作者簡介：
黎紫書，本名林寶玲。1971年生於馬來西亞，畢業於霹靂女子中學。
曾獲大馬星洲日報「花蹤文學獎」短篇小說首獎、小說推薦獎、世界華文小說首獎；南大全國微型小說比賽首獎；台灣「聯合報文學獎」短篇小說首獎、評審獎；「時報文學獎」短篇小說評審獎等。
已出版著作包括微型小說集《微型黎紫書》；短篇小說集《天國之門》、《山瘟》、《出走的樂園》，以及編著花蹤回憶錄《花海無涯》。
前两个星期在大众书局看到了这本书，站在那边看了其中一篇文章。觉得她写的很写实，说出了现代生活的无情与无奈。
其中一个故事就是小孩子在学校里被罚，回到家后要找奶奶哭诉，但发现奶奶不见了。问妈妈，妈妈说不知道，问爸爸，爸爸说小孩子别问。小孩记得上次也有一次奶奶也是不见了，但不到两天就自己回来。奶奶用冰冷的手握着他的小手说，多么怕不认识路回来了。一天，画中小孩画了一幅画，一个女人提着菜篮，牵着一个小孩。妈妈看到了，问他里面的人是画谁。他说是奶奶和他上市集买菜了。他妈妈听后拉长了脸。学校家长会到了，以前奶奶在，就叫奶奶去。现在奶奶不见了，就要求忙碌的爸爸妈妈去，不然回到学校会被罚的。但是，两个人都不想去，并吵了起来。妈妈怪爸爸为什么请个工人回来照顾奶奶，弄到她自己满身尿酸味；而爸爸却说为什么妈妈那么狠心，逼他把奶奶载到那么远去。小孩还是不明白他们在吵什么。。。但是，我们知道奶奶发生什么事了。
虽然每篇文章只有千字，但是每段文字都让人深思。
13 回覆:
好沉重的一本书
嗯。。沉重的叫人不知怎么去做。。
有时也会感觉到自己迷失了方向 ><~~~
Reports of ethnic-minority students with near-perfect STPM results not getting a place at the local university have become the norm, and yet objections are often ignored - the government claims that it is a fair game for all.
Personally, I had no choice but to go overseas to study, and my parents had to spend their entire pension savings on financing my undergraduate degree in Australia. After graduation, most of my Malaysian classmates chose to either stay in Australia or work in Singapore, where equal opportunities and fair competition give them better job prospects.
Before coming to the London I did my masters degree in Singapore, where I met many Chinese Malaysians in this situation. Most of us would like to return to Malaysia, but we know that research prospects for minorities are limited. No matter how talented we are, it seems we still have to travel outside our country to seek opportunities.
Unless we all vote in a more representative and responsible government, more Malaysians will leave.
I know a couple, the guy was a finance director in one of the big local banks while the wife was a finance manager and they had 4 children. They emigrated to New Zealand and the children were very happy with the new education system.
Mostly it was because what he had articulated as his reasons for leaving was somewhat true and reflective of the unsaid feelings of the majority of non-malay citizens of this country.
No one in the current leadership positions appear to have what it takes to bring Malaysia to the era of enlightenment.
My view on the future of Malaysia? Well, basically the same as the current African states, if not worse. Why? Because the government is an expert in coming up with new types of taxes to tax the people and use the money collected to throw at the Muslims literally. But are nuts when come to improving economy and social security.
In another 30 years, all the rich Chinese people will emigrate to China, while the rest of them will go to America, Australia and Singapore. What is left? A rotting piece of land with its inhabitants not any better off.
If the current government does not change their arrogant, lazy and stupid attitude, I will not be surprise that 1 Singapore dollar can buy 10 Malaysia rinngits in another 10 years time. Right, the Malaysia government has said that they have not dropped in their standards, just that other nations are growing faster than them.
This is the difference between Malaysia and Singapore. To the Malaysia government, what I want to say is this, "This tiny red dot (Singapore) has evolved from a piece of mud to become a piece of shiny gold, while in the same time span, you have evolved from a piece of wood only to stone, at the very best."
