DUBAI, UAE
Well, it was a hot week in Dubai and even hotter onboard the vessel I had to inspect in the Dry-dock. But I'll have to say, Dubai is impressive.
The architecture is breathtaking to say the least. Magnificient hotels, towers and malls. (As you can see from the Burj Al arab and the Burj Dubai above.)
But who actually does all the work in dubai?? Who operates all these amazing spots and maintains them??
It's these guys.....
A couple of million of these indian workers.
These guys in Dubai will forever remain foreign workers (no matter how many generations live there) as the UAE does not grant any PR or citizenship.
Their passports are held by their employers and they live in cramped hostels located away from the city limits.
They toil in the heat and sand to keep Dubai looking amazing for the tourist and the 40,000 arab residents. (YES, that's right! only 40,000 locals in Dubai.)
It made me think of how my grandad and the likes must have worked in Malaysia a long time ago.
So how did a very different scene play out in Malaysia? My grandad was made a Malaysian and that made me one too.
After independence in 1957, the Malaysian goverment could have easily replicated the UAE system here too, right?
I'm afraid to think where and who I'll be today if that happened.
It just a thought when I see the way we seem to constantly complain about our "dire" situation here in Malaysia.
Fighting for indian rights and all sorts of other stuff when so many people all over the world are fighting for only one thing......survival.
The grass is always greener on the other side but do look at the hot dry grass on some other sides too!!!
5 comments:
Good point. But brudder man, there will always be someone worse/better off than you somewhere in the world.
Fer far too long, too many people have used the "we have it good here" excuse that has led us to this scenario in Malaysia - crime among Indians No1, poverty among Indians No1, illiteracy among Indians No1 etc.
Make no mistake, yes, I am PROUD to be Malaysian. We "complain" because we want to make this a better country fer all (yes, including future generations of half IRA/half Tamil Tiger super terrorists he he).
To take things lying down & be content is when we get wanker Ministers who can pocket several BILLION RINGGIT fer a govt project & we have to pick up the slack.
To say nothing is to allow our public health & education system go to shite. (like it has now)
The list is fooking endless dude. And just to make another salient point, how many Indians from yer grandparents era were denied ICs while the Indonesians have been given theirs just to bolster 'Bumi' numbers? (eg see khir fooking toyo).
I see the point you are making. But pls don't encourage that sort of apathy anymore la. After the wake up call of the last GE, the last thing we need is to slip back into hibernation . . .
No.1 poverty, crime and illiteracy but that was what Samy and gang wanted to maintain, right??
It's the big indians who screwed the little indians, the way I see it. MIC agenda,
More temple....for what????
More Tamil schools....for what???
how the fook does that help???
So indians can donate $$$ for pujjas????
So they can sing Tamil songs???
I agree that we don't need to look at worse/better off countries but lets not keep harping on the Bumis la...our own Makkals were also shite!!
Pakatan Rakyat...I'm for it!!! Let's see how they run with the show...
but what I wanted to know was why didn't Malaya adopt a similar UAE structure in 1957 where all of us will remain foreigners? Was it because they couldn't? sorry la..me didn't do history for SPM la...hehehe!!
Oh yes, no doubt our own kind have screwed us over many times. That's MIC (& Indians) fer you.
Make no mistake, me is not blaming the Malays fer our troubles. Far from it but do note that the complains arise when some chauvinist bigot starts waving keris. Ok? Or when Indian teachers are denied opportunities to teach students of all races etc etc.
And Dear Mr Nanda, why they didn't they adopt the same UAE-type policy in 57? Bro, even the Bumis realised then that the Indians & Chinese were needed to boost the economy. Could they have done it by themselves?
Plus they didn't have oil money to ensure a steady stream of foreigners willing to work in shite conditions.
Comprende?
And since what this nation is today is very much down to OUR industry & hard work, we will NOT tolerate being treated like second class citizens mate, even if the UAE does.
Got it?
Thanks for the history lesson bro!!
Another question from the history books.....Did the indians/chinese in Malaya in 1957 consider themselves indian/chinese or malaysian?
My grandpa was still talking bout Ghandhi and the home country. (And he had a blue IC and was a goverment servant!!!!)
Point is that for me, it's technically 2 generations of Malaysians not three. So how many are 1st generation???? Or still consider themselves immigrants???
Canna blame yer grandad or fer anyone else fer that matter dude. Those ties are very strong it ain't easy to break. Yer grandad probably just saw his civil service job as just that . . . a job.
You should understand what. You've travelled the world & seen many wondrous places (pubs?) but still hanker fer Klang. Why? Coz its home. So yer grandad felt the same about India la.
Even 3rd generation Malays in South Africa who have never been here talk about "balik kampung".
But if we are to truly build a bangsa Malaysia, we will have to keep on complaining, grousing, grumbling etc.
However, must say you did bring up some truly salient points in yer posting especially with regards to Indians willing to work under shitty conditions in the UAE.
Keep on Blogging! And keep on Grumbling!!!
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