Post-election dilemma: Should I return to Malaysia?
Photo by Tim Parkinson
By EDMUND TEOH
In a lot of ways, the recent election in Malaysia has affected me on a far greater personal level than I could have ever imagined. Yes, as much as I felt the jubilation alongside my fellow Malaysians that we are finally seeing the silver lining for true democracy from the results, I also felt something else that while giving me reason to be optimistic, also complicates the decisions I have to make in the future.
I left Malaysia to pursue my graduate studies for a large part to find a better future outside of it. After going back to Malaysia last year, a proud holder of a BSc in life sciences from one of the world’s most renowned universities, I was quickly humbled by the fact that in Malaysia that meant very little.
I was part of the cadre of students who had hoped to pursue a career in the biological sciences after knowing about our government’s plans to develop the bio-science industry with the proposal of the Biovalley back in 2003. Much to the chagrin of my peers and I, the initial Biovalley development collapsed in 2005. This was infamously announced to the world no less with such great fanfare in the peer-reviewed science journal Nature that outlined, in detail, the reasons why it had failed so miserably.
Looking at what was available for fresh graduates in the science industry, I would have either had to put up with long hours for a meager salary (which is far below what a fresh degree holder in other sector earns) or resort to doing pharmaceutical sales (which due to the sexist nature of our society tends to favour attractive young women for such careers). Hence, with the job prospects in the industry less than satisfactory, I managed to find work at a local financial institution as a credit processing officer. It wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but I tried to be optimistic and told myself there could be a lot I could learn from doing such work.
Yet, after some time, I realized I didn’t like the job I was doing because my heart was always settled on doing a career in science. I loved being in a lab tinkling with micropipettes and bacteria or mould-covered petri dishes heck of a lot more than I did being stuck in an office looking at people’s financial records and constantly having to apologize to customers on the phone on behalf of my boss’ incompetence.
So at some point I thought, enough is enough. I applied for graduate school and promptly quit my job the day I received news that I got admitted.
First off, I should say I come from a typical middle-class Malaysian family. My father has a respectable job which pays for our comfortable house, family car and all of the bills among other things. It also paid for both me and my brother’s undergraduate education in Canada and Australia respectively. Yet, my parents sacrificed a great deal for us to go overseas.
My dad still has to work past his retirement age in a job that requires him to travel between our home in the Klang Valley to other states in Malaysia, sometimes on a daily basis. My mother on the other hand, has given up the prospect of ever owning many of the smaller things in life that she desires and spends a great deal of time and effort looking out for our family’s welfare at home.
As much as I was happy I could leave again to get my career path back on track, I did feel bad because I knew my father and elder brother (who himself has only just started his own career) would have to bear the burden of helping to pay for it.
My choice in destination and area of study made it somewhat difficult to find scholarships to support my personal venture. I suppose I could have tried to apply for a scholarship from a local university but then it would have required me to be bonded and return to teach, which under the circumstances wasn’t a very desirable prospect. So I went anyway with my family’s blessing, even though they wouldn’t be seeing a return on their “investment” any time soon.
So what happened on March 8 has not only turned the Barisan’s or oppostion’s world upside down, but it has also turned my world upside down. Should I continue my pursuit for a better future overseas, or should I entertain the prospect of one day returning home?
I could probably still live a much more comfortable life as an immigrant in a developed Western country. But then it would be difficult to be with and care for my family who has worked so hard for my sake. The thought of having my parents relocate and adapt to a foreign country at such an elderly age didn’t seem fair either.
As much as I can subscribe to the Western idea of individual rights (which in many instances is just an undeserved sense of entitlement), I still fervently subscribe to our traditional Asian values of filial piety and the importance of the family unit.
On the other hand, how does one start making future plans to return when there is only the beginning of a new hope, as nothing is quite certain just yet about what the future may be. Even if I did intend to come home, I wouldn’t be back immediately after graduation since that wouldn’t be a very logical thing to do.
But being away too long, however, essentially makes it more difficult for me to come back. Factor in the variable that my parents aren’t getting any younger and, my god! What a motherload to think about!
