To each his or her own write
“We used to be decades ahead of you guys and now look at us. So much have gone wrong. Nothing is moving. Nothing is right. The administration has let our people down, and now KL has overtaken Manila. It’s so sad I can cry.”
Those were the words to me by the wife of the Chairman of our MNC’s Philippines office years ago. At the time I was one of her guests at her home having a conversation over drinks before dinner.
I remember vividly that the tears that had welled up in her eyes then conveyed much more to me than her words could have possibly done. This was a citizen who was ‘crying’ for her country and feeling the hopelessness of the situation and wished she could have done anything to bring about positive change.
This was during president Marcos’ time and the fact that a citizen of a neighbour country could recognise the strides of progress my country had made will no doubt trigger a sense of pride flowing quietly inside me. I must admit at the time my heart was also reaching out to her, yet at that very moment I had to turn away to hide my tears lest I shamed my masculinity and disgraced my fellow Malaysians for the public display of sensitivity and weakness.
Whatever may have been said about us, this I believe I can say with all honesty for all Malaysians. We may be sensitive but we are certainly not weak. We are not weak to show our feelings. We are not weak to empathise with another fellow human being. We are not weak to share a person’s success and joy; disappointment and hurt.
We are not weak to write. To right wrongs.
hi ewoon,
i hear you, i hear you. and i am with you on this.
nice to see you in blogosphere! about time.
nuraina
Very well written I must say.
Keith – A fellow Malaysian
bro, where’s your update? or you off early for the chinese new year?
Buddy, CNY will be over in a couple days time….holiday over.New postings coming up????? Zorro waits impatiently with whip and sword!!!!