Terengganu looking in looking out

Terengganu has a uniquely Malay cultural heritage that has now just about to become extinct due to the narrow mindedness of those who has the ability to influence change cultural or otherwise. These are the so called educated religious intellect and the so called Nationalist who dictates the rights and wrongs of society based upon their perception having been exposed to the Arabic universities in the Middle East wher the uncompromising dictates of the Muslim laws has become their tool of expression and authority. One of such cultural event that has been abolished due to its being in contradictory with the Muslim way is the 'Main Pantai', or the annual ‘Beach Party’ that is celebrated by the locals. For seven days the village folks from the nearby villages would gather along the beach pitching up makeshift huts and tents bringing with them all kinds of wares and food to buy and sell entertaining themselves with all kinds of cultural shows and leisure activities to while their time away. It was a major event in their lives after having worked throughout the year with very little form of entertainment to break the monotony of their daily existence.

Along with this event the art of shadow puppet shows has also become a victim of such similar censorship with the excuse that such activities is not in accordance with the Islamic ways. It is a tragedy of the human spirit where creative expression is being culled by to the collective few who has the authority and the ignorance to do so, all in the name of religion. No one can deny that there is no negative effect to such activities, however even soccer events have its negative effects if one were to look for the negativity in life. Today these cultural events are being replaced by a more government controlled through the media events such as ‘Sureheboh’, where the people are entertained by TV personalities and commercials. The big difference being that there is very little personal involvement of the masses other than as mere spectators. As such it is a wonder that today the Malays who once upon a time were rich with cultural heritage has become culturally depleted.

Tourism is a major money maker in Terengganu with her many island paradise and five star resorts located at every scenic location along the coast as well as the interior, it has become lucrative asset. Sadly enough the economic benefit of this industry does not benefit the majority of the population as most of these attractions caters to rich and visitors from out of state. The locals often has to settle for what is affordable to their means and most of the businesses that caters towards the tourist industry are owned and run by the Chinese who has the means to do so. The local folks end up becoming spectators to what is happening in their own backyard simply because it is beyond their means to be involved.

A friend of mine who used to run a five star resort located in Marang which is about 7 miles south of Kuala Terengganu related an incident when he visited Pulau Redang an island off the coast north of Kuala Terengganu. He was sitting and having a conversation with a Chinese owner of one of the resorts on the island when an elderly Malay man came by sweeping the area close to where they were having the chat. The Chinese owner in a harsh tone drove the Malay man to sweep somewhere else as it was bothering them. Latter my friend met up with the old man and struck up a conversation from which he learned that the Malay man was the owner of the piece of land on which the resort was located and that the Chinese had leased it out from him. Such situation has become more and more prevalent these days and more often than not the Malays would end up becoming the servant on his very own property or worse yet he would end up selling it to the Chinese.

The success of the Chinese in the tourism industry is mainly because of their connections to a ready market such as those tourists that comes from Singapore and Taiwan or even China. Like in about all their business enterprises the Chinese can never loose out as they more than often have an iron clad back up policy. The Chinese can run a business at a loss over a period of time but they will never sell out. Once they have gained a foot hold over a piece of property or business site they will never give it up and sooner or late they will turn around their losses into profits as the surrounding areas develop and their location becomes a strategic location. Until this day the Chinese has been operating their business through mutual support in the form of communal or business consortium a practice that has gone back since the day they landed in the country. They had clans and clubs whose purpose was and still is to help provide a sound financial back up for any business venture their fellow members intends to carry out as such they cannot loose in any venture.

Not so the Malays, the Malays are more of an opportunist and they will use and abuse relationships according to their immediate needs without any remorse or far sightedness. The Malays are prone to get rich quick scams more so than the Chinese as they have the tendency to want to see immediate profits in their ventures. The Malays also are less trusting towards one another when it comes to business dealings, most would trust a non-Malay much more than their own. It is a matter of act that the Malays will never surpass their counterparts the Chinese in business and this is mostly due to the lack of experience and exposure but today more and more Malays are waking up from their slumber and taking stock of their eroding assets. Thanks to the never ending support of the government in its commitment to aid the Malays with their economic woes, the Malays are getting a betting chance at facing the ever increasing encroachment of the Chinese business engine.

The government aids alone will not help to better the Malay lot in business more has to be done with making attitude adjustments towards their ethics and sense of business values especially in relationship towards their potential customers and business partners. It is not their honesty per se that is in question but when to and not to be honest is the problem. Loyalty and integrity in business dealings is another aspect of the Malay personality that has to be modified to create a stronger unity in the Malay business community. The Malays are a caring and giving community when it comes to religious dealing such as in times of death or weddings but when it comes to aiding someone in their financial dealings, greed, hate and delusions take a major role. As one of my neighbors once told me, it is in the nature of the Malays that they like to see their neighbors worse off than they are to have a sense of success and well being.

With the exception of the relatively few who have shed their old garb and adopted the
modern more proactive and less dependant attitude the Malays as a whole has a very long road ahead of them to play catch up with the Chinese in taking charge of the economics of their lives. Sadly enough even the successful one ends up living lavishly succumbing to bigger homes and fancy cars, hanging out with the big boys and having more than one wife. Is it all wrong? No, it is not wrong to want and be able to enjoy the fruits of one’s labor on the personal level, but at the community or national level it a waste of human endeavor as the success story is not shared by the many, it does not benefit the whole, not the family, the community nor the whole. The gap between the haves and the have not among the Malays is ever increasing and what is more aggravating is the fact the fact that the Malays like to show off their wealth and success, like building a castle in the middle of a rice field.

The ambition of a Chinese business man is to build a business empire spanning the globe, The ambition of the Malay entrepreneur is to be awarded the status of a Datuk or better yet a Tan Sri, to drive a Mercedes and Insha’Allah to have four wives not necessarily in that order.

It is no intention of mine to cut down the Malays in their business practice or in anyway at all however I write my observations just as an analyst who has stood outside of the fence and looking into what has become and what was of the community I grew up with. I write with the similar concern one has for the future of this community and that of my own family. Whatever is not accurate or wrong is my own personal errors and what is right and worth dwelling upon is Allah’s. A good percentage of what I write comes from remarks and observations made by my fellow Malays, my friends and foes alike. Debate with me what is debatable and correct me where I am wrong at the very least I will know that there are those of you who are awakened out there.

Furthermore I do not write to frown upon the Chinese and their ways of doing things, they have earned their rights just as anyone else and they have earned their success through thick and thin. My respect for the Chinese is no more or less than my respect for the Malays. It is the beauty of this nation that being a multi-racial country we have means to compare and contrast to adopt and adept successful means from one another in our efforts to better our lives and the standard of living for the nation as a whole. This is after all just another rambling of the Cheeseburger Buddha so do not take it too seriously.