Singapore
Coming of age
How frankly a Malay blogger and friends articulate about ethnic shortcomings. jackaline.lux-lucis.
Jan 22, 2006

On a bus this morning the driver stopped to confront a passenger who hadn't paid for the past few days.

That passenger, however, didn't get off as requested; nooo, he had to throw a tantrum and yell at the top of his voice. "I never pay so what? I got no money ah! What you want to do?"

The fact that he didn't pay up was enough to piss me off. But it was even more humiliating because he was a rather short middle aged Malay.

Now far be it from me to generalise, but the more I see and hear some Malays in action the more I get disgusted with my own race. There's a fair bit of chest thumping and "Malay pride".

There's talk of the "good old days" when people used to help each other out and plenty of media coverage when a decent Malay boy or girl does well in some field.

But what I see, and what a lot of other people see too, are:
1) middle aged uncles like this one getting drunk at coffeeshops and/or blowing their tops at people they don't know and thus should have more common courtesy for
2) teenage boys and girls hanging out in large groups in public and making a nuisance of themselves and
3) news reports of how bloody dismal our report card as a race is. Unwanted pregnancies, drug abuse, academic performance, divorce rates, you name it, we got it.

About 1, this isn't the first time I've personally witnessed a middle aged guy vent on someone he should be apologising to. One bumped into a friend of mine on a crowded bus while shoving his way to the back.

My friend remarked loudly, "Wah, no need to say excuse me hor." And that guy spun around, stared at him and shouted "You got a problem? Want to fight?" He turned tail when me and my friends stared back at him. Maybe the army uniforms helped.

And no 2 is one of my pet peeves. You can be chatting with someone while walking through the bus interchange, while sitting on a bus or while you're anywhere outside your house really; once you see a group of 4 or more, prepare to hold your conversation till you get out of there.

If you're a girl, prepare to be mentally undressed by the assholes' roving eyes. And you can be having a good time chatting with your friends or raving on the floor, but when the kids enter the club there goes the atmosphere.

Totally flat. Even Joey Negro or Ashley Beedle can't save the place. Oh, and they like staircases a lot, especially those that are used often; all the better so that more people can see how obnoxious they are. Sure, there's strength in numbers, but stupidity abounds too.

No 3... How do I put it nicely? I can't. When looking at the big picture, a fair number of Malays are royally screwed up. And a lot of it is true. Statistics don't lie.

The one thing that pisses me off about this general malaise (haha! malay-se) is that there's always the idea that it's a general conspiracy against the Malay race, that people are trying to keep the Malays down.

F__K YOU.

Nobody owes you a living. Nobody is responsible for you own failings except yourself. Even if there is some sort of conspiracy, that attitude encourages people to not be proactive to do better.

So go ahead, keep blaming everyone except yourselves, and see if the unwanted babies and dismal grades don't keep coming.

That means, Misguided Malay Uncle, that if you want to take a bus you bloody well pay the fare like everyone else. If you can't get a job then throw that misplaced pride aside of yours and seek help. Or maybe that pride is what kept you from getting a proper job in the first place.

And that means, Foolish Mat Tapereds, Stupid Skinheads (do you even know what the original skinhead cause was about?

If you did you wouldn't even dare to be one) and Sluttish Minah Sexpots, that instead of worrying whether the haircuts and the clothes complete the look and whether you're talking loud enough for everyone to hear you, maybe you should start thinking about what you're gonna be when you actually grow up. Which is a pity, because you're probably about 25 already and with 2 kids.

I pity the parents of today, and fear to be one when the time comes.

If anyone's going to make any comments about how unfair and sweeping those comments were, can it.

I know there are many decent Malay families out there that embody good values and have good kids, but these aren't the people we see in public; these aren't the ones forming public opinions of Malays.

Hell, I'm a Malay. One of us should at least have the nerve to say this. We've had it a long time coming.