In the future to come, this red dot will further become a diamond, while its counterpart might just revert back to wood, if not worse.
I guess the racism goes on and on and I do feel for the minority race over in Malaysia if they had encounter a problem or a situation where they felt racially discriminated - and really can prove it.
I feel such sentiments almost everyday but I guess I always have reminded myself that, life is way bigger than the color of our skin and that what is more important no matter how clique it may sound; are families and friends.
Under the Asean scholarship scheme, Singapore offers about 60 pct of its pre-university places to Mainland China students. The rest is given to Indians, Malaysians, and even to Vietnamese.
Then they take care of the pre-university students needs with counseling, dinner, interview with GLCs - everything to make the students stay and become Singaporean ambassadors, if not Singaporean citizens.
What do we do in Malaysia? We turn down the straight A students for scholarships. We tell many of them they are not wanted. We tell them to sit for the STPM, which is mile more difficult than the government-sponsored matriculation system. Then when they get straight As, we tell many of them we can't offer them courses of their choice.
We lost it more than 20 years ago, not just yesterday. We lost it when Mahathir decided to switch from the English education system to the Bahasa Melayu education system. We lost it when the authorities decided to mess around with qualifications and "kulitfications".
It is a known fact that the Chinese is leading the scientific research. More Chinese is writing journals (research papers) now than before. How can we compete with them when we are not writing enough papers!
It is stupid considering that the Singapore government is giving the living allowance or willing to provide scholarship to study there, yet in our own backyard, Malaysia doesn't seem to appreciate us who work full time yet get nothing.
All the government know about brain drain is accused people of not patriotic but did they know how hard we are suffering, and how near the heaven is (Singapore)! Of course BN will not take action on it because there are still some countries behind us, we are not the worst, yet.
If you were to pour billions into our universities, we will still get third rate products. Money is one thing. Good manager and personnel is another.
If we continually appoint, promote and recruit professors according to race, only God can help us improve our ranking. If and only if we dare change our policy by doing away all this racial thinking, we can think of ranking top 100 in the world.
Come on. Please do not compare to China Taiwan. You should take Congo, Sudan or Zimbabwe. We are much more advanced and superior than those in education. They can't produce anything - at least we still can produce 50k graduates without works after finishing their studies in top local universities.
Stone-aged politicians who practiced narrow-mind mentality, for personal gains, should be sent out to Ghana.
(Malaysia gained independence at the same year as Ghana……….some jokers said we should be happy, at least we are better than Ghana.)
Have they no shame? If they really believe that University Malaya is world-class, even God cannot help Malaysia!
So much anger so much disgust so much hatred vented by so many citizens. When will these gangsters running our country wake up?
Malaysians, I beg of you, vote wisely! Vote for our future and our future's future too!
Just put it very simply, our Malaysia country is not competitive enough that we no longer could afford to hire our talents in overseas back. The environment is just not conducive for further development.
For those who wish to sell short to come back, there must be a good reason. Why bother to come back if you know that you are not appreciated? Patriotism is not a good reason as it is illogical to say that one is not patriotic if one is working or living overseas.
The latest slogan I heard from Singapore is that one could venture overseas as far as he could, but the heart is always welcome to be with home, Singapore. Overseas Singaporeans did come back solely for their national day celebration. I think this is a more liberal way of thinking. The world is flat now.
Either way, one has to make his own decision to make a choice to be out or in. After all, our society has become very sick and corrupted such that white or black, wrong or right is indistinguishable. Idiotic loyalty is unwise. You just have to make your own way to seek a better future for your self and your family.
Affirmative policies which the government is adopting will do more harm than good to the proud "Bangsa Melayu". That is why after five decades of independence, their inferiority complex is still very much prevalent among them.
Further, how much progress have they made internationally? Virtually none or if there is, I dare say, is insignificant. Other races have made headlines in the international arena, including being top executives of major multinational corporations.
Some have even made it in Hollywood! If you are talking about our local guys, people like Zang Toi, a Chinese designer from Kelantan, and Dato Jimmy Choo, famous for his shoes, are worldwide brands.
If the NEP continues in its current form, the malay community may face the danger of sinking into oblivion in the sea of vast technological and economic changes which our world is constantly experiencing.
