In response to watan_satria's blog, I have this to say, comment what you want but this is my opinion, so don't take it at heart.

QUOTE ; "WHILE Singapore is busy attracting talents from abroad, some 4,500 of its own better-educated citizens may be heading for New Zealand. Between end-January and mid-March, some 4,500 Singaporeans had registered – a whooping 78% of the total world responses. This is roughly 12% of the 39,000 babies born here annually".

" The outflow of people has long upset leaders like its founding leader Lee Kuan Yew, who once openly wept when he spoke about the subject. Some 1,000 of Singapore’s highly-educated youths are giving up their citizenship every year to settle elsewhere".

In 2002, Singapore was ranked as having the second highest migration rate in the world (next to East Timor) – 26.11 migrants per 1,000 citizens.This would have meant that some 20,640 of its 3 million people were emigrating at the time, an informed source estimated ". ENQUOTE.

This is taken out from one of the reports in the press. Singapore may be more well developed than Malaysia and maybe she's treating the citizens more fairly, but this phenomena stills happens there even after their government gave them the best in education and rights under their sovereign powers. A country where it is considered safe and crime is controlled yet the younger population are still leaving in droves. Employment is not a problem for her citizens as the influx of foreign proffesionals can attest to that.

So, why is it happening?

The ancestors of chinese Singaporeans are from the southern provinces of China. Although Singapore considers them citizens, the chinese still considers themself 'overseas chinese' or "Huaqiao". In local terms the cantonese call themself 'tohng-yan', the hokkiens 't'ng-lang' and the hakka 'tong-nyin'. This is the crux of the problem. It is this mindset that made it's citizen from being totally loyal to the country. Yes, they vote too and the male population goes for National Service but in their mind," It's better there, the pay there is higher", that's their highest motivation and not loyalty to the country.

This 'huaqiao' mindset which was brought down from China during the 'Taiping rebellion' days. They were forced here to work under the colonial masters. Some are forced here, some to avoid arrest and some to escape poverty. Their minds are always set go back to China one day.They came here, slogged here and send their hard earned money to their loved ones in China. Eu Yan Sang was a remittance office in those days. Little did they expect that they will be here forever and even have kids. They may be here forever but because of their love for their country China, they taught their kids the same culture and teachings of what they have learned in China. Their kids teaches their kids in the same manner and it goes on and on and on till this day.

The colonial powers not only send the 'huaqiaos' to South East Asia but also to work in the mining and railways in Australia and America. Similarly, most of them did not return to China and settled there but their descendants are called themselves Americans and Australians and not 'tohng-yan' or 't'ng-lang' or 'tong-nyin'.

Let's go nearer, Indonesia and Thailand. Colonial powers also brought the 'huaqiaos' there and they are also from the very same provinces of China. They are now Thais with Thai names and Indonesians with Indonesian names. In fact some descendants of the 'huaqiao' are wearing red T-shirts fighting for the betterment of their country in the manner they think is right to them. My point is they consider themself a Thai nationality.

Until today, the older generations still lives with this 'huaqiao' mindset in their head. They will carve this mentality into their offsprings. This is the very reason why they insist their kids goes to vernacular schools. Even if they know that the generation after his will never go back to China but they still want to preserve their identity and dream that they had. This mindset has to go in order to forge better ties with the other races and to propel the nation forward with the collective cooperation.

My father in-law has an ancestral home in Guangzhou and my daughter has the chance to visit it once. My daughter told me, the relatives in China are much better off than we are here. They even feted them in lavish restaurants and took them sightseeing in their cars. While they are moving forward in their lifestyles and development, we are here stuck here in a time tunnel, refusing to move forward.

Our ancestors came because he wanted to improve his life for his family but after tremendously improved he still want to further improve and the level he wants to attain has no limit. He carries on and if there are better prospects elsewhere, he will go.Those who can't will encourage their young to do so.

If I go to a police station to make a report, the officer have to take the complaints. I went to Immigration for passport application, I got a Malaysian passport which says I can enter into any country except Israel. I have a Mycard that says I am a citizen of Malaysia. Irony is, a chinese Malaysian were to apply for jobs in MNCs, they are the preferred ones compared to malays. If you go into shopping complexes for job, we get higher pay than malays. The chinese make up the bulk of buyers for exclusive residences.

So, where is the problem? Problem is the rich malay politicians gets to make more money through easier means. You can do that too if you have the resources and the cable. In fact there are so many of these rich tycoons who are chinese. What difference does it make to us normal people if those rich political businessman is chinese or malay or indian? In fact, no differencec at all. We still have to slog for our daily bread. We just have to make sure they don't swallow all of it, collectively all the major races have to combine to effect the change. It is in fact in 'morphing' stage since the last election.The change is imminient and it is in sight already. If the present ruling government don't, they will lose another few states. If they do, then it is for the better of the country. Either way, we don't lose.

So, is our life so difficult that we have to migrate like the immigrants that come here? Does our graduates need to go overseas to take menial jobs? We have to lose the 'discontentment' feeling in ourself. Only then can we change the country, a country that you should love and not abandon or just let it be. We still have a voice and we just need more to make it louder.

There will always be another country better than us, tell me which country do you think is the best. US, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand or what other countries. These are also the countries where there are people who die of hunger and cold because they are homeless, something that does not happen here not even an illegal immigrant. If you are able to migrate to such country, can you guarantee your happiness. You still have to work, in fact harder than here. If you think their government is fair, why are there so much opposition forces in their countries? If you think Australia is fair, what happens if another Pauline Hanson comes into power. If that happens, do you come back here? When your house is rumbling down, don't you think it is more wiser to repair the house, rather than abandon it and start building from scratch somehwere else? Yes, I admit there are points that I am not happy too but we have to strive to improve it. It might not be easy but we at least need to try. We need the country as much as the country needs us and that's a fact.

As for myself, I am not a 'pendatang'. Just because of one or two zealots managed to sway a bunch of bandits that we are 'pendatang' doesn't change what we are. Called what you want but I am not. No politician can make me think I am. It's just name calling, what if they call you an 'idiot', will you assume that you are?

Source: The Star Online Blog