I mentioned that the Sin Chew editorial published yesterday was worth reading, mainly because it had Rohingya and Vietnamese boat people on its radar.
Regular readers of my blog would, of course, be aware that I’ve been covering Rohingya extensively and I’ve also brought up the topic that Vietnamese boat people were actually ethnic Chinese.
BELOW: Comment by Robert H. Miller, the American ambassador to Malaysia (1977-1980)
Methinks Sin Chew doth protest too much
Sin Chew’s Feb 23 editorial is headlined ‘We’re not pendatang!’ The ‘we’ pronoun refers to Chinese in Malaysia.
But why the need to protest ‘Cina bukan pendatang’ at this juncture?
Sin Chew is taking the stance that “The Chinese people are always citizens of this country” and “are just as Malaysian as everyone else” and moreover “very very few would ever think of ‘going back to China’ save to visit their relatives there”.
It’s clear that the Sin Chew editors have on their mind the “pi balik Tongsan” taunt, and terkilan dan terkesan rasanya.
Flashback to January 2021
Last month, police raided a Mao Zedong-themed restaurant in Penang — see Utusan news report above.
Sin Chew‘s own regular Malay columnist sees no problem with the Mao wallpaper and communist motifs.
Other Malays – as reflected in their public comments (screengrabbed below) aired in Malay-language forums – feel differently.
They believe that the restaurant’s communist-inspired decor was inappropriate.
Some Malay commenters said on Facebook that those Malaysian Chinese who defended the restaurant should return to their Motherland jika masih begitu teruja dengan fahaman komunisme.
Bangla from Bangladesh are Bengali
This “Chinese go back lah” goading is a sensitive issue with Sin Chew.
In its editorial, Sin Chew recounted that some years ago (2015?) when the paper’s reporters were on the ground at street protests, they were yelled at as Cina babi and were told to balik Tongsan.
(Note: Dongshan is the place of origin of Lim Kit Siang’s father.)
Sin Chew lamented that “for the many law-abiding Chinese Malaysians who have worked so hard to make a living here, such abusive remarks are extremely disheartening”.
When Sin Chew affirms that Chinese Malaysians are law abiding, and many do indeed work very hard and only want to make a living, it nonetheless shows at the same time that Sin Chew is incapable of understanding outside its ethnic bubble.
In the process of making a good living, the Chinese here are not free from blame — though you will not detect this shortcoming from reading the Sin Chew editorial.
Take the Chinese towkays who have imported hordes of Bengali (‘Bangla’) to work in their factories.
And now Malaysia has got an unmanageable number of both documented and illegal foreign workers. Last year, a quarter of our Covid cases were foreigners — refer graph below, details HERE.
Bringing Bangla here now is like British bringing Rohingya to Burma
Sin Chew’s proclamation about the Chinese ‘Work Hard-Make A Living’ outlook is something self satisfied and smug.
To the Chinese, their business ethos is nothing but praiseworthy. And blameless.
What about the cost to the country though?!
How different is the act of Chinese towkays bringing Bengalis to Malaysia today compared to the act of the British bringing Bengalis to Burma in the past?
Importing cheap foreign labour into Malaysia to profit business owners presently is akin to a form of neo colonialism.
This imported labour must needs transform the demography of the host country population. Such a diversity highly is problematic.
The Burmese ethnic majority still blame the British for the presence of ‘Rohingya’ in their land.
Myanmar’s citizenship law which sets eligibility on a baseline year of 1823 (the British first invaded Burma in 1824) is deliberately targeted at undoing the colonial legacy.
Sin Chew ini memang tak tau ke atau hanya buat tak tahu?
The Sin Chew editorial further asked:
“Why on earth has a nation that has all this while enjoyed harmonious coexistence among its diverse communities suddenly labeled the Chinese here as ‘pendatang’?”
Is Sin Chew really so clueless as to ask the disingenuous question above.
There is nothing at all sudden about the backlash.
If Chinese are again called ‘pendatang’ in 2021, it merely means that the group doing the name-calling reject the ‘diversity’ mantra being sold to them.