Forget this towering Malaysians bit. After 50 years there is no Malaysians but only Malays, Indians and Chinese. Forget patriotism - there is no such thing. All this talk about NEP is just a smokescreen, a mechanism for Umno leaders to enrich themselves, siblings and offspring - at the expense of working class Malays, Indians and Chinese.
The smart ones with special talents like "eco" would emigrate with or without the discrimination. It is the "pull" factor and not the "push" factor that decides where people like eco will make their home.
To us ordinary folks, with dreams of making something out of our lives, I say follow your instinct and look for that Promised Land.
We should be grateful to the government of Malaysia for starting the exodus. We are what we are today, like I always say, "Not in spite of the discriminatory policy but because of it."
Some of us prefer to be birds of fine weather. That is fine too.
Steadily and slowly, the middle class Malaysians are moving overseas, be it the US, UK, Singapore or Australia. Not because we are unpatriotic but because we do not want our next generation to endure the state-sponsored racial discrimination that we had to endured for so long.
It is the adults who teach hate and discrimination to the kids who in the end become the racists that they are. My best friends in primary school and secondary school are malays and Indians.
We don't realize that non-malays have lesser opportunities to go to tertiary education. When I see that my country is actually engaging in state-sponsored racial discrimination segregation laws later in my life, I am deeply disappointed that while we are taught moral values and all the values of Malaysia in school, that it is actually not being practised in our daily life.
When you have these "push" factors in place, when non-malays have the opportunities or when they are fed up with the policy of the country, they will leave the country and will never come back to contribute to the country.
As a lot of these politicians who wield keris and the other radicals want the non-malays to get off the land, they do not realized that as much as they think they do not need us, they actually do.
I second one opinion, my parents did not have a choice back then. I have a choice now, I am choosing to develop elsewhere. Not because I am unpatriotic, but I do not want my tax money to go into incompetent BN politicians pocket or any other maggots associated with them.
Now my tax money will go to a deserving country where I feel I am not being shortchanged. You will be surprised how many young non-malay Malaysians will end up building US, UK, Singapore, Canada and Australia. We owe this to our parents and to our next generations who never had the chance.
Summary of the cases need immediate attentions:
(1) ACA revamping
(2) Automobile industry like Proton deserved to be scrapped
(3) Corruption in the highest order to the lowest rank of civil servant
(4) Crooked bridge - did we just pay for more when it is not built
(5) Economical growth is stagnant in the country
(6) Education issues especially meritocracy systems
(7) Islamic religious stuff that undermines constitution
(8) Jasin a.k.a. the close one eye case
(9) MAS draining taxpayers money
(10) No equal wealth distribution to the people who needed it
(11) Police effectiveness
(12) Poverty in a few states namely Sabah and Sarawak
(13) Racial discrimination in many important positions especially civil service
(14) Racial issues being fanned by Umno themselves
(15) Rafidah and Sammy
(16) Scomi accused of corruption
(17) Son in law which undermines the power of the prime minister
(18) Uncontrolled Muslim immigration (Project M) that swamped Malaysia
(19) White elephant sport center
Boys and gals - here are the top 19 biggest problems in Malaysia that require immediate attentions. If anybody can solve at least 50% of the problems, you are a good candidate to become the good prime minister of Malaysia. Ponder about it.
The Chinese are not in control of the economy at all. Consider this:
Tenaga, Telekom, Proton, Petronas, Maybank, Genting accounts for more than 50% of the market capitalization of KLSE.
So basically malays already control more than 50% of the economy.
But problem is, only a few malays enjoy ownership of the economy and businesses while the rest are bleed dry. These people are millionaires and billionaires man. That is where the lies about the Chinese controlling the economy comes in, to keep themselves in that position.
So the ordinary malays are angry because they feel the Chinese stole their money. The Chinese and Indians and others are angry because they feel they are further discriminated on top of discrimination.
Non-malays on the other hand owned only 10% of such equity.
People like the Robert Kuok group were so pissed that the government pressure them to sell their business, they shifted their headquarter to Hong Kong. But when we want the world to see that one of the richest tycoons is from Malaysia, when we want fame, we said Robert Kuok is from Malaysia, not knowing that he has long gone.
