Monday, January 4, 2010

Thoughts of a Malaysian Malay girl who grew up in Singapore

Ladies and Gentlemen,
An Email sent to me from a reader in Australia.
Best Regards
Gopalan Nair


Thoughts of a Malaysian Malay girl who grew up in Singapore.

Sunday, January 3, 2010 2:37 PM
From:

To: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com

Dear Gopalan,

Your blog is such a refreshing change. Keep on writing, don't ever stop. May the power of your keyboard slowly but surely open up the hearts and minds of many out there. I'm sure your opinions echo the thoughts of many still living in Singapore now, and many Singaporeans abroad.


My background is a Malay Malaysian girl brought up in Singapore because of my Singaporean mother (and yes thanks to the discriminating the criteria for the application of a Singapore PR I rarely to see my Malaysian father). I took advantage of the relatively "high" standard of education provided in Singapore but moved to New Zealand then Australia when I was 17. I guess I'm one of the lucky few to have "escaped" from that little island.

As a young adult growing up there and having lived through the schooling that always preaches about racial equality and democracy, I nearly bought into all that bull****, although my parents have always reminded me that things arn't that peachy. Also growing up in such a high-stress academic achievement oriented type environment cannot be healthy for any kid! I guess many of those who are very used to being under the rule of the iron fist of the dictatorship will not know any better because they are programmed into having a very screwed up perception of reality. Don't get me wrong, I am not an advocate for anarchy, but I feel that Singaporeans deserve better. They deserve the right to speak up and speak out when they feel that something is right or wrong, without being damned! Being here in Australia has opened up my eyes and mind. At first I stumbled upon the concept of true freedom. I mean I should know right, what liberty means, being from a "first world" country and all? No, my definition of "freedom" was very different (and very wrong). However now I think I finally know the TRUE meaning of freedom, equality and democracy. I can feel it, taste it, breathe it here. I no longer feel that my path has been carved out by the Singapore "system". I am my own destiny. For now I am very happy here down under. I would love to live in Malaysia one day, but Singapore? Never and no thank you.

Yours truly,

Aishah.

2 comments:

Nazeer Ahmed Jamaal said...

Dear Mr.Gopalan,

Welcome to the Maldives. I believe this would be your chance to prove yourself to the whole world that you would not deprive and violate the rights of the innocent to protect the rights of the guilty.

Thank you,

Yours Sincerely,

Nazeer Ahmed Jamaal.
Former Presidential candidate.

Ali Shahid said...

The law of the land also known as Natural law is the true Qur'anic law, as it is based not in the Christian Punishment concept, as the modern Christian courts of Roman law of the See model imposes, but the model of victim empowering and remedy, a different concept which produces justice, what justice is there in punishment, victims require a remedy.

The law is based on two simple statements:
Do all you have agreed to do.

Do not encroach on another person or their property.