Helen Ang 
Here is a real life story of myself, a Constitutionalist, never a Communalist 1954-2021. I am 101 years old. So I am not boasting but I am if 21 years old. My father came to Malaya at the age of 16. He washed dishes in Towkay Loke Yew’s kitchen. By 1909, he could establish the Confucian Secondary School, Kuala Lumpur. By 1913, he founded the Kwong Yik Bank now RHB with his former boss, Towkay Loke Yew and 4 others. In 1919, he was invited to be a co-founder of the Bank of East Asia Hong Kong by Sir Chau Sau-son and in 1931, Lee Wah Bank Singapore by Eu Tong Sen. His reputation of hard-work and integrity had spread far and wide in those slow moving days. In 1935, he was given a large piece of jungle land in North Johor to open up by the famous Sultan Ibrahim of Johor who was his friend. In 1921, he was the first Chinese to be given the JP or Justice of the Peace by DYMM Sultan Selangor for pacifying an ugly miners strike in Selangor. In 1957, I donated his mansion with 13 acres to the Federal Government as the First Istana Negara.1957-2013. In 1973, I lent RM 1 Million to UMNO Youth and 3 other Malays at a moment’s notice to put as deposit with Bank Negara Malaysia for a Discount House Licence. Each share is now worth RM 350 Million or more. In 1972, I conceptualised the taking over of Sime Darby PLC by the Malays to fast trek them into big business which was supported by the Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak and his confidant YBM Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah so that existing and future Chinese businesses were not interfered with. This was achieved by 1975. For my efforts, a MCA Leader called me ” A Malay Bum Sicker”. With this excuse to cheat his own Chinese, he could remit by 1985, S$ 100 Million from Singapore to his girl friend’s bank account in Hong Kong via my friend ! In 1990, I lent 9 Million Renong Berhad shares to UMNO Baru to redeem the asset of old UMNO from the Official Assignee. In 2008, I donated the best Malaysiana collection of 2,000 books to UTAR. And many many more donations to benefit all Malaysians in all walks of Life. Some are in the Museums of Bank Negara Malaysia and Maybank or the National Art Gallery Malaysia.
How do I feel being called a ‘pendatang’.? Nothing ! Most of these fellows only arrived recently from Indonesia. As for Sin Chew Jit Poh, it must sell to its readers to make money but since our beloved Malaysia will fulfil her role as one of the 4 most important small countries of the World being the UK, Japan, Switzerland and Malaysia, it pays for Sin Chew to express a more realistic view as Malaysia should adopt a neutral foreign Policy stance like Switzerland. However, all Malaysian Chinese should be beyond reproach like Caesar’s wife at all times. Lastly, when the Government’s Leadership is pre-occupied coupled with a poor economy, we find find little digits come out to play because traditionally, the Malays look up to a wise and compassionate Leader from centuries past. Hence, the Royal Sultans have always played a pivotal role in the Peace, Harmony and Prosperity of our beloved Malaysia. As history is the finest arbiter of the Truth, both the MCA and the DAP are just wealthy Chinese Communal Middle-men Political Parties. Future Malay based UMNO Governments should appoint talented and capable Chinese Ministers, Advisers, Ombudsmen, GLCs executives from the 6 Million Chinese like our HA here in this Blog. If the British could do it in Malaya and Hong Kong, the Malays can do better !
Addendum to my previous comment.
It took Switzerland 800 years of Confederation to be what it is today, a nation of 4 tribes being German, French, Italian and Romansch. Even today, they still make snide remarks about each other behind their backs. Malaysia achieved Merdeka only in 1957 from colonialism with compartmentalisation. Hence, each community still keeps to itself. To make matters worse, the MCA and the DAP failed to provide the requisite political leadership for the Chinese who are well-known to work hard for a normal living. These 2 parties are now wealthy beyond their dreams. Only yesterday, the veteran oracle still expressed his belief in “Malaysia for Malaysians”. As a lawyer he should know better about the revered CONSTITUTION which serves the majority. No reforms are possible without the support of the majority. To continue to harp on this Lee Kuan Yew inspired slogan is to do great disservice to the Chinese Community by MISLEADING THEM SINCE 1966. Not only that, this slogan creates conflict and division without a BASIS unnecessarily! Giving the Chinese Community false hopes expectations and emotions.
very informative n instructive, however is that wise to educate our children we need another 800 years to become a malaysian? or tell our children them since the black n womam take many years to struggle for equal rights, that is perfectly okay to continue our racism policy?
the problem is no matter how helen want to put it, no malay perceive baba nyonya is at any diff with chinese like me. its not abt when one come to the peninsula, whether 500 years or 50 years back, its all abt race. i read the history of malaya sasterawan, almost all grown up and hv their education in indonesia, which is truly the center of malay culture, n they are not pendatang simply bec they are not chinese or indian, regardless if most of them was here not earlier than many chinese, including the baba n nyonya.
i try to appreciate yours n helan line of though, but i totally reject it, reason being that the right n wrong is too obvious to ignore. i find it unbelievable we have such notion of a malay muslim govt, wtf happen to msian?
