Kam Raslan’s Talking Edge

(Reprinted from The Edge – Options pullout, 14 April 2014 issue)

Dear Kam,
I don’t mean to be rude but I have a question. What are you?
I AM Me

There is a question that most Malaysians have asked many, many times in their lives: “What was he?” This question is asked when somebody is telling you a story about something he or she saw and you want to know, was the guy Malay, Chinese or Indian? This way we can picture the story, settle into our preconceived prejudices and when the story ends we can say, “Typ-ical Malay. That is why they…” etc, etc. If you’re told the person was Eurasian then you’ll need some clarification, “Are we talking Dutch, Portuguese or Nicol David?” If I’m told the guy was something I know nothing about like Penan or Iban, then I have no idea where the story is heading or even what the point of the story could be because I will never be able to say, “Typ-ical Penan.” What on earth is a typical Penan? I have no pre-conceived generalisations about Penans.

Personally, I really don’t like to make sweeping racial generalisations because I like to think that everyone is an individual capable of rising above the cliché of their ethnic background. I like to think that I’m an evolved Malaysian. But the other day, I had a frustrating conversation and I discovered my true nature.

We were a group of Malaysians and there was one recently arrived Englishman who started to tell a story about something he had seen on the streets of KL. He was quite far into the story and he had no idea that he had not yet told us the one basic piece of information we needed: Was he Malay, Chinese or Indian? The Malaysians at the table were listening with typical politeness (Malaysians are typically polite). They had frozen grins on their faces and there was a silent tension in the air. Where was the story heading? What could it possibly mean if we don’t know the race? I had to stop the Englishman and ask the question, what was he? He had to think about it for a moment and then his answer was completely wrong, “Er, I think he was middle class”. Middle class? What the hell does that mean? We’re all middle class but that doesn’t mean anything. There’s only Malay, Chinese, Indian or Nicol David, now take your pick! So I had to ask the Englishman again, what was he? And he said, “Er, I think he was a doctor”. My head almost exploded with frustration, although my guess was he was talking about an Indian because it sounded like a typ-ical Indian.

The story turned out to be about a Chinese guy (typ-ical Chinese!) but it had been hard work to get that information out of the Englishman. He was so recently arrived in Malaysia that he still hadn’t worked out the various races. He still thought everyone was Malay because it’s right there in the name of the country. Also, he didn’t think it was politically correct to judge people by their race and he had so recently arrived that he had no personal need to be re-affirming any prejudices. It didn’t matter to him if all Malays, Chinese or Indians are typically this or that. What did he care? And as an Englishman, if he had to break society down into groups, then his instinct would be to label them by class and economic background. If Eskimos have 50 words to describe snow (which they don’t) then the English have well over 50 ways to determine somebody’s class. A great many countries judge society on the basis of class (Karl Marx made a career out of it) but Malaysians typically do not.

But maybe we should. We’re so blinded by these big obvious racial blocs that we usually fail to see that Malaysia is split into the rich and the not rich. One holds the key to great wealth and can grant access to a little bit of it if the other behaves and doesn’t ask any difficult questions.

Dear Kam,
I’m a Malaysian working overseas. I’ve been away for many years but I’m thinking about returning. Can you tell me what the package is that TalentCorp is offering?
Potential Returnee

I’m not entirely sure what TalentCorp is offering returning Malaysian professionals but I think it includes being carried back on an elephant whilst wafted with ostrich-feather fans and being entertained by Oriental maidens. I’m sure you get to keep the elephant and I think you get a permit to bring in some cars and at least one foreign spouse. I think the cars must be second-hand but I’m not sure about the spouse; you’ll have to check their website. The package is probably not entirely dissimilar to the one any politician’s child gets but, heck, it’s good to spread the love a little.

I returned to Malaysia over 20 years ago so I missed out on the TalentCorp deal, but I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t have qualified for it anyway. I think it’s a good thing to come up with a package to tempt Malaysian expats back but I’m not particularly interested in a scheme that is limited to “professionals” only. Our corporations would definitely benefit from an infusion of competent people with new ideas but it’s not exactly rocket science, even if it is very well paid. I want all Malaysians to come back if they want to come back. I want entrepreneurs with crazy ideas and, yes, artists. I want this place to have a buzz. I’m not very interested in a fanciful vision where our futures will merely be managed by technocrats wearing expensive suits. And what about Malaysians who are thinking of leaving? Do they get a package to keep them here?

Personally, I don’t have a problem with Malaysians leaving for overseas pastures. Malaysia is a medium-sized economy that quite simply doesn’t have the jobs that a lot of Malaysians want to do and can do. Often people leave because they say they’ve had enough but sometimes I think that it’s really because the economy, cultural life and climate cannot sustain the lifestyles they want for themselves and their children. But they’re also fully justified in saying they’ve had enough.

So, how about a package for all Malaysians, both here and overseas, for exalted “professionals” and also for the rest of us riff -raff ? A package where the future will not be incompetently stage-managed, where the future isn’t just another slogan but instead can be anticipated with the emotion of optimism and even a bit of tingly uncertainty.

Reprinted with the kind permission of