Bite the bullet, please.
Posted by Cray-Z5200

Comments:

Daryune said...
I hear you, man. I'm Malay myself, and whenever I mention something that even remotely criticizes my own race, I get scathing replies with absolutely no substance such as "tak payah perasan bagus lah" or something. It's really sad, because not only is the Malay race riddled with problems, they refuse to believe that the problem stems from their own shortcomings. How in the world can they save themselves at that rate, really.
HG is the man. You should try Googling for the video in which he takes on Yahoo! Japan's HQ.
Did you know that he's actually a pro wrestler in Japan?
Peace

Cray-Z5200 said...
Precisely! It's all about lack of responsibility. And what's even worse is that if one's remotely different then they'll bring up issues of Melayu-ness and solidarity. If solidarity means keeping each other down with mass delusion, count me out.
Haha yes! I was at a stayover the other night with my cosplay friends and someone played the video. That whole night we gyrated our hips in each other's faces.
Wait. That sounds wrong.
Anyways, yeah I found out by googling for more of him. Explains that physique... man, he lifted a beer barrel in each hand! FOOOOOOO!
Racism aint good man.. but what you did was courageous because you're pointing at your own race here.. Even if I had this kind of thought about other races, which certainly not about racism, also I wouldn't dare to write about it.. It's good that finally someone stood up and voice it out.

random said...
Actually, the problems of poor academic performance, divorce, unwanted pregnancies, drug abuse, gangsterly behaviour in the young, rude middle-aged uncles etc. are not unique to the Malay community, but present in each of the races here.

You may argue that the percentage is higher in one race or another, but then it begs the question of 'why present that statistic in relation to race rather than family income or parental educational level, or a child's primary caregiver'.

To put the statistic in relation to race presupposes that the source of the problem is in the race itself, and/or that the solution lies in the race itself too.

Either the problem is something which the Malay people can overcome, it which case it is not something innate to the race itself and makes the whole point of presenting the statistics in terms of race void, or it is something which is inherent in the Malay race which cannot be eliminated, and we know of course what the skinheads' solution to that would be.

The Malays were a great people once, so I don't think the current status is innate to your genes.

Unless the solution to the problem lies in the race itself, I don't see the benefit in presenting the problem in terms of the race. In fact, tying the 'failure' of a group of people to something they can't change is not helpful at all.

Perhaps you can elaborate on how you think the 'Malay problem' is indeed a race problem, and how you think it can be solved

Anonymous said...
Cheers to you. You are a brave one. I hope u do well and dont spiral

Cray-Z5200 said...
Random:
You have a good point, which I'm well aware of. It's true it happens in all races and segments of society. What really worries me, though, is that these people are *so visible*. The Malay population in Singapore is small; every additional kid who chooses to live a life of hedonism, every jobless man who refuses to admit he's the problem, is more of a loss than it would be in the Chinese population.

I present it in terms of race because I am Malay. I am concerned that there's so many people being held back because of this herd mentality. It may be controversial to present it this way, but if we always have to keep an eye on political correctness it's hard to get the job done.

I agree, it's not genetic. It's in current Malay *culture* (not race, which cannot be changed, yes). To hammer the outstanding nails in, to be sarcastic and not give things their proper due (the 'sindir' culture'), and most importantly, not to own up for our own mistakes.

Until this is fixed, I don't see us making much progress.

RazzleDazzled said...
I must admit I'm somewhat amazed at the fact that a Malay can speak against the certain group of Malays that try to disgrace the Malay race.

That aside, I must clarify I am no racist. I believe that every race and religion has its good people and bad eggs.

The Chinese have their Bengs and Lians, the Malays have their Mats and Minahs, the Caucasians have their 'white trash'.. etc.

The points you brought up describing the less-than-desirable behavioUrs of certain Malays, I believe they also apply to other races too. I personally have seen a few Chinese middle-aged people argue their way into embarrassing situations even though they are clearly in the wrong. And yes, I am a Chinese myself.

I like to think that its much nicer to think of the good points of each race and religion, but also to help those that need guidance to improving their lifestyles.

