My blood boils when I read Mr BR's post on What Would Superman Do?. Not because I am angry at him but because I deeply share his sentiment. I still cannot fathom why our people can be so irresponsible, shameless and so selfish. It makes me so sad to think that after 24 years of independence, we are still unable to stand on our own 2 feet and still need the government to do basically everything for us! I call it the Third World Mentality. You know why? In the developed countries, people are so independent. Their self dignity and pride are strong. They don't ask for help easily because they take pride in what they do. Often you see people in wheel-chairs and people who are pysically less fortunate are doing what normal people do and as efficient. We have a lady - an undergraduate students' secretary- in our department who has lost 1 leg. One day, I was looking for a printer cartridge and it was in the last drawer of a file cabinet. Instead of telling me where it was, she went to the cabinet, with her crutches, and bended down to get the cartridge. I was surprise! I quickly went to her and obviously offered my help and you know what she said with her smiling face, "It's OK...Thank you...". Gosh!
Now, look at our people! God has given each one of us a brain, 2 arms and 2 legs, and WHY oh WHY are we acting like some helpless creatures in this world? Where is our self dignity ? Before I read Mr BR's post (I suggest you read it too!) I was discussing with my husband regarding the irresponsibility of our people. Someone we know who has been fortunate enough to get one of the houses in the Rimba Housing, apparently has not been paying the government. Both husband and wife are working with only 1 child to support. Furthermore, they have a rental house somewhere in Brunei which is being rented. I mean WHAT are they thinking?! What is worse, because of their irresponsibility and their selfish act (please see my previous post on this), the person who acts as their guarantor is now being burdened. The last we heard, the poor guarantor had received a few warning letters. AND these sad (good-for-nothing) couple just duh! I believe this is NOT an isolated case because a couple of years back, during a dinner at the Istana, I was fortunate or rather unfortunate to hear the gruesome tales of our people not paying their debt, have mountains of debt and on and on from officers from various government departments.
And we are not only talking about housing payments (which is a major issue) but also on things as mundane as paying the rent for wedding clothes (baju pengantin). Just a few days ago, my sister who is about to have her baby shower (Mandi Berlawat) told me that she was shocked that her i.c was being asked by the shop from which she is renting her baju. Simply because the shop assistant told her that there have been MANY cases where people just don't bother to pay and obviously never return the attires. GOD!
What is WRONG with us, people? I am really-really sad. For a Muslim and a wealthy country and not to mention a caring government, what MORE do we want? Honestly, I have a headache thinking about this..and I think I better stop here before I develop a migraine.
Mr BR was nice (presumably subtle) to title his post as 'What Would Superman Do' because I don't think we need a superman, as it will make matters even worse, what we need and deserve is for someone to give us a hard KICK in the b*tt.
Salaam.
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11 comments:
What else can superman do? I hope superman can help make all senior and important people holding important post and positions do not "doze" off during their deptal meetings, discussions, etc...it's more than a disgrace to see big shots dozing off amongst their staff members and bigger bosses...superman please help! I know they can pay rents, but please, if you wish to repay your lost sleeps, do it at home! This is another kind of illness and irresponsible acts amongs our people! wake up, the "tunas bangsa" are watching you!Damn it, don't sleep in front of us!
While I share your sentiment on the free riders who depend on the govt and ppl a lot, but what about those who want to own a house but can't really afford it? Those who simply can't afford housing, not by choice? I guess it's high time for policymakers in Brunei to formulate a win-win and an inclusive policy for all.
We have been reading your blog with some interest for some time now. There are some good observations obviously but on the other side of the coin, some of your sentiments are "holier than thou". Your perspectives at times are very superficial; hearsay, unsubstantiated by academic findings and does not justify fully the topic of discussion. It's basically based on personal opinions and we stand by our stance that its very one-sided. It's good to be opinionated but it must be based on sound evidence that takes into consideration social, cultural, economic and political dimensions plus other external factors.
At the end of the day, it is vital for policy makers to have empathy. This is because its the people who are the recipients of any government policies. If a policy is made without taking into consideration the citizens' sensibilities, the outcome will surely be disastrous and it will create a divisive society with unmet wants and unpredictable future.
However, we thank you for sharing your views. We agree that some issues need to be discussed albeit in a fair, sound and comprehensive manner in order to avoid us (the discussants) from being lofty and lopsided.
Dear All,
Thank you all for your comments. It's nice to hear people are now thinking.
While my arguments are admittedly mostly based on hearsay and perhaps not substantiated from academic findings (which is not what I usually do in my research) but what academic findings? Where can I find these? Where is the data?
I'm sorry but what I feel is the result of deep frustrations. Year in year out, we hear the same story all over again. Nothing's changed!
It would ALWAYS be good though, to hear the other side of the coin. Economists are after all quite good wth having 'two hands'.
