Under The Guise Of Patriotism

By: Natalie Shobana Ambrose

theSun, Malaysia (pg 13)

October 18th, 2012

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/columns/onpointe

 

During a recent anti-Japan protest in Xi'an, China, over the much disputed Diaoyu Islands, also known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan, a Chinese man was beaten up so badly because he was driving a Toyota Corolla. Used as a punching bag and smashed over the head with a U-shaped lock, he is now partially paralysed. In an outrageous reprimand from protesters, such violence was deemed as an act "of patriotism".

 

Far from what real patriotism is, the understanding that people are allowed to protest, in this case to express disapproval against Japan, was appropriate. But violence like that seen in over 80 Chinese cities is unacceptable.

 

On our shores, there are many issues that are brought up under the guise of patriotism. But really, it's just for the sake of pushing those delicate buttons and fanning the flames of sensitivities, mainly surrounding the issues of race and religion. It can be from anything, like the implementation of hudud law across the country, to the strengthening of affirmative action, to allegations of a secret takeover by the Christians, Chinese or the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community.

 

If none of this is causing enough discomfort, then the next level of below the belt are from the conjuring of un-classy allegations such as a coup d'état by political communist, to the absurd notion of a lack of water in a tropical country where the city centre now seems to be flooding with daily evening rainfall.

 

This is all done under the guise of patriotism. Each side of the political spectrum is protecting us from the ultimate destruction and ruining of the country. But here is what's ruining the country – greed, dishonesty and the lack of love for our tanah air, or to quote our national anthem "tanah tumpahnya darahku" (the land where my blood was shed). Clearly, we have little regard for Malaysia to allow such bad behaviour to not just continue, but to escalate.

 

Looking at the Auditor-General's Report 2011 with the blatant misuse of funds, I'm disappointed that the politicians are actually still so smug. Perhaps their alternate universe does not accord for feelings of remorse. Surely the realities that families, regardless of their race and religion, who struggle to make ends meet must evoke some feeling of shame for the millions that have been siphoned and can never be returned. Where then is their patriotism and love for the country?

 

Leaving aside the wrongness of releasing the AG's report after tabling the budget, clearly there has to be some mandate furthering the implementation of an accountability index. There has to be mechanisms to ensure that errant ministries, officers and politicians are charged for raping the country and if accountability indexes are low, then there are consequences to be faced. How long will it take before we use the AG's report for more than just a jaw-dropping index of true corruption levels or as multiple article fillers?

 

Having interacted recently with people from Asean countries, learning about their progress and development in economy and more pointedly in the area of human development, my observations lead me to a different understanding of our country.

 

On the façade, we are seen as a developing country – a striving economy and moving in the right direction – but when we peel away the niceties of our so-called success story, what we gravely lack is patriotism. Not the slogan of patriotism but the detailed translation of patriotism which means more than just upholding the laws. It is going beyond the basics of upholding the wellbeing of the country, which is the hallmark of patriotism.

 

Maybe it's because our multiculturalism means that no one truly feels like Malaysia is their country and so we don't love Malaysia more than we love ourselves, but are trying to get as much out of it as we can – a very different mind-set from other Asean countries.

 

History has shown us that it's not the names of those in power that we remember most, it is those deemed as trouble makers fighting for a better country. It is the progressives that make the difference, highlight the cause and spark real change.

 

Teddy Roosevelt was not popular when he said this but I believe his words hold true till today: "Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public office, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country." Maybe the next time a Malaysian leader fans the flames of disunity, we might measure him to these words.

 

Natalie believes that leaders and those in authority should be strengthening the state, not undermining it under the disguise of patriotism.

Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

A Sense Of Entitlement

By: Natalie Shobana Ambrose

theSun, Malaysia (pg 12)

October 4th, 2012

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/columns/onpointe

There are certain expectations when we buy a non-budget air ticket – 20kg luggage allowance, toilet facilities, some leg room, reclining seats, food, entertainment, and oxygen masks to name a few. It's a privilege we pay for and our expectations of it equates to a sense of entitlement.

What happens when some of these basic expectations are not met? We become unhappy bunnies, like I am right now as I write this column on a flight with legs squished, knees pressing against a fully reclined seat in front of me, while I angle the lap top to a decent position and having one-year-old twins and their parents next to me in seats that do not recline. Yes, it's a full flight, and I can't help but wonder if it's fair to place these young parents in such seats. To add salt to the wound, it is unfortunate that the adult family sitting in front of us have chosen to exercise their entitlement for their utmost comfort. Is this fair?