Those who do stuff that's frowned upon society need help. For they may not be as tough as you think. We all need some lovin'. Not just one race. Every race.

7-8 said...
By coincidence I happened to be reading "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell. Inside 1 chapter, they did a psychological experiment with black people. One group of them did a test, the other group did the same test, but before they did the test they were "psychoed" with all the negative stereotypes about how black people were lousy at tests. The results were quite dramatic - the psychoed people performed so badly at the tests - their scores were almost half that of the other group.

I think all these negative stereotypes are very unhelpful but they're so hard to blank out because they come from everywhere and from all directions. There's no reason why any race is better or worse than any other, other than the stereotypes that people have about each other.

Pisto1a said...
The conspiracy which you speak of as bullshit is indeed true. The statistics that are shown on the media CANNOT be trusted. I have a friend working in the police and do you know out of 20 stops at roadblocks, 15 of them would be Malay, 3 Chinese and 2 Indian on average?
If the method of collecting date is screwed up, then so will the results! If you look back on history.. in fact .. it is quite obvious and even Lee Kuan Yew admits to Eugenics... Which is RACIST. The government makes laws that seem to cover up the racist intentions behind.

HMGguy said...
Hey Pistola
I'm Malay but I don't feel suppressed at all. I don't believe that Malays are being suppressed in Singapore like you claimed. That's a serious charge, man.

And Cray, you're unhappy with a certain segment of the Malays and it's now off your chest. Feel better?

Well Cray, they can be foolish Mat tapered, stupid skinhead, beer-guzzling-jobless-middle-aged person or sexy-tattooed-single-mother KTV hostess for all I care. It's their life and they do not owe you or me a living either.

And Cray, you claim that these segment of the Malays are forming public opinions of the Malays. Hmm public opinion, or just your opinion?

random said...
Thanks for replying.
Perhaps then we should stop framing the 'problem' in terms of 'the Malay race' or even 'the Malay culture', but as 'the unemployed', 'lower-income workers', and 'children without adequate supervision'?

Because as soon as you put the term 'Malay' into the equation, people are going to consider it an attack on their race and get defensive.

Xia_mi_mi said...
Hi. Glad that you've actually pointed out something negative of your own race. I can't imagine if it was someone else of another race doing your job now. Probably being hauled to court for talking on "sensitive" topics?

You have indeed done a nice and detailed write up. And saved a lot of breathe being wasted. Good Job~! =)

Cray-Z5200 said...
RazzleDazzled:
You make a good point about every race having its own flaws, and good points as well. About the loving bit, I wish I could be as forgiving as you are.

To truly make good one must admit to mistakes; with the Malays though there's so much denial. When a Malay speaks English he's considered as trying to be 'step' or above everyone else.

When a Malay wears shirts and pants he's 'one with the system' and uncool. So it's better to be mediocre, as long as you fit in with everyone else.

I personally get this shit a lot.

Pisto1a:
Even if there's a conspiracy, it's not an excuse to sit on one's ass and wail about how disadvantaged one is. It encourages mediocrity. If we want to blame the system, first take a look at ourselves...

HMGguy:
When that girl Hamizah was deciding between Bukit Panjang and RGS, there was talk that she should stick to neighbourhood schools because she'd be ostracised in RGS. She hadn't even tried and they were putting her down already?

They don't owe us a living, but they should at least have the decency to drag down other people who are actually trying to do better.

THAT'S the culture I'm attacking, the culture of mediocrity. I may not speak for everyone, but I get enough feedback from people of other races during conversations to realise that such opinions are not uncommon. (It's worrying when they tell me "You're not what I expected of a typical Malay..." I'm not quite sure what to make of that!)

Overall:

I'll still frame it as a Malay problem, because I'm a Malay and it is my responsibility to point things out as one. Yes, people will get defensive. But that's the precise reflex people need to discard before they can improve themselves.

In the end, yeah, I'm probably just ranting. But that's what makes life worth living, see? If we all were the same there wouldn't be any conversation worth having...