(1) I do not believe Baba Nyonyo to be a viable living community. Like I said the numbers are miniscule and dying out.
No doubt the cuisine is good but other than that, their furniture is antique relics and how many Chinese women today daily wear sanggul and kebaya pendek to be able to call themselves Nyonya?
You’re right that the grandchild of a Nyonya is no different from any other Chinese kid in SRJK (C).
I’m only using the Baba Nyonya analogy to show how the Bengali are falsifying their history in Arakan as Rohingya.
(2) I agree with you about Indonesia. BM should become more like bahasa Indonesia. M’sia is like Austria (small country). Indonesia is like Germany (big countty).
The Austrians speak bahasa Jerman. They do not speak bahasa Ostria.
(3) How long does or will it take? Harapan ex-chairman our Beloved Tun declared that the Rohingya have been in Burma longer than Chinese have been in Malaya.
1 agree, baba nyonya main function is merely to attract tourist.
2 our malay culture is rojak, the main ingredient is western n arab, the malayness is decoration.
3 the chinese is easily assimilate to any society, the muslim is not. no right or wrong, just stating fact.
Is that MCA ex-leader who was one of the founders of PKR together with Anwar Ibrahim?
Many bloggers ( hiding behind alphabets ) use the services of blogs to vent their emotions, frustrations, hatred, anger etc. My policy has always to present the facts experienced by me through the years as a trained scientist, no more, no less. Here are a few more real Life examples to support what I have presented to give a balance picture of Life concerning the Chinese around the World.
1. My friend, a Cambridge engineering graduate worked for a Life-time in Australia’s biggest telco. When he was due to be the CEO, he was kicked upstairs to be an adviser. He was furious.
2. My school mate became the best in lab technology in the World via Queen Charlotte’s Hospital London. But he was only wanted by his friend, a Jewish professor in the University of Toronto to set-up his experiments.
3. After 13 May 1969, I visited Australia which immigration gave me a hard time even I told them I was highly qualified. In Vancouver, Canada, I could get a permanent residence in one week. But I found Canada was a socialist country. I lived in Singapore for awhile. I found the Government was all pervasive. In 1972, I sold all and left for KL. As for the UK, I rushed back to KL after the last paper in the Finals. USA was too big for me.
4. I found ALL MCA leaders including one who was reputed to be honest, were either billionaires or millionaires on retirement in the 20th Century. One had 2 monopolies, gas tank and a bank, 4 known pieces of top lands from the Government, a Sabah gas utility construction contract, a special condo density permit, blocks of flats in Singapore, continued his family business from his bedroom. Yet he was not the richest ! Down to a MCA Selangor Executive Councillor who had his name painted in large white lettering on his brief case which could house at least RM 1 Million cash and was in the same 1st Class SIA cabin with me to Singapore. Later, as MCA was falling, he tried to join the DAP and was spurned.
5. The history of the DAP is well-documented in the Courts and Dewan Rakyat. In August 2020, Dato Seri Azmin Ali said in the Dewan Rakyat that in August 2018, the PH Government with the DAP, approved the the Lee Kuan Yew inspired CPIPP/TPPA – the Malaysia/Malays/SMEs Killer ahead of all the Reforms promised in the PH Manifesto. The good Prof Jomo was alleged to call the CPTPP a fraud without the United States market. Finally, the alleged Trojan Horse appeared in the flesh in August 2018 !