We all have a sense of entitlement in different areas of our lives including for the companies we work for to meet certain basic expectations. But perhaps more accurately, our first experience of this is the sense of entitlement we have within our families as it's a privilege of being part of a family. Similarly, I would imagine that as Malaysians we have a sense of entitlement of being Malaysians. Yet entitlements are not absolute and neither do they have to be used just because they're available.

As a Malaysian, my sense of entitlement comes from the concept that I am Malaysian first. I expect to not just be protected but accorded the same privileges as every Malaysian. This is because the circumstances of my birth or ethnicity are not of my doing. To paraphrase famed Harvard professor Dr Michael Sandle, my race is an arbitrary fact and having my life options determined by this is unjust. Sadly, in Malaysia we have a skewed perception of equality.

This problem arises because generations have been taught to tolerate and not accept that differences should not divide, but make us an adaptable nation ready to accommodate the multiculturalism of the world onto our shores. So we are stuck, stuck because our sense of entitlement has been partnered with an unwillingness to compromise and accommodate with a non-negotiable expectation for everyone else to cower to our entitlements. This only creates friction and just like twigs rubbed together create sparks, chaffed feelings create disunity, disloyalty and only deepen the wounds of discrimination.

Proponents of affirmative action believe that we need to level the playing field. I agree, but the focus also needs to be on bringing everyone to the same starting point – a challenging task made impossible by race-based affirmative action. So we go in circles, lose talent and create a people who are limited.

As a Malaysian, my expectations of the government are honesty and integrity. You may laugh at my naïve words, but honesty in all spheres of politics is necessary. I also expect for logic to prevail. When tabling a budget, one needs to know what previous spending was like, hence why the Auditor-General's Report has to be tabled simultaneously or earlier, but definitely not weeks after the budget is debated on. How then will the budget be honestly debated? Even the layman's chequebook has a balancing chit for each cheque written, acknowledging the importance of knowing what is being spent and how much is left – how much more necessary is it for a country to do so.

Last year, the A-G's report was delayed and many discrepancies arose. There was a gaping misuse of funds involving the meat industry and military spending to name a few. Little has been done about it, but to delay the report only spells danger and creates suspicion as our spending goes further into the red zone and the priority of perception over addressing issues has become the norm.

So as a Malaysian, these are some entitlements I count as basic not just for me but for every Malaysian – and something I think we all need to exercise fully to discredit those who continue to exercise a false sense of entitlement.

Natalie is glad that the plane has now landed and she's back on Malaysian soil.  Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

 

Mud On The Wall

By: Natalie Shobana Ambrose

theSun, Malaysia (pg 11)

September 24th, 2012

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/columns/onpointe

 

It’s been used many times to teach a valuable lesson. Someone holds up a big blank piece of paper and asks the crowd: "What do you see?"

"A white sheet of paper," they say. Then a big dot is drawn on it.

"Now, what do you see?"

"A black dot!" they shout back.

It's true isn't it? What most of us would see is the black dot and not the big white surrounding the dot. It's an automatic human response for us to see the imperfections and stains instead of the good, especially when it is in someone else, even more so when the person is a perceived threat.

History is a telltale to this behaviour. During the pre-Middle East uprising, everyone was quite happy to mingle with the Mubaraks, Gadhafis, Salehs and Bashar al-Assads of the desert. Famous artists performed at their parties, presidents made good friends, royalty socialised with them, even the head of prestigious education establishments schmoozed and accepted money from these men.

And just like that, as the turmoil began, what do you know? The very same people who bragged close proximity are hurriedly distancing themselves and even disregarding state sovereignty. That big black dot mutates into many more dots that keep growing and growing and growing.

In politics, one can go from being a close friend to a dangerous foe in a split second. We've seen this happen multiple times on home ground. Strike before they strike you, and we will be safe. That seems to be the modus operandi strategy that our politicians are taking, in light of impending elections.

Though instead of tomahawks, grenades, guns, drones, bombs and weapons of mass destruction, our politicians have taken to simple mudslinging. A more civilised method of annihilating the perceived threat – those with opposing views, belief systems and some that just challenge the 'norm'.

In politics, I suppose mudslinging is part and parcel of office life. But Malaysians are getting hit in the crossfire instead of real issues being addressed.