So as much as I hope for a brighter future for Malaysia, I realize that the path we have gone down also brings a sense of uncertainty to many.
Hence, we have to try to work together, as politicians or rakyat, students or the worforce, youths or adults to do our parts to ensure that the ship that has been severely off course is finally righted.
Learning to vote for change was only the first step, now we all have to take a few steps more.
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EDMUND TEOH is a contributor for theCICAK.
Edmund started off studying life sciences, branched out into zoology and finally ended up spending half of the time studying anthropology in his undergraduate years. He likes to keep bacteria and yeasts as pets, which he then bakes off in the oven to eat. He’s currently doing his masters in food safety at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, although as a Malaysian, he still thinks the best food comes from the dirtiest places.
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Comment of the week
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Let me just begin by saying your definitely not the first nor the last person who faces this dilemma. Its a battle between ideals and reality and how willing are and I will be the first to say that both paths have their pros and cons and in the end only you can decide what’s best (gee I’m starting to sound like a guidance councilor here :P)
Many of us have gone to university with a strong sense of idealism that can be quickly crushed once the reality of the real world sets in upon graduation. I too during my college years had that dream of working in some hip engineering research company coming up with designs of the “next big thing” in tech but that quickly fizzled away when the reality of job hunting proves that real world ain’t that sexy after all. The chances of you actually landing that dream job is slim and considering the rather sombre economic mood nowadays its more about paying the bills.
Having said that however if you truly believe that your future lies in R&D then go for it. Who knows maybe the you can contribute towards curing cancer or genetically design plants that grow donuts (mmm donuts…)
I’m just gonna leave you with this quote from Yoda, “Always in motion is the future”
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excuses, excuses.
if u are a star graduate, u wouldn’t have any trouble getting a job easily in whichever country u r in now.(speaking of which, u r in the Netherlands, which meant that it would have been easier since the EU is in the midst of attracting skilled immigrants with their new blue card system) and if the job prospects there is better, then what’s stopping you from accepting a job overseas?
and if u were to say that u are some how ‘in love’ with Malaysia, u wouldn’t had have a second thought of sacrificing and coming back here to serve the country. (that is why u didn’t want to be bonded to a teaching position in a local university, god forbid you’ve had to guide the minds of young malaysians…)
as for family here, there is this thing called the banking system. you can wire money from one country to another. oh, and there is also this thing called airplanes. it enable people to travel from one continent to another in order to visit one another. in fact, why should they even relocate there? u said that your father managed to provide a reasonably comfortable lifestyle for your family here, hence, why bother emigrating?
hence, if u r globally competitive enough, i’m sure you wouldn’t have any trouble getting a job anywhere. no use blaming the government, in the realm of business, only the best get recruited. if anything, the government should stay out of the economy.
thus, take responsibilities for your own decisions. its not that hard.
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I knew it! Biotech/Biovalley in Malaysia is nothing but hot air. And now I’m royally screwed.
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At the end of the day, it’s your life. That’s what matters above all. You have a life to live and it’s upon you to make the choices that can result in the life that you want, not anyone else.
Filial piety etc are great concepts but eventually parents will pass on and then all you will be left with is the life you have built for yourself, so make sure it is one that you are happy and satisfied with.
Sure, what has happened in Malaysia is great, but it’s not like the country has changed overnight. It hasn’t. Likelihood is, in your filed, the opportunities will be better and more challenging overseas and if you are in the position to exploit those opportunities you should. That way you’ll be worth a lot more to Malaysia in the future.
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hi edmund… wanted to say that i, and probably many others overseas, feel the same way as you do.
when the results of the elections came around, my initial thoughts were of malaysia’s scientific and academic future. maybe there is a future for us after all! when i made the decision to go into academia a few months ago, for me, it meant not going back to malaysia. but if our country improves its state, should i go back to serve and help develop things, or just focus on my research and teach wherever i am? it’s still an early stage for me, i havent started my phd yet (still working on my masters thesis) so i have many more years to go. i feel like i will be able to gain more and contribute more by being overseas. funding is better for science for example. the opportunity for collaboration with local unis is there… so let’s see if there will be change in the next few years.