AG said...
It's often more effective when a person of the same race points out the failings in it.

random said...
Well-argued.
If it's the 'culture of mediocrity' you are against, and that culture is not unique to the Malays (although one might argue it is more prevalent in the Malays), then the question is whether we will be more successful attacking it from a 'let all Singaporeans rise above mediocrity' angle, or a 'let the Malays rise above mediocrity' angle.

To me, framing the problem in terms of race should be done only if it allows us to solve the problem. Otherwise I am pretty sure it creates more problems than solutions.

If the problem is one of attitude or poverty, then surely the same solution of motivation and aid can be applied regardless of race?

As for the poor kids who do well for PSLE, because of this insistence on identifying people by their race, they immediately become representatives for their race and have expectations and criticisms heaped upon them. Is that fair or helpful? Why do we persist on naming the top scorers for each of the races every year then?

I agree the public opinion is not on the side of the Malays now, and I myself am often guilty of racist thoughts (stinky chink/chao ah bengs, chao mats, chao thambi... or whatever the race of that person who pissed me off at that time). But I try to rise above that and see it as a social problem that can be solved regardless of the person's race, and thus should not be tied to his or her race.

Su said...
I think the truth really hurts, and you have pointed it out here.
As much as some comments here try to whitewash it the issue by saying that each race/religion/demographic type has the same problems, you have correctly pointed out the 'public (read undesirable) opinion' that is portrayed.

Random is trying to be 'politically correct' but to improve the situation, such directional plan of action is not going to do any good. You (Random) have pointed out that the statistics can be tied to income etc etc, then again it will show the same correlation. [quote: but then it begs the question of 'why present that statistic in relation to race rather than family income or parental educational level, or a child's primary caregiver'.]

Kudos to you blogging about this Cray, my utmost admiration for your guts in saying the '(unspeakable) truth'. All the best to you bro.

And yes, I am Chinese.

random said...
My question then is this: how is calling it a 'Malay' problem helping the situation?

Din said...
Dear Cray,
I think you got it all wrong. Every society in the world has the same problem as us Malays too. My name is Din and I'm a Malay. Sure, my community has some really screwed-up people but hey, so does every other community in this blardy planet!

Anyway, here's a story that I frequently remind myself time to time. A little girl was seen walking along the beach picking up starfishes and throwing them back into the sea. A man then approached her and asked, "little girl, what are you doing?" to which she replied, "I'm saving the starfishes.

And the man said "But there're too many here on the beach. How are you going to make a difference?" She looked at him, picked up another starfish and threw it into the ocean. She looked at him again and said "It made a difference to that one"

So I hope you can stop generalising about race and it's problems, and start focusing on how you can make a difference to your own community.

Who knows, you might even be the one who'll discover the next generation of anti-matter that'll replace oil and coal as the main source of energy, and make us all proud one day :)
Salam :)

random said...
Cray, looking through the comments again, I realise we may actually be looking at two different things here.

I am looking at it as: there exists a segment of our community who are 'under-achieving', and while the percentage of these 'under-achievers' may be higher amongst the Malays, it is not something genetic but social or cultural, and that the best way to tackle this problem is to identify the social and cultural causes and see how we can solve them.

You see it as: the Malays must recognise and admit that the opinion of Malays as 'under-achievers' is statistically true and not just a case of prejudice from other races, and that Malays must take individual responsibility to 'improve' themselves to change the facts and thus public opinion of the Malays.
Would I be correct?

verbalme said...
I do agree with this. I am always sad to see the general behaviour of Malays these days. Why must they always be "lepak-ing" everywhere and generally wasting time and making a nuisance of themselves?

The truth is, I am proud of being a Malay - the culture and the people really sets us apart. But social problems like divorces and (I'll always be disturbed by this) being the majority in "getting married before 21" just irks me because I know we can be sooo much better than this.

But all is not lost lah. The Malay/Muslim officials are trying their best to address these problems. It's one baby step at a time.

Read http://jackaline.lux-lucis.net/2006/01/foooooooooo.html