6. Babas and nonyas ? This tribe was dying out when the Singapore Government decided to promote the fine arts in 1992. In 1993, I sponsored the first and only Exhibition of Straits Chinese Gold Jewellery at the Singapore National Museum which was attended by the Permaisuri Agong of Malaysia, Lee Kuan Yew, the Singapore Parliamentarians, the Pyramid Club and 280,000 visitors. A coffee table tome was published. Not only that, I brought in Christie’s and Spinks of London to Singapore, to mount auctions of all Straits Chinese artworks, jewellery, South East Asian paintings, stamps, coins, banknotes etc to order to put an international cachet and recognition on their values which was important. These moves sparked off the revival of Straits Chinese culture and cuisine to this day and influenced the art auctions in KL since that day.
7. Even in Switzerland, the majority tribe, the Germans dominate the proceedings. I always cited Switzerland because this is the country our beloved Malaysia and her Rakyat should strive to emulate on their general system and Japan on their human behavioural system. We must have examples to follow for easier achievements because Malaysia has to fulfil her role as one of the 4 most important small countries of the World being the UK, Japan, Switzerland and Malaysia. Unfortunately on our Way there 2004-2018, Malaysia was way-laid by the Central European Yiddish song “Cash is King” which stripped her of all her virtues which can only be regained with the right kind of Leadership !
Without true facts and information, we are blind and have no vision for the future whatsoever. I always present the facts not lies given the opportunity to do so in this Blog.
unker, u shd write more here telling us yr life n experience, i dun know y some authority love to ban books or writes, we shall treasure view from all perspective whether agree or not.
btw wrt mca, curious if u know anything abt tan koon swan, is he a victim of politicking, or a defaulter? during the crisis, he is not the only one with cbt, being a corporate leader, u shd know well what he did is quite a norm at that time.
r u serious u r now 101?
the switzerland model is quite similar to the singapore model, no malay would want to emulate singapore unless the non demographic drop to less than 20%, or chinese is a minuscule 5%, base on the current birth rate, perhaps we dont have to wait 800 years.
1. On individuals, I have no comment as the subject is off topic. I am only interested in the broad strokes of the painting on the canvas. The Mickey Mouse politics like dotting the I’s or crossing the T’s is not my cup of tea. – Broad strokes like the ‘small town boys’ took over the MCA of the towkays in 1974 and launched full blast into money politics which ended up with Tun Ghaffar Baba as MCA President. What a joke ? Remember ?
2. Singapore is the World’s worst example to emulate ! Why no one ever asked from where did Singapore get their money ? Why when Singapore was a sleepy port, its GDP was a fizzy 7% whilst as a full blown 1st World country, she could not breach 3% from 2002-2019 ? Why Lee Kuan Yew was not awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace for all the emerging countries to emulate ? Why Singapore now has only 900,000 Chinese males aged 21-50 ? Vide. Singapore Government White Paper on Population 2011. Why Singapore had to fork out S$ 93 Billion to cover her Budget deficit in 2020 if she was that good in her economy ?
When Lee Kuan Yew first came to Power in 1959, he wanted Ang Mo Kio to be like Graubunden or Jurong to be like Luzern. He dropped the idea when he found that Singapore could just fit into Lake Geneva , Switzerland !
Lee Kuan Yew entered Cambridge University by the back door of the lowest ranked non-college out of 30 colleges. He was over-aged at 23 and did not take the requisite Open Entrance Examination or did he have Latin or Greek which was compulsory. There are Malaysians who have done far better than him ! He attempted to leave his Legacy of Temasek, FTs, 2 casinos and the TPPA/CPTPP (the Malaysia Killer) to his inheritors, all failed by 2020 ! All facts. No fiction.
Here are the facts pertaining to how Singapore attained its riches even though it is a tiny desert isle with no water or natural resources. The story began after World War II ended on 15 August 1945.
In 1948, there was a Colonels’ Revolt in Indonesia. My friend who had a small shop along Beach Road, Singapore, had the Remington franchise. By 1952, he had made enough to purchase a 12,000 acre ex-Japanese rubber estate from the Custodian of Enemy Properties.
In 1959, Lee Kuan Yew assumed Power.
In 1962, the Tunku despatched my cousin, the highest ranking Chinese official who was the top expert on Counter-insurgency against the Communist, Tan Sri Dr C.C. Too to meet Lee Kuan Yew. He was in a closed door huddle with Lee Kuan Yew and Special Branch Commissioner Bogaars for 2 solid days to impress Lee Kuan Yew the rising communist threat in Singapore on the instructions of the Tunku. Years later, C.C. Too told me that Lee Kuan Yew was confused and did not know what to do.
