peanuts for monkey...
this is my friend's givin' his sight of thing... and it is not originally done by me... so read it and try to have some insight too... i delete his name because of anonymous consent...
Disclaimer:
It is imperative to note that this note is not meant to stereotype all overseas Malaysian scholarship holders. Just the stubborn ones. ;) While I realize that what I’m about to write will hurt certain people’s feelings, I just hope that they’ll realize that I mean no offense. I still respect them as my fellow human being and I hope they’ll respect my views.
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When I was studying Law at Adelaide University in South Australia, I met and befriended many people from all walks of life, predominantly Malaysians. I can confidently say that most of these Malaysians were sponsored students through Government and non-government scholarship programs. And most of these sponsored students did not come from high-income and privileged family. I have made friends for life from several of them.
Long story short, I was bemused by the fact that certain quarters of these sponsored students, towards the end of their studies, suddenly decided to work in Australia or, if they came back, they would rather work for other private companies or hospitals etc, than for their respective sponsors. They were willing to breach their contract with the sponsor and risk paying back all the money that was spent on them during those turbulent and long years as a mere university student.
This “the hell with it” attitude shocked me. But more shocking was the similar attitude that I observed from other sponsored students across the globe. Some say, “I studied so hard for 5 years but when I go back, they’ll pay me with peanuts”, or, “I just want to get a career or job that accurately matches my degree / qualification”, or, “I can get more valuable experience from so-and-so company and later contribute back to Malaysia”, or, “I want to further my studies or specialize in something before I go back”. I’ve heard them all.
To those who think that they can pay their sponsors back, please bear in mind that this is not about money. It has never been about money. If it was about money, then the sponsors would have asked each of you to repay every single sen on top of requiring you to work for them, or there would be harsher consequences for you breaking your promise. This, I believe, is about building our nation by our own people. Why do you think the sponsors are willing to fork out hundreds of thousands of Ringgit, and in some instances millions of Ringgit, for each of you? In most instances, the sponsorship money comes from the rakyat’s pockets. Furthermore, most of you will have a job waiting for you upon your graduation from your fancy overseas universities. Everything has been done for you, from the moment you first set your foot on a foreign land to you coming back home to a guaranteed job. And to think that us Malaysians had to wait for you to graduate with or without flying colours to come back and serve the nation but only to be told by you that, “Nah, I’ve changed my mind. Sorry!”
Well I’m sorry too to say that that attitude is just plain disgraceful, disgusting and un-Malaysian.
If there was a mathematical equation to symbolize our hope in you, I think it would be something like:
(Money + Time + Patience) x Decision to come back or not = Hope
Excuse my so-called equation but I have not done Maths since secondary school. But with my limited knowledge in Maths, I shall endeavor to explain the equation above. You see, if you decide not to come back or do something else which breaches your sponsorship agreement, your value to us will be zero, zilch, nada, nil, kosong. Doesn’t matter how much money, time, hope that we spend, if the final answer from you is zero, then all will go to waste. But sadder, all hope is lost.
You see, unfortunately the world does not revolve around you and your demands. Of course I agree with the view that university graduates in Malaysia must be paid accordingly, not with peanuts. As the saying goes, if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. But surely a fresh graduate cannot expect to be paid in Malaysia similar to or more than their colleagues in other more developed countries. The other day I saw a job advertisement in The Star by the Ministry of Health seeking medical practitioners. As any other Government’s job advertisement, the ad also showed the remuneration packages available for those who get hired. The lowest pay package was RM4500 ++. I know the figure doesn’t have a Pound Sterling or Dollar sign in front if it but that, by us Malaysian standard, is more than enough.
I personally believe that Malaysian students abroad, especially the sponsored ones, must realize that the country needs them. You are our nation’s most valuable investment, to lead us into the next stage of growth. Whatever your personal views are, surely deep down in your hearts, you still love this “Tanah tumpahnya darah” of yours. And surely, after many years studying at university you have grown wiser. We don’t want Malaysia to turn out like one of those rich Arab countries, or France or Germany, where their wealth and developments are mainly built not by their own natural citizens, but by foreigners – foreign workers. Think of the dire future their children, and their children’s children will have to live. Scarier though, think of what will happen to Malaysia if we also turn out to be just like them.
Now having said all this, I’m also called to urge the Government and other major employers in Malaysia to raise their wage and work standards. You cannot pay a fresh graduate, be they from local or overseas universities, a mere RM1500 a month and then expect them to be “self-motivated, independent and eager to learn”? Had your children been in the same position, you wouldn’t pay them that little nor would you want your child to be paid that little. You’d feel disgusted at how little your children’s hard work at university mean for these employers. You cannot also say that you were paid much less when you started working 10, 20 or 30 years ago and as such today’s university graduates must feel content with what they’re being paid. One of the main factors that makes an employee excited to work, or “self-motivated” as some job ads like to put it, is a reasonable pay package. If an employer doesn’t think it can pay much, then complement the low wage with other benefits such as wider health insurance, more generous EPF contribution, lower retirement age to be eligible for pension, employee discounts and other incentives. Employees, especially fresh graduates, just want to feel they are being appreciated by their respective employer, that’s all. I therefore think it is not too demanding and damaging for a minimum-wage to be set in Malaysia sooner rather than later. This idea of a minimum wage in Malaysia is not, as us lawyer-minded people would say, a “far-fetched and fanciful” one.
Now, returning back to these sponsored students and ex-students. Unlike some commentators, I’ll stop short of calling you ungrateful or a bunch of “Si Tanggang’s”. I see no practical purpose in doing this.
I only have these words to say to you, “Please, come back home. Malaysia needs you”.
The writer strongly encourages all sides to have a debate on this issue because at the end of the day, his view is not the only view. As Evelyn Beatrice Hall wrote in her book, The Friends of Voltaire, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”.