We all know if you throw mud on a white wall, the mud won't stick but it will definitely stain. It's very easy to throw mud, but it takes effort to clear the damaging stains. So why not discredit a politician by any means if they are a perceived threat? It's a strategy that works after all, especially in a country with a growing Pharisee Complex.

The sad thing is we claim to be a democracy, not a guided democracy as we used to be, but a straight unadulterated democracy. So how come our politicians didn't get the memo? A democracy is only a democracy when there are options, when there is more than one capable party, when voting allows for leadership to be challenged instead of all powers belonging solely to one party. It also helps to know in advance when campaigning will start and when the elections are – that is what a democracy is.

We need to adopt and increase the mentality of 'I love my country more' and stand up for the injustices, not just in the political sphere but in the social sphere.

Get involved in influencing the many draft laws and blueprints, speak up against guidelines that advocates discrimination such as the one on how to be a good lady boss or that v-neck t-shirts and buff bodies are not allowed freely in this country. We may think we are living in peace but each time a baby is dumped or thrown, each time racial and religious sensitivities are played, each time corruption wins, we move further away from peace and justice.

World Peace Day was celebrated last Friday, where the world called for a ceasefire on every level to make peace for one day. One day may not seem like a big deal but in war torn countries where aid workers are allowed to enter without fear of attack, it means life to many. Did Malaysia stop mudslinging on that one day and look beyond all our innate discrimination to say 'I love my country more and I want peace'?

Natalie knows that the majority vote does not equal the truth, though it's always nice to win!

Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

No Subsititue For Good Service

By: Natalie Shobana Ambrose

theSun, Malaysia (pg 13)

September 6th, 2012

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/columns/onpointe 

 “Excuse me, do you sell pine nuts” I asked. “It’s very expensive” the shop owner replied.  As the saying goes, ‘my blood boiled’.  Customer service in Malaysia truly is a force to be reckoned with.  It’s just frustrating at times. I’m sure many of you reading this, have your own encounters with careless sales people.  There are a few categories I’d place them in.  The ‘you’re not rich enough so why bother’, ‘I can see you, but I’ll just stand here pretending I don’t”, the “I don’t know Ma’am syndrome” and the cop out ‘it’s our policy’ customer service.

Then there are the overzealous that follow your every move like you’re about to steal something. Or maybe that just only happens to me.  “Can I help you?”

“Just looking thanks”

“We have this in all sizes and three different colours, would you like to try it?”

“Em, no thank you,  I’m just looking but if I find something I’ll let you know”,

“Ok, this is a new arrival item Ma’am, would you like to try it?”.  This is what I call, induced blood boiling.

What about the sales people that pretend they don’t see you, especially when you’re trying to get service.  The food would not have gotten cold had I waited for the chopsticks to arrive.  Then there are the waiters that don’t speak any comprehensible language and don’t understand any of the languages I speak. 

Though one thing that I find in Malaysia, is that our customer service people lack knowledge of the product they are selling.  They just want to make a sale or like standing around talking. An experience at a famous bookshop drove the point home.  I was looking for a particular book but the sales people just did not know how to answer any of the my questions.   It was rather disappointing, as I thought back to an experience at a bookshop in India, where the guy sorting out the shelf, could explain which books were a good read and why!  Maybe we’re just not a country and reads as much, but I’d expect some basic knowledge about books if they were working at a bookstore, or was this just a case of “this is what you get for the salary I’m getting paid”?  There is little pride in the work some customer service people do.

“Where is this made?”

“I don’t’ know”, said with a blank stare.

“Can you go check?”, “Em ok.” Person goes away, talks to someone else that looks equally as clueless. “Don’t know la Ma’am, but do you want to buy it?” 

Then there is the ‘if I say it’s made in a European country, the price hike is warranted’.  Case in point happened in a reputable leather goods store where the item in question was an expensive leather bag apparently made in Italy.  Not only was the Italian grammar on the information tag all wrong, the English was appalling.  This trend of misleading customers is really unbecoming and leaves a bad taste.

The worst has got to be a teleco company’s ‘customer care line’.  I had been charged double and only realised when the credit card bill arrived. So I called them to clarify and wanted to know why I was not informed. “I’m sorry Ma’am, there was a problem with the system, it’s not our fault that we charged you twice, it’s the system.”

 I replied,  “It’s your system; therefore it’s your problem. So why was I not informed and charged double?

