加坡人比你拥有的学历差吗？或没有比你更好的语言能力？
-请先确定有能力负担第一个月的生活费才找新加坡工作（一个月房租+一个月押金+一个月伙食费+一个月交通费）
-同一份工作待超过至少半年可以避免政府抽税 也对你未来往后寻求更好的工作有利（就算你换过准证卡记录也会跟着你）
-如果你是因为朋友/亲戚/另一半要来新加坡找工作选择一起来 一起住 配合对方 那你根本是在浪费时间 你为人家着想 人家就一定为你想吗？
*老板很少会请情侣姐妹朋友 因为你们要跑就会一起跑啊
-尽量不要局限于地区，新加坡MRT巴士都很方便
“我想找yishun因为我男朋友住那边”
“我想找jurong，我要来回”
“我想找市区，感觉比较highclass”
那不如你去家隔壁问工作好了？
-刚开始工作不要跟老板借钱
多么困难都好 你一开口就完蛋了
-马来西亚人必须要过生日满18岁才可以在新加坡工作
-一定要有临时准证才能上班，不然老板跟员工都会被罚款
-拿准证的都不能做part-time，被发现会被罚款
-申请准证前需要做身体检查，糖尿病心脏病等严重疾病都不会被批准 最重要的是有近视记得去配眼镜（这是常识）
-公司要有2个新加坡人的CPF才能请1个马来西亚人
-人头税有分等级
如果你公司外籍劳工占了25%-40%，而刚好你又没有SPM，那人头税就是700新币，10%-25%是550新币，10%以下就是420新币
（有SPM就扣100新币，以此类推）
-SPM怎么才算及格
这个是Subject to Apporver
虽然马来西亚政府说Bahasa Melayu&Sejarah不及格就不算有SPM
但有时候MOM（人力部）的长官也会看情况批
*至少要有一科及格
*一定要有正版的成绩单（纸是青色底，有教育部的logo），白色像收据的成绩单绝对不接受
-烧焊文凭只能在烧焊行业/工厂才能减人头税！
-在新加坡租HDB
一间房间大概介于700-1000新币
一个人share房大概250-350新币
入住时房东一定会跟你要临时准证或护照
因为他们必须申报HDB，这样你才能申请正式的准证
-准证分WP，SP，EP
WP没有最低薪水标准（小学学历也可以申请）
SP是每个月薪水至少2200新币（Diploma）
EP则是3500新币或以上（Diploma/Degree）
如果有错误请更正我 或是其它疑问都可以留言！
能帮就帮 因为马来西亚人应该一条心！

Source: Facebook

Mahathir Advises The People

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was in Penang as part of his cross-country tour – and as a guest of Penang Institute – to gather at least one million signatures for the Citizen’s Declaration he initiated. He spent 20 minutes talking with Ooi Kee Beng in between arriving from KL with Tun Dr Siti Hasmah and rushing off to deliver his speech at the packed Straits Quay Convention Centre. The interview took place in the late afternoon on May 8, 2016 at the E&O  Hotel.

Ooi Kee Beng: Tun, your generation fascinates me. You are of the nation-building generation who dared to imagine that it would not only change the world, but configure it to fit local conditions. The impact of that generation has of course been enormous in all post-colonial countries, but that generation is passing. What advice would you give young Malaysians about the future, given what you see now of global economic dynamics and the political situation in Malaysia today?

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad: The first thing for people to learn is the history of the country, because if you don’t have an understanding of the background of the country, you cannot make an assessment of events or of the improvements that have taken place. Many Malaysians today were born long after Independence. I would tell them that what we are seeing today is completely different from what we had under the British or even in the early days of Independence. So we must be able to make a comparison between the past and the present.

 OKB: If there is one word to describe you, Tun, I would use the word “nationalist”. You are very much, for want of a better word, a situationalist. Your analysis of events and different times shifts as things evolve; you seem very tuned into evolving dynamics. In that sense the methods you adopt would be understood best in a tactical mode. Would that be correct?

MM: I was trained as a doctor, and a doctor approaches a problem with a certain method. He has to know the background, the history of the patient, and do an additional examination to see what the problem is. For a sick person or for a community, it is the same thing. Once you adopt that approach, you recognise a problem much more clearly. And after recognising what the problem is, you can think about how to resolve it. Having been trained as a doctor, I approach most problems that way. I find it to be really very easy. It is methodical and it is very consistent and often quite accurate.