Question (and suggestion): you recently talked about how much you've been able to save. Great example. But would you be a sport and be a model for us all to hand down your in-service facilities back to the government. I'm sure you can handle your education by yourself without the government help. I know you are entitle to 'luxurious education' (in-service at the moment is pretty nifty), but with your background, it'd definitely won't be a prob to you. Brunei Yakin!
Hey, it would help with other people's migraines, too.
Damn right typical Bruneians are spoilt!
I totally agree with what Rogue Economist mentioned in BR's post: "The point is I think it IS time for our people to WORK FOR their lives and understand that NOTHING comes free in this world."
Look at Singapore and what they have achieved! Compared to Brunei which had oil reserves to begin with (for if there wasn't any, I doubt that this country would be this rich), Singapore started with relatively nothing! But through determination and hardwork, the people of Singapore made what the city-state is today.
Like what Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of Singapore mentioned about Brunei (in BR's post: http://bruneiresources.blogspot.com/2008/02/world-will-not-provide-us-forever.html):
"I think the biggest problem of oil-producing states is that their citizens feel that the world will provide for them whatever they do or don't do, and that is a very demotivating problem. It is because Singaporeans know and we keep on reminding them that this is all they have, and if they don't make use of it and train themselves and learn how to play those instruments and work the computers, they are going to go very hungry."
It's the mindset of spoilt Bruneians that's the problem. No one's going to take care of us forever. I'd support anything the government plans to do that would directly or indirectly make the citizens of Brunei realise how truly blessed they have been and how it is already time to really start working for their lives, and stop being dependent on the government.
Really, look at how Bruneians tend to accumulate debts just because of the standard of living they think they deserve, and at the end of the day they realise how foolish they have been and start to find ways (often shameful) to evade or solve their financial problems. They should have learnt to spend less and take good care of their money. Speaking of taking care of money, some parents even spend a lot on buying wasteful things and end up with little to spend on their family or children.
I don't know and I can't think of really good suggestions that would help this problem, but thinking of it always makes me think that maybe things should be a little more expensive in this country of ours(reduce consumers' purchasing power) so that people would start to really think before spending. Like how about reducing the government's subsidy on fuel? But hey, this is most probably immature thinking, as there are so many other factors that have to be taken into account.
Now that we have just celebrated our 24th National Day, where the tema was 'Tunas Bangsa', I strongly believe that youth (or generally us, teenagers) are true assets of the country. Teenagers should begin to really think of Brunei. National pride has to be instilled in themselves. Teenagers should think of education as a really important matter, as something that would guarantee their future and as something that would help them in their role to strive for great achievements for Brunei. However, I can admit that it wouldn't be such an easy task to accomplish.
There has to be changes, drastic changes, in the way people here think.
Oii Anonymous No4. That's a personal attack! If you dont like what u read then get out of here. No one is asking u to change. Show some respect.
Mr XXX
atu saja orang inda terbayar amah ah, beri malu ..... mau kan ber amah.... apa nya orang luar negeri.. orang brunei inda tebayar nya... malu kan raja tani saja. bagus tah tu eh government inda kasih muka lagi... like .. bila lagi kan.. ani lagi sedih kanak kanak di suruh berjual kueh malam malam... masih lagi... they shud be in bed n ready for shcool.... yang sedih kalau parents durang ani druggies...
sigh....
Tricky one this. It's easy to criticise others if the debt-ridden lifestyle they are living is the one that you can afford very easily. For example, can you really attack someone for getting into debt to buy a Mercedes, if you have one? You have also fallen in the materialistic trap, except that you can afford it easily. And what makes you more entitled to own a Mercedes than them? Are you a better person than them? If a Korean car is not good enough for you, why is it good enough for your neighbour? Maybe you work hard and earn your money - but believe me, lots of people who work hard earn very little money. Just ask any amah. Do you think that a lawyer "deserves" a BMW more than an amah, considering the sacrifices an amah has made?
Actually, I agree with your point of view. Sometimes I wish that my fellow Bruneians would wake up and realise that keeping up with the neighbours is a waste of money. But who am I to talk? I am the handbag queen....not in debt, but does that make rampant materialism any better?
yes, splurge yourself with handbags if you can afford it...no one is stopping you; but of course don't get a merc or a bmw if we know that we cant afford it...
It's a given that some Bruneians are spoilt and they think that having free healthcare, free education, free housing, fuel subsidies is a basic right. Are they grateful for this?
Consider this scenario. It's the end of the month. There are more traffic jams than usual and big crowds can be found at banks across the country. Even during office hours. Why the heck are they not working? Why are they allowed to go out and do their banking services? Why can't they do it after office hours? What have they got to lose if they visit banks after work?
This tells a lot about why Brunei is not developing fast, because our human resources, who are the key to achieving progress, can't be bothered whether they are getting gaji buta or not, they just want to live in their own happy world.
It is sad, but there's only so much one can do. If we continue at this rate, i wouldn't be surprised if Brunei lags 50 years behind from developed countries.
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