“Sorry Ma’am, it’s our policy.  Anyway it has been rectified, so it’s not a problem anymore”.  I think my blood boiled over for the little care received!

It’s not all bad though. Our postman does a good job.  He’s conscientious and delivers our letters in the smelting heat.  When a second New Zealand parcel had not made it to the house, I went to the post office.  I was directed to the sorting room and spoke with the chief postman about it, giving him the details. The parcel was never found but I was very impressed with the service given.

Service at local councils and other government run ministries have definitely improved. Definitely service with a smile, something the private sector can learn from, because if you don’t care for your customers, someone else will. 

Natalie believes, there’s no substitute for good customer service.

Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

Curiosity Didn't Kill The Cat

By: Natalie Shobana Ambrose

theSun, Malaysia (pg 12)

August 23rd, 2012

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/columns/onpointe 

NASA's Mars rover, Curiosity is simply awesome. The intricacy and sophistication of just the first phase of this amazing feat speaks leaps and bounds about human brilliance but it also screams the importance of creativity.

 

If you’ve watched the video of experts at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory share the challenges of Curiosity’s  final seven minutes to landing on  Mars, you will see not just intelligence but passion, imagination and vision all enabled and empowered by a system that believes in not just narrow fields of study but combining imagination to hard science. Gobsmacked is how I would describe it.  

The whole idea of Curiosity looks like a sci-fi movie, yet it is real and to add to the whole jaw-dropping greatness is the fact that the team included a young Bobak Ferdowsi fondly known as ‘Mauhawk Dude’ who now has probably brought sexy-back to hard science . Could something like this be emulated in Malaysia?  

The reality of today’s world dictates the necessity to be versatile. The days of ticking the box of mainstream safe focused occupations of lawyer, doctor, accountant will get anyone and everyone a career for sure. But what would enhance a career giving it an edge is combining skill with creativity.  

We churn out too many graduates for available jobs, but perhaps what we need to think about too is the need to expand minds beyond a glowing report card. Sadly, our schools are still stuck in striving for academic excellence when play and creativity is equally important.  

We lack truly creative environments where people are allowed and encouraged to think outside the box and push frontiers without being restrained by all the hullaballoo of politics, race, religion and cultural acceptability.  

We attach little value to the arts and cultural heritage is not a high priority and seen as an appendage of our national life instead of part of it. Yet, the arts in not just for flamboyant characters or the wealthy but something that has the potential to feed back into the economy. All the major cities of the world have a solid theatre scene, Broadway , orchestras, and the likes. Not holiday to London is complete without a trip to the theatre, and that does not just include Phantom of the Opera but even Avenue Q. 

World class cities integrate arts, culture and entertainment, and Kuala Lumpur is supposed to be headed in that direction with a 2020 deadline. Yet juxtaposed against these goals is the fact that, earlier in the year the Singapore Ballet was banned from performing in Malaysia because tutus and tights are deemed ‘indecent’ and recently the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra debacle has sparked a call to boycott its New York auditions. Not only do we not know how to maintain good talent we disregard the immense local talent available. Perhaps these events might warrant an increase in local talent being hired.  

We need to get away from the mentality that performers are there to entertain at official functions and weddings while dinner is served. Sadly tis mentality permeates throughout society.  We need to realise that they are partly keepers of our heritage, our history and our story not just to the rest of the world but to our future generations. Maybe I am somewhat biased towards the arts and encouraging creativity because my parents both saw the importance of it and invested not just in paying but ferrying me to dance and music lessons for years, but I see how much it has added to my life, to my work and my world view, so much so that the name of this column is a play of words stemming from my ballet heritage, my field of study and the core sentiments of this column. I didn’t become a professional dancer or pianist, but it was never money or time wasted because the lessons of discipline, practise and performance have been invaluable.  

There is so much talent in this country, so much potential and so many who have given themselves to increase the profile of arts, culture and inculcate creativity in the future of Malaysia. As a country trying to make its mark, we have to realise that academic accolades in today’s world means combining creativity and diversity far deeper into our education systems but also in our research and development goals. It means the ability to creatively translate the complicated into something the masses understand – as did the NASA experts. Maybe then we might be able to channel our curiosity into creating far more than we currently do.  

Natalie hopes we will start including creativity and performing arts into our school curriculums and encourage diversity.  

Comments: letters@thesundaily.com