Spare a thought for migrant workers, they’re human, too
Over the past few days, several friends posted pictures, videos, and links by uncaring Malaysians, who condemned the sea of migrant workers who flocked to Suria KLCC and other famous tourist destinations during last week’s Chinese New Year holiday.
My friends were appalled by the comments, and there is no point in repeating what these Malaysians had said, as it was hateful and spiteful.
The comments made a mockery of finance website Insider Monkey’s survey, which ranked Malaysia second in the list of Asia’s top five friendliest countries.
I was at KLCC on Feb 11 and saw thousands of foreigners, most of whom were busy taking photographs of themselves with the iconic Petronas Twin Towers in the background.
Even inside the mall, the foreigners had their mobile phones out and snapped photographs while posing outside branded stores. Not surprisingly, many Malaysians also did the same.
However, when the family and I were in the Kinokuniya bookstore, I counted at least five people – locals – who were happily taking photographs of the inside pages of recipe books and some magazines.
No one makes noise about that, but all they want to do is comment about the migrant workers “flooding tourist destinations”.
For the record, I, too, took photographs, but of book covers, as I wanted to share what I found with some of my football friends, and to let them know that the books were still on sale.
As for the migrant workers, do spare a thought for them, most of whom probably work harder than most Malaysians for a pittance.
The long Chinese New Year holiday was probably the only time they could visit our beloved capital city. It would be unfortunate if they were stuck in their dormitories or apartments during the holidays. They are human, after all.
As a friend commented: “I wonder what these Malaysians who are critical of these workers would say if the foreigners were blonde, light-skinned, and had blue eyes.
“Would they tell them to go home? I doubt it.”
Sad, but true.
‘ISRAELED’ ADDED TO URBAN DICTIONARY
A new word was added to the Urban Dictionary, reports The Daily Star.
‘Israeled’ is defined as “the act of taking something that is not yours and then kicking out the rightful owner.”
For the record, the Urban Dictionary is a platform where users create and vote on definitions, with oversight from volunteer editors.
Even though the terms listed in this online dictionary do not appear in more reputable dictionaries like Oxford or Merriam-Webster, it shows how the internet views a word collectively.
ALLIANZ MALAYSIA, WOMEN’S AID ORGANISATION, CELEBRATE STITCHING FORWARD GRADUATES
Allianz Malaysia Bhd Group (Allianz Malaysia), via its corporate social responsibility arm Allianz4Good, recently celebrated the graduates of the Stitching Forward programme at a mall in Kuala Lumpur.
The Stitching Forward programme is a partnership between Allianz Malaysia and the Women’s Aid Organisation, an organisation that provides counselling and advocacy to women who have experienced domestic violence.
The graduates had spent the last year rebuilding their lives through vocational training, including sewing and crocheting skills, and business training to encourage them to start their businesses. In total, 50 women have benefited from the programme.
THANKS FOR THE WISHES, TNB
On Feb 15, several friends and I received an unusual email from Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) ... wishing us a Happy Chinese New Year.
While it was a nice touch, strangely, the email read: ‘Chinese New Year is just around the corner’, even though the Year of the Dragon began on Feb 10.
It is the thought that counts.
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