What minister mentor Lee Kuan Yew has said is absolutely true. It is a simple fact. The Chinese and Indians have been marginalised since 1957, so what is new?
While the Chinese have been economically strong, the Indians have been lagging behind, simply by being a minority race in Malaysia and by being led by a complete moron for the last three decades. What is Najib so upset about?
Prove your worth as a race that can stand on theirs own two feet and succeed and you will have our respect. Until then, please just stop making a complete idiot of yourself and shut your gap.
This goes for the entire Malaysia cabinet. You are all a disgrace and a bunch of corrupt hypocrates! Malaysia would have been much better off if it had remained a British colony. Only then would there have been equality.
The malays are fall into the trap of other Umno-malays should treat like shits in Malaysia. When we demand over basic right, they always like to quote Singapore malays on not holding public position……….Please la, Singapore practise the real meritocracy, not the fake one like Malaysia.
And this make Singapore malays stand high when compare to Malaysia malays.
What make the Malaysian Chinese not happy is, we already being discriminated by our home country, when anything go wrong in Umno or in malay community, the Malaysian Chinese will be the target - for shooting or divert their the attention to their own problems.
Have you wondered why there are fewer Indians than malays in the general population in Singapore, that there are many more Indians than malays in high positions in politics, medicine, law, business, and many other fields that require talent and hard work in Singapore!
In Malaysia, there are tongkat or crutches available, but in meritocratic Singapore, even the smaller minority Indians outperform the bigger minority malays.
To Chinese, education is the most important thing to their next generation, so don't ask me why Chinese insist to have own stream of education until today.
To tell you frankly, I feel much comfortable when I move to UK, after few years I know they will offer me citizenship being a professional here. And as far as I know, there isn't a classification on the citizenship, I will get equal treatment as others fairly.
Education in Bolehland is a big joke. It is systematically being damaged, degraded, destroyed and impaired, by the BN government ever since after Tunku. Why? So that the BN leaders kids can be comparatively better than common plebeians.
Why do you think they send their kids to overseas or private schools at a young age! They have no intention of sharing the rubbish education here period. Badawi like the big fool that he is blindly following it but christened it as his way. What joke!
Many of my family and friends were top scorers in their respective classes and schools and many were from some of the best schools in the Malaysia country. But when my eldest brother and his friends applied to local universities, almost none of them got their choice of courses.
When it came to my turn in the mid 1980s, I was already prepared to go overseas and did not even attempt to apply to local varsities. But many top scorers I knew not only did not get the courses of their choice, they were given courses that was beneath their intelligence.
A person capable of being a doctor was asked to go into agriculture. A person who wanted to do law was asked to study social science. A person who wanted to do economics was asked to do education.
In a number of cases I am personally aware of, those who also had appealed against not being given their choice of course were scolded by officers of the education ministry for 'being ungrateful'.
This is the hidden story that has not been told supposedly due to our 'social bargain'. There is no doubt in my mind there was near-fascist thinking within the education ministry for a number of years. My own personal guess is that it is still happening.
How is it possible that given the severe shortage of doctors in this country, only 779 places are available for medical studies in public universities? How is it possible that given the expansion of the number of hospitals in this country - both public and private - there has been not anything even near a corresponding increase in medical students intake?
My family and friends have almost all moved overseas and have not looked back since our school days. Many of us ended becoming IT engineers and doctors.
When we tell our growing children of the things we went through, they are aghast. As much as they suffer discrimination in our adopted countries, they are horrified when they discover the things that went on in Malaysia - and are still going on.
Umno, the most racist organisation in Malaysia has launched his attacks on non-malays, particular the Chinese.
All Chinese, please be aware. Umno have started brainwashing the malay students into believing that the non-malays are agents for Israel and USA.
Chinese and Indians please do not get into the business of Umno fight. It is not our business. It is the malays business.
At the mean time, Umno has run full force in brainwashing all the universities students in Malaysia starting from UM, UPM, USM that non-malay students are agents for Israel and USA.