 You may end up with three possibilities, for example, and then you will have to do a further analysis to determine which disease it really is and what the cure should be. It is the same with a community – you have to determine what the problem is first.

OKB: But are there shortcomings to that kind of approach?

MM: Well, I suppose there are. There are of course people who can instinctively see what the problem is and come up with a solution. But instinct is not methodical. It may come or it may not come. You have no control over it. But the methodical process of examination by doctors is something that you do almost automatically, and you eliminate other possibilities to arrive at the right diagnosis.

OKB: One has to always consider multiple factors.

MM: Yes.

OKB: Since you have been in the limelight for an amazingly long time – in fact since after the Second World War, when you started writing as Che Det – you are very overexposed by now, and one would expect people who are overexposed to be very predictable. Yet you are not. You can be very unpredictable. I tend to think that when people are unpredictable, it is usually because they are being misunderstood. People have their own logic and in following that logic, they are really being consistent.

I would like to ask you a straightforward and personal question: “What motivates you deep down?” How do we see consistency and how do we make sense of your actions over the last 70 years? You do know that many think that you are often contradictory.

MM: Like you said earlier, I am a nationalist. That’s what motivates me. I have been exposed to many things inside the country and outside the country. The desire to do things, to achieve and to be proud of what [I] can do… [that] is consistent. You just have to do something to improve any situation. The situation may be already good, but you have to think – what else can you do?

So in that sense, there is consistency all the time. When I was a young boy, I saw poverty, I saw people who were jobless and living very poor lives. I felt it was not right. You see that some people are rich, and some people are very poor, and some people do not even have regular meals. These are social problems and when you see problems like that, you want to do something. We are brought up that way, to be concerned about people who are less fortunate than we are. So if they are less fortunate, what do we do for them?

Throughout my career that has been my motivation, and even the approach has been very consistent. I don’t come up suddenly with some fantastic thing. I think things over to myself. For example, when I wanted to resign [as Prime Minister in 2003], I did not tell anybody. I thought it was time for me to resign and give place to others. So without anybody pushing me out, I resigned.

OKB: I suppose the poor usually can’t help themselves, and so those who have the opportunity have the responsibility to help them.

MM: That is true of course. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer – at least relatively speaking. The rich can get richer because they have the means. For example, in business, they have the capital and if they see an opportunity, they make use of that opportunity to enrich themselves. A poor man may see an opportunity, but he has no capital, so he will forever be poor because he does not have the means. So what we should do is not only give him the opportunity but also give him the means to make use of that opportunity.

OKB: You are practically a socialist, are you not?

MM: Socialism itself is not bad. But it is used sometimes to oppress people, and that is bad. A system is good only if you make use of it properly. During colonial times, the Europeans were the “masters”. You called them “Tuan”, and you think that they are superior and that they know a lot while you don’t. And they can do what you cannot do. And in a way, you feel very inferior. You get an inferiority complex.

OKB: The whole of society, really…

MM: Yes. I asked myself, am I as inferior as they make it out to be? Well, I thought, they are there because of their dominance over the people. They have practically colonised the country, and they are given [good] jobs, authority and power. That was what made them superior people. They could do what you could not do.

OKB: These experiences in your younger days must have affected you very deeply.

MM: Yes, very much. But I was fortunate. I was among the 20 or so boys who had the opportunity to go to an English school. There were hundreds of others who were equally good, but they did not get the opportunity to get a good education. It seemed to me quite unfair.

You had the opportunity, they didn’t have the opportunity. So, the solution to that is to create the opportunity and to give them the means to make use of the opportunity for their own good.

OKB: Being one of the few privileged ones, you felt this to be your responsibility then?

MM: Yes.

OKB: One of the great innovations of your time was Vision 2020. If I ask you to reformulate Vision 2020 today, would there be things in there that would be different from before?

MM: We wanted to be a developed country, but a developed country in our own mold, not just a copy of some other developed country. So we started spelling out what we meant by “in our own mold”. What do you mean by being developed?

If we do not define it properly, people tend to take the simple definition, which is that if you have money then you are developed. So you see the stress on per capita income. If you have a per capita income of [US$]15,000 or 30,000, then you are developed.

But that is not true. I have always thought that thinking in averages is a very bad way of assessing anything. I tell people that they can drown in a river with an average depth of two feet. If one man is a millionaire and 999 men are poverty-stricken, then the average [wealth] is $1000. You see, averages are not a very good measurement of achievements.