In 1962, Lee Kuan Yew made a big fuss that the CIA tried to bribe him.
In 1962, Operation Coldstore took place before Singapore’s GE.
In 1963, Singapore joined Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia.
Between 1964 to 1965, there were many heated debates between members of the Malaysian Government and Lee Kuan Yew and his cohorts in the Dewan Rakyat. I was there. This was when the refrain, ‘Malaysia for Malaysians’ coined by Lee Kuan Yew first appeared. Being a lawyer, he would have known then that the Constitution could not be amended without the support of the majority.
In 1964, the PAP rallies in KL were heated and well-attended. The one in Sulaiman Court, now Sogo, I was there.
In August 1965, Singapore left Malaysia after the very contentious debates in the Dewan Rakyat.
In August 1965, according to ‘www.citizenonline.com’ in the secret British Albatross file to Whitehall, Lee Kuan Yew admonished the journalists not to photograph him smiling but crying. In his book, the Tunku commented that Lee Kuan Yew was quite happy when they said farewell.
Would highly intelligent and educated Lee Kuan Yew left Malaysia without an iron-cast guarantee from a super-power ? It must be remembered that the 1962 Water Agreement was registered with the UN so meticulous was Lee Kuan Yew !
The early 1960s, the US and the West was locked in a deadly battle of attrition with the Communist World especially after the Russians launched the Sputnik 1 in 1957 which I remember clearly. I was in London.
Did Lee Kuan Yew engage in an amour a’ trois with the US and the UK leaving the Tunku out ? I remember in those early 1960 days, the Australian High Commissioner was always hanging around the Tunku and his golfing party. Not only that, did Whitehall suggest to the Tunku to let Singapore leave Malaysia ?
Most importantly, did Lee Kuan Yew had a Plan B to leave Malaysia after the guise of joining it ?
History is the finest arbiter of the Truth as the facts unfold !
From 1965-1989, Singapore’s GDP began to increase. This happened even before 1965. The gullible and naive Malaysians swallowed the Singapore story that her wealth came from smuggling cigarettes and liquor to 2 non-alcoholic Muslim countries, Indonesia and Malaysia. In 2008, Singapore on Wall Street lost US$ 108 Billions. To lose so much, Singapore must have invested US$ 350 Billions ! On this score, how many cigarettes and liquor factories Singapore had to smuggle into Indonesia and Malaysia ?
From where did Singapore’s riches come from to push her effortlessly to a !st World status ?
In 1977, I met the owner of Diaward Industries, Jurong., a manufacturer of military software. He told me that his Ltbyan agent could retire to Monte Carlo after 5 years. Also, he told me his busy was always good because people fight all the time.
Fast trek to 1989. The Cold War (1948-1989) suddenly ended. Uncle Sam came out with his hegemonic spiel, ” Globalisation. Free Trade. Human Rights”. which he now regrets ! Overnight, the BRICS, Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa grabbed Singapore’s monopolistic lucrative trades because they were the principals and not a middle-man like Singapore blessed by Uncle Sam. By 1992, Lee Kuan Yew had to despatch Goh Chok Tong to recruit FTs to fill up the yawning GDP void according to standard economics conventions ! From this p oint onwards, Singapore was on the slippery slope of no return as events unfolded till 2021 ! But on the surface, Singapore marched on to be a 1st World country. SINGAPORE HAD LOST ITS MAIN LUCRATIVE SOURCE OF REVENUE, 1948-1989 TO THE BRICS !
The clear headed readers can work out what trades Uncle Sam blessed Singapore with during the Cold War (1948-1989) !
LEE KUAN YEW’S CARDINAL MISTAKE WAS NOT TO INVEST IN 4,000 TONS OF GOLD AT US$ 300 PER OUNCE BETWEEN 1970-2000 ! If he did, Singapore would not be like a knight in rusty armour but King of the Hill with Malaysia in his little back pocket whilst rubbing shoulders with the fawning Super powers !
But Man proposes. God disposes. It does not pay to be boastful or like Icarus reaching for the Sun. Singapore is now stripped of all pretences in the eyes of the world. I present facts only, not fiction.
Quote Balzac. “Behind every great fortune. A great crime.” What crime did Singapore commit ?