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Just to clarify, the whole point of writing this isn’t to seek advice. It’s more to illustrate how certain things affect some of us everyday Malaysians (in this case it just happens to be me) who have been displaced due to our circumstances.
In no way are these circumstances bad at all however. Quite on the contrary, so I’m very appreciative of the opportunities I’ve been given thus far. But a big part of it is due to what the previous generations have sacrificed for my sake. So in my case in particular, to say I shouldn’t think about that and only about myself is incredibly selfish. More so when it’s absolutely possible to find a balance between personal happiness and responsibility.
I do know a lot of friends who feel the same as I do while others choose to deal with it very differently, which is fine as well. There’s really no right or wrong way to go about it. But I’d like to think that just as long as we know we’re not alone in all of this, that’s more or less good enough already.
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Adam;
I don’t believe in ad hominem attacks usually, but in this case, I can’t help it but say that your ignorance is ASTOUNDING. I would rip all of your fallacious points to shreds, but I am going to assume that with your intellectual capabilities (or lack of thereof), your ignorance will prevail in obstructing proper logical thought.
1.) Scientific professions are different from the ‘realm of business’ (your words, not mine). There is a mix of academia and corporate, depending on which way you want to go, when you apply for a job in the scientific arena. The concepts of ‘the realm of business’ (again your words, not mine) DO NOT apply in this sense.
2.) Edmund being a ’star graduate’ wont necessarily mean he ‘wont have any trouble getting a job easily in whichever country u r in now’ (your words, not mine). Don’t be stupid. I’m gonna simplify this for you. Sure you have a BSc from Harvard. WOOT! Great … no problems in getting a job? WRONG. What about the BSc’s from Yale? Stanford? Princeton? MIT? Columbia? Darthmouth? Cornell? UChicago? UPenn? UCLA? UC Berkley? USC? UC SanDiego? (etc. etc.) Not to mention the other graduating BSc’s from Harvard. That’s right dude. Competition is IMMENSE. Because really, if you know anything about the scientific profession, there aren’t too many positions available in the field of science. (as compared to business, etc. etc.)
3.) To make it worse, positions in the scientific field are not as numerous as that in the business arena. In fact, it’s dwarfed by that of the business field. If you actually cared to read the Nature article, you will know how hard it is to get somewhere in Malaysia if you have scientific aspirations. So really, shut up and read before you comment.
4.) About you commenting what he should do with his family? Words cannot describe how incredibly pompous you are in telling him, no, DICTATING to him what he should do with his family. How can you suggest to someone what to do with his family when you do not even know that person?
5.) He never said he ‘loved’ Malaysia. Read it properly again.
I apologize for the ad hominem attacks. But really, I believe it’s justified because you ARE ignorant and pompous. If you are Malaysian, please don’t blemish my country’s name by plaguing this world with your insipid comments.
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Edmund, I can understand your perspective entirely. Having recently graduated in a BSc from a reputable university in Biotechnology and Genetics, it saddens me to see the sorry state of the development, or none thereof, of the Biotechnology and Science sector in Malaysia. Had anything come out of the push towards the Biotechnology and Life Science sector in Malaysia a few years ago, we wouldn’t have this problem now. In fact Singapore, and Australia is doing much better than Malaysia in that sector now, I would say. Naturally, that would lead to brain drain in Malaysia, considering the huge differences in terms of opportunity and salary in other countries, which would ultimately result in Malaysia being left behind. If anything, we should be moving towards that sector of economy, else we would lose our competitiveness in the global arena. The government should do what a government should do to encourage immense growth in the economy.
I would say a lot of Life Science graduate yearn to go back to Malaysia. The only thing that is stopping them is the lack of opportunities.