We pity the non-malay students studying in malay universities like UM, UPM, USM but we encourage you to hold on or move to UTAR.
One day, Chinese will become prime minister in Malaysia and Malaysia will become a better country for everybody.
I guarantee that the Chinese prime minister will not discriminate against other races like the Umno does.
The Malaysia economy will improve and most Malaysians will have high skills jobs. Everything will be affordable from cars to houses. And most malays will be able to afford a decent house.
A Malaysian Chinese prime minister make all roads toll free and Petronas money will be spend wisely on public schools and public transports.
Malaysian Chinese prime minister will also facilitate any Muslim who wants to die in Middle East.
The NEP has only served a few. Its original motives were noble because weather you or I agree malays do need a lot of encouragement but not the sort that have been getting as opposed to the ones in Singapore.
In the 1970s in Singapore, O and A levels pass marks for Malays: 28%, Indians: 65%, Chinese: 75%, others: 50%.
This NEP trash only made the non-malays smarter and the malays more dumber. Pass mark for Singapore malays in state: 50%.
Singapore allow them to leave Singapore any time they want but they choose to stay because their kids are properly educate, got better opportunities, housing and health care……….And they are truly loyal to Singapore.
I would like to add further to what has mentioned.
(1) Singapore first president was a malay. The republic has also had two Indian presidents including the present one.
(2) It has had two Indian foreign ministers.
(3) The country present minister for education is an Indian.
(4) The republic Singapore has had two Indian deputy prime ministers including the current one.
(5) A former police chief (equivalent to Inspector-General of Police) was, yes, you guessed it, an Indian.
Can we ever expect such important government positions in Malaysia to be occupied by those representing the minority communities in Malaysia? I am afraid the minorities here can only dream.
As I said, the racial disharmony in Malaysia is not the cause of Malays, Indians or Chinese. The fault and blame lies squarely and directly on Umno and Umno Youth leaderships, and their barrel of race-based politics and policies.
Are the malays so impoverished in intellect and ability that they need handouts to survive?
The alternative already exists - the day the malays rely on themselves, not Umno, is the day they write their own destiny.
Protection for the malays means isolation for the malays. As long as they ask for more protection, they will be isolated from the progress of the world.
In the end, they will be hiding in caves like the Taliban. Nowhere to go because of inadequate skills, or skills that are not useful to the society and humankind at large.
Income and employment statistics show the Chinese are still ahead of other races but nowhere near pre-NEP levels.
The aids and opportunities provided under the NEP, if given to non-malays would propel them sky high in half the period. The hardship makes us wiser, stronger and better. Hence we always try our best for the better of our next generation.
I am writing today because I feel disgusted by the national education system in Malaysia, when I read about a news article reporting that more than 40% of the top scorers of the national exams SPM were denied a scholarship to further their studies overseas.
All of them were Chinese. Reason for rejection is unknown. Certainly it is unfair to blame everything unjust in Malaysia on racism. But I cannot be helped and think that racism is the only explanation that I could cite for this blatantly biased situation.
Many of those rejected top students filed an appeal and some managed to get what they deserved, while others could only sigh in frustration and continue crying out loud, and grabbing more attention in the national media.
Malaysia and Singapore have been competing against each other for years. It does not take a PhD to tell which country is making better progress over the other. While Singapore is aggressively building up its talent pool and making quiet efforts while 'paddling fiercely under the water', the Malaysia government is complacent enough to allow brain drain and declare to the world that it aspires to turn itself into a knowledge-based economy concurrently.
It seems to me that the Malaysian leaders do not understand that the simplest idea is often the best solution.
In my opinion, this simplest idea is to capture the right people and nurture them into the leaders of tomorrow for the country. Unfortunately, politics and money have blinded the very people who are behind the nation's education system.
We Malaysians don't have a competitive, fair and transparent education system. We Malaysians don't have a government committing its full support for the nation's deserving bright people. We Malaysians don't have a Malaysia for Malaysians.
Now, what is the next best thing to do when the country that you love and respect denies you an opportunity to make contributions? I say, have love and respect for yourself and move to a place where talents are well-appreciated.
I would weep and at the same time say goodbye.
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