A couple of years ago Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his speech during a National Day rally said that those who leave Singapore seeking the greener pastures abroad are quitters. His remark drew alot of flak but I think he had a point.
Objectively, what is the purpose of leaving one's homeland when it is not in any form of war, unrests, instability or abject poverty? The answers are pretty simple most of the time - Economic reasons and/or getting a 'life', a combination that is rare in much of Asia. And as such you see many Asians leaving their relatively stable and wealthy countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and to a certain, Korea, in droves to western nations where the combination is readily available and attainable.
But does the right to seek a better life in another country renders a person to be a quitter? He or she is simply exercising an option available to a better life. Hence the flak to Lee's remark. But better or not is relative. It all depends on what you want.
I recently came across a blog of a young bloke in Malaysia who is extremely desperate to get out of the country. He reasoned that Malaysia, like any other Asian countries, are nothing but a mere slave factory and to the extent of describing the region as a concentration camp. I am sure he can even possibly raise Karl Marx from his grave.
Not just one post but very much of his blog has been devoted to this issue - vilifying his country, Asia and the business class for exploiting workers to the maximum which I think has been extremely exaggerated. It raises the question of whether he is really a true blue quitter who cannot take the pressures or perhaps he is one of the few who dare to rant about the prevalent circumstances in which the majority suffer silently.
If without giving him the benefit of the doubt I would really like to say that he is an arsehole because to him it seems only the bad is Asia and all good is Australia. This is what I really feel.
Now, some might say I am being a hypocrite for I am already over on the other side of the fence. But I will leave this to another day as I am tired to write on. I may not even want to explain or justify but yea, anyway, he is an arsehole.
Ish...
Objectively, what is the purpose of leaving one's homeland when it is not in any form of war, unrests, instability or abject poverty? The answers are pretty simple most of the time - Economic reasons and/or getting a 'life', a combination that is rare in much of Asia. And as such you see many Asians leaving their relatively stable and wealthy countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and to a certain, Korea, in droves to western nations where the combination is readily available and attainable.
But does the right to seek a better life in another country renders a person to be a quitter? He or she is simply exercising an option available to a better life. Hence the flak to Lee's remark. But better or not is relative. It all depends on what you want.
I recently came across a blog of a young bloke in Malaysia who is extremely desperate to get out of the country. He reasoned that Malaysia, like any other Asian countries, are nothing but a mere slave factory and to the extent of describing the region as a concentration camp. I am sure he can even possibly raise Karl Marx from his grave.
Not just one post but very much of his blog has been devoted to this issue - vilifying his country, Asia and the business class for exploiting workers to the maximum which I think has been extremely exaggerated. It raises the question of whether he is really a true blue quitter who cannot take the pressures or perhaps he is one of the few who dare to rant about the prevalent circumstances in which the majority suffer silently.
If without giving him the benefit of the doubt I would really like to say that he is an arsehole because to him it seems only the bad is Asia and all good is Australia. This is what I really feel.
Now, some might say I am being a hypocrite for I am already over on the other side of the fence. But I will leave this to another day as I am tired to write on. I may not even want to explain or justify but yea, anyway, he is an arsehole.
Ish...
2 comments:
That's just a matter of perspective..=)
Yea, I am just letting off some steam without giving him the benefit of the doubt simply because I am just pissed off by his writings. lol
Post a Comment