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I sorta know what you’re going through, being a science grad myself. The only thing I’d say is that you studied what you wanted because you wanted to be a lab rat, and it’s that passion that should determine your decision. If a lab is your calling, nothing short of being in a lab will do it. Filial piety is always good, but when they pass on, the last thing you want is looking back on a passion you missed out on because you didn’t choose it in the first place (lab work is not like looking at finances - if you don’t get your work experience after a certain age, you can kiss any hope of working in a lab goodbye).
No parent would want their kid to be unhappy, right? =)
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I agree with Kern here Mr Adam. May I also point out a couple of error that you have made…
Your First paragraph - Jobs
a) He said that he chooses science degree not only because he wants to be in this field. He thought he could return to Malaysia to work in the Biovalley but alas, the project failed. He didnt say he has a problem finding jobs oversea but he just wants to find a job in Malaysia. There is nothing stopping him from getting a job there. Maybe he wants to be with his family? Who knows but we should respect his decision that he wants to work in Malaysia and not oversea.
Second paragraph - Love Malaysia
b) I am going to repeat this again, he really WANTS to work in Malaysia and be with his family. He mentioned that job prospect IS better elsewhere but he prefer to work in Malaysia,. He wants to give something back to the country but if he has not got the support then it will be difficult. Furthermore, if he is teaching in Malaysia he will be able to introduce equal opportunities, individual rights and freedom in Malaysia, something that you probably think is evil….
Paragraph 3 - Airplanes, Banking system
c) Yes, the only thing that you are correct in your entire comment is to say that there is such thing as airplanes and banking system. BUT may I remind you that there is also this thing called “time” and “money”. You think it is really convenient for us oversea Malaysians to fly back frequently? We have a job and could not do 9-5 and then fly back to Malaysia everyday. Yes there is this thing called banking system but there is also this thing called “insufficient funds”. You think living oversea especially in UK is cheap?
Furthermore you should not criticise him for emigrating even though his father can provide a reasonable and comfortable living. This shows that he wants to be independant and not rely on his father to feed him. It shows strong will and ambitious but I suppose it is hard for a lot of people to comprehend since a majority of them are all “bottle fed” in Malaysia by having something called “bumi price”.
Paragraph 4 - Global Competitiveness
d) Back to my first point he has NOT got a problem finding a job oversea but in Malaysia is different story. Well to start off with the salary is rubbish and the list is just endless. Yes, in realm of business the best get recruited. BUT he can get the job elsewhere…this point should be drilled in your head by now…
Government should stay out of economy? You must be living in neverland or something and watch too much TV. Governments everywhere has a lot to do with the economy with the actions that they take. They set the base lending rate, international collaboration and their actions are closely linked to the economy. When BN lost a lot of their seats, the value of Ringgit has dropped. Again I would recommend you to read the FT of how govenment should NOT stay out of the economy.
One last point is that it saddens me that the only global competitive thing in Malaysia is to export great brains. I know someone with straight As that are unable to get to university not because someone else is better but because of Quota (ironic you mentioned “best get recruited”). i knew people that were rejected by Malaysia university is being sponsored by countries like UK and Singapore (I got sponsored by UK but rejected in Malaysia).
I would LOVE to work in Malaysia but until the country provide better benefits and practice equal opportunity, that will never happen. And for those of you thinking “if you think Malaysia is rubbish stay out then, we will revoke your citizenship etc etc….” you just dont get it, we DON’T hate Malaysia but all we are asking is an opportunity and get ourself a decent life.
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Consider this fact.
Indonesia and Malaysian based oil palm plantation companies are vying for researchers to advance this field of R and D.
Adding to that, I’m sure there are a lot of open vacancies in Nestle’, Cadbury or even those oil and fats companies all around Malaysia. Heck, even Munchy’s might be looking for people.
But since you’re in Netherlands, look up Unimills, and I’m sure they should have some openings for their oil and fats research.
As such, I can’t help but wonder whether all this talk is about. Let’s face it. You don’t want to come back and work because the pay is less.
No one does, especially if you’re making RM2000 starting off here when you can get about USD$3000 working in Indonesia doing the same thing.
This has nothing to do with politics, it’s financial.
Suze Orman would be proud.