So you have to define what you mean by development. And to me, it is not just about per capita income. It is about our capacity. Do we have very well educated people? Do we do research and development? Do we produce things by ourselves? Are we industrialised? All these things must be there before you can consider yourself developed. At the moment, the stress is far too much on per capita income. Per capita is an average, and it is not a good measurement.

OKB: It’s more about people’s integrity and dignity, isn’t it?

MM: Yeah! People must be able to hold their heads up, to stand tall like other people.

OKB: Something that would have happened along the way since the 1990s would be the development of “Melayu Baru” – the New Malay. It’s a new world today and the Malays are in a different place – as a community and also in their relationship with other communities. Are we seeing something that you would have foreseen, that once the Malays reached a certain level of development a lot of conflict would also come into play?

MM: I spent a lot of time when I was Prime Minister to try and change the value system and the culture of the Malays because I believe it is the value system that determines if you do well or not. I must admit that I wasn’t very successful. But a few of them have acquired new values, new ways of thinking. We do see quite a number of Malay professionals and Malay businessmen who do well. But the rest are not doing so well.

 This can be corrected if you can change their mindset.

OKB: You just need to go to the next stage… But do you then think that things are going backwards? I suppose you do.

MM: Now, the focus is not on changing the culture. The focus is now on… well, giving [people] things without their earning those things. That’s bad.

OKB: But people generally don’t like to change, or don’t like to be told to change.

MM: Yes, but we change all the time.

OKB: We do.

MM: Whether we like it or not, we change. If you lived in a kampung and you move into a town, and you still want to live like you did in the kampung, that’s not possible. In fact, we had a problem housing people in places like Kampung Abdullah Hukum and Kampung Kerinchi in KL. They wanted to have a house like they used to, elevated so they can rear chickens underneath, plant some vegetables around the house.

That is not possible in town. In town, you have to have high-rise buildings, you have to live in flats. And living in flats means there are adjustments to be made. You cannot grow vegetables, you cannot rear any chickens. If you don’t make these adjustments, you can’t really live in an urban area.

OKB: One amazing aspect of your life is that you have fought from within Umno and you have fought from outside Umno. And by Umno, I am connoting mainstream politics in Malaysia, really. That has left many people confused, even pundits. It must at times get rather confusing even for you.

MM: Well, when you form a political party, you have an objective. What are you struggling for? When you are running Umno and you forget your objective, and you veer away and you go for other things, then I don’t see any reason why I should be inside the party. Umno is [supposed to be] dedicated to developing Malaysia, to ensure that people enjoy a good life, that everybody has a share of the wealth and power in this country.

But then you find that some leaders do not focus on that. They focus instead on something to make themselves happy. For example, they think that the best thing to do is to give money to people, and in that way, become popular. These are not to be found in the objectives of founding Umno.

That’s why sometimes I am in, and sometimes I am out [of Umno].

OKB: Two Malaysian Prime Ministers ruled for a substantial period of time, and were very influential. These are you and Tunku Abdul Rahman. What is your appraisal of Tunku Abdul Rahman today?

MM: The Tunku contributed a lot to the country. He was the one who won independence for the country. He was also the one who solved a very difficult problem – the problem of multiracialism. Normally, in a multiracial country, there will be conflicts for different reasons. Such countries will not be stable and you cannot develop such countries. But Tunku found a way out for Malaysia. He decided that they should share this country, all these races. He came up with this idea of a coalition – not a single multiracial party because a single multiracial party doesn’t work. Some have tried to have a party with multiracial membership but that didn’t work because people were still not familiar with each other.

So he came up with this idea of a coalition. You remain as you are in your own party looking after your community, and yet you have a common objective [with the other communities], you see? And when wealth is created, then all will have a share. Even the power. You must share the power, you must share the wealth.
So this was put into the Constitution.

OKB: I see your aides are telling us that we have to stop talking now. Let me squeeze in one last question. You are from Alor Setar, not very far away from Penang. Can you share some thoughts about Penang, your reminiscences of the place perhaps?

MM: My father came from Penang. In those days, when you wanted to go someplace different, you went to Penang. Penang was a developed town. But Penang has not changed that much. Some parts are very modern. The quay and all that, they are all still the same – ramshackle buildings and all that, and not very tidy, I must say.

One part has changed, the other has remained as it was before independence. But I think this is a problem with democracy. When you want to do something that is good all round, there will be people who will object. And well, you don’t want to be unpopular, so you allow these things to go on.

I think they did a better job in KL. If you go to KL, you don’t see those ramshackle zinc sheds anymore.

OKB: Thank you for your time and for sharing.

Source: Penang Monthly