My personal opinion, go and study overseas and work overseas and make a lovely living for yourself. Get permanent resident status, even.
Dude, it’s a globalized world. Patriotism is not shown by you coming back. Though your parents would definitely love to see you from time to time, it’s an even greater gift to them to see you succeed in whatever you choose.
And Adam’s call to wire cash back to them is not totally wrong either, but I’m sure surprise one week visits on CNy, or Christmas, and keeping in touch in as many ways as possible will also do the trick.
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Apart from self-indulgery, I fail to see what the point of this article is, or how it has to do with the elections. In this event the writer seems to portray himself as some sort of a homecoming sophisticate gazing wistfully at his long-lost backwaterland. This is also great as a name dropping avenue for the variates of degrees and the level to which they are pursued.
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Rachel, I’m curious as to what you mean by self-indulgent? Care to elaborate? And kudos on using perfectly straightforward language when being critical of others for being seemingly arrogant and intellectually too far up their own asses.
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hahahahahahahahahahahaha @ comment above
‘variates of degrees’? isn’t ‘variate’ statistical terminology? it’s rather obvious when someone’s trying to sound smart/condescending and it’s not working at all.
Go for it Edmund, do what you want. All these ignorant comments show how little Malaysians understand of research and academia. There is NO hope for research in Malaysia, despite what people say. Psh. It will take a while before we can cultivate a culture of research and creativity that is dearly lacking in our society.
All the best.
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Dear professors of the true art of knowledge, burning beacons of future academia, I thank you for the interest in the deconstruction of my vocabulary. I am humbled at the opulence of your insights. But back to the question, as I believe I owe Edmund, is what is the true objective of writing the article? I hope my ignorance has not offended.
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Wow, such vocabulary! Sometimes I wish I wasn’t the bottom of my class, then maybe I would understand some of the words used in this whole discussion.
Edmund, I understand your frustrations, Malaysia has been truly unfair to a lot of its people. But I guess you love it just as much as I do. And it was great to see that this year’s election has shown that our ‘rakyat’ really weren’t as ’stupid as sheep’ as our government thinks. I wish you luck in whatever you choose to do with your life. It sounds like you have at least half a brain anyways!
Rachel, I guess your right that Edmund did sound kind of self indulgent, but isn’t this a forum where people can contribute opinons and thoughts? I don’t feel that Edmund was preaching and he did mention that he wasn’t looking for advice. I found his article to be significant, as I can relate to his thoughts about family, and oppurtunities or lack thereof in our own country for its own people. And if i had half his qualifications, I would not mind mentioning it every now and then. I guess telling people that your bottom of the class would not be considered self-indulgent would it? Is it self deprecating? I am not trying to belittle you either or interested in “the deconstruction of your vocabulary”, I just thought this was at least a place where ‘we’ the ‘rakyat’ can at least voice out without fear of ‘oppresion’, although maybe that word maybe a tad strong for this discussion, but I don’t know any other word for it. And you have to admit, you did sound a little aloof in your reply…
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Rachel: As I said above in the comments, to put something out there for anyone who may feel the same as I do so people (including myself) won’t feel alone about feeling it? The fact that I tell people where I’ve been or what I’ve done does not make me any better or any worse than anyone. It’s more trying to make it a bit more personal/realistic/maybe something somebody out there could relate to? Anyway, it’s just how things turned out for me. There are people who are far more successful as well as others who may have been more successful if given better opportunities.
From a personal point of view, there is benefit in being humble and being proud of who you are at the same time. What’s difficult is trying to balance that so you manage to draw people’s attention enough while not coming off as a total prick on his/her high horse. Face it, people who are overly humble never try to stand out when they could do so much more if they were in a more prominent position but aren’t because they are too humble. On the other hand, people who do stand out often give less of a damn about others than themselves because they want to stand out. At any rate, much as I appreciate the criticism and am now able to see your point of view about the article coming across as self-indulgent, it would be nice nonetheless if the one providing the criticism wasn’t as much of a prick on his/her high horse as the one writing the article.
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