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Monday, June 29, 2020

There Is Gold Everywhere in Malaysia

There is gold everywhere, most people are not trained to see it - Robert T. Kiyosaki

When I was in Form 6, one of my former classmates got married to a fishmonger because she was 5 months pregnant. When the other schoolmates learnt about her marriage, many of them could not believe their ears. Among some of the things they said were, "she is such a beautiful girl, why marry a stinking and poor fishmonger? She is only 19. She should come out to work and see the world, who knows, she may find someone better." One my best friends said, "If I were to get married, my husband must be someone who dresses well and works in the office. It's embarrassing to have your friends going to your fish stall and asking you to weigh a kilo of fish for them." Guess what my mom said when I asked her for 'angpow money' for the wedding dinner telling her about my former classmate's situation? Being a very conservative mom, she said, "If you don't study hard, get pregnant and marry a fishmonger like her, I would rather kill you."

I am not trying to say that it's okay to get pregnant and marry young. What I am trying to emphasize here is that fishmongers are not as poor as many of us may think. Although my former classmate's husband is a fishmonger, he can afford to buy one house after another for her throughout the years. When her neighbor told me about it, I thought she was joking and I did not really believe what she said. I only hoped that my former classmate would be happy with her new life and her husband would treat her well. A few years later, I visited my cousin brother and it was then that I began to believe what my former classmate's neighbor said. My cousin brother was only 21 and he had already bought a bungalow and a Mercedes Benz. He does not need good results and he does not have to go to the university. Even university graduates do not earn as much as he does. And what does he do for a living? He is a fishmonger and also a fish wholesale distributor.

Many of us may think that working in the wet market is a very shameful thing. Recently, university graduates who are working at the Selayang wholesale market have been jeered by their friends. When I told a jobless relative who has been living on handouts for years to work there, he said, "So cheap ah!" And instead of getting a job to support himself, he continues to beg from everyone! Do you know that there are many people who are lucky enough to live comfortably by collecting rent because their parents were wise enough to invest in properties at the time when houses were cheap and easily affordable? Why aren't they working? Because they cannot find their dream jobs. Because they are graduates and therefore cannot do lower-skilled jobs. Because they want to dress well and sit in the office. I've got a childhood friend who has never worked anywhere since she graduated in New Zealand because she cannot find the job that she wants. She is lucky because her parents can afford to support her. Time flies and there is the possibility that before these people could find their dream jobs, they would have reached retirement age already! As what Benjamin Franklin said, "Lost time is never found again." Robert T. Kiyosaki is right, "There is gold everywhere, most people are not trained to see it." So, they prefer to live their life in a meaningless way without doing anything at all. It is okay for those with parents who can afford to support them but what about those who come from poor families?

For a long time, the Rohingyas, Bangladeshis, Indonesians, Pakistanis, Syrians, Afghans, Yemenis, and Somalis have known that Malaysia is a land of opportunity and it may also be true to say that they are the ones who are trained to see gold everywhere in Malaysia. The Rohingyas, for instance, are willing to risk unsafe sea journeys to come to Malaysia even though they know that they are not welcomed here. There is no genocide in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, so why do they want to leave Cox's Bazar to come to Malaysia?  There is no more genocide in Myanmar and the State Counsellor of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, is ready to take back the Rohingya refugees. But why are the Rohingyas still so desperate to come to Malaysia that they don't mind waiting for months in Southern Thailand looking out for the opportunity to sneak into Malaysia waters and intentionally damage their boat beyond repair to force Malaysia to take them in? Why are they willing to pay RM15,000 - RM20,000 per head for the human traffickers to smuggle them into Malaysia? Because they know that Malaysia is a lucrative destination for them and they would have better career prospects in this country. The dream of a better life in Malaysia is so real that it inspires and motivates them to risk their lives to get to Malaysia. After two of their boats were turned away, they are now trying to sneak into the country through 'rat lanes' (illegal routes) and Malaysians are worried that they might bring the coronavirus with them. Using all sorts of tricks and ploys to get into Malaysia, the Rohingyas are pursuing their dreams courageously albeit in the wrong way. As what Walt Disney said, "All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." Needless to say, many of those who came to Malaysia earlier have already achieved their dreams.

The success story of the president of MERHROM (Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization Malaysia), Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani, is indeed an inspiration for the Rohingyas and they would love to emulate him. He left Buthidaung, a town in Rakhine State, Myanmar, at the age of 17 and came to Malaysia via Thailand in 1992. According to him, when he first arrived in Malaysia, he had no identification documents and the Malaysian Government helped him to get a UNHCR card. His 28 years in Malaysia has given him better career prospects and a brighter future. He came from nothing but today he has everything. He is now married to a Malaysian and has 3 children. As the owner of a grocery shop near Taman Cheras Utama, business is going very well for him and he is enjoying a comfortable life with his family.  Needless to say, this 'from rags to riches' story is the dream of every Rohingya who paid the human traffickers to smuggle them into Malaysia. Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true (Leon Joseph Suenens).

Zafar Ahmad serving his customers at his grocery shop (Source: Harian Metro).

Why did the Rohingyas ask the Malaysian Government to give them Selayang (a town in Gombak district, Selangor)? To the Rohingyas, the Selayang wholesale market is a dream come true as it can provide great opportunities for the them to improve their career prospects. According to Harian Metro, many of our local traders have sold their stalls to the Bangladeshis and Rohingyas who took over their businesses in the market. Although these traders have sold their stalls to the foreigners, they still  renew their licences using their names every year to deceive the authorities. How much do each of these stalls cost? The price ranges from RM500,000 to RM1 million each. Where do the foreigners get so much money to buy their stalls? They are financially stable because each of them can earn RM300 - RM500 per day working in the market. Individually they may not be able to afford it but by pooling their resources together, they would have no problem starting a business and making big money. They don't mind paying the lump sum because they know that they can get back millions in one year. It is not difficult to make money in the market especially as wholesale distributors. Thus the foreigners can see gold in the market which our locals cannot see! Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize them (Ann Lander). If the traders can make so much money in the wholesale market, what about other businesses?

Many of us would have heard of the success story of Md Billal Hossain Bhuiyan, a Bangladesh national who has become a successful businessman in Malaysia. He first came to Malaysia to study but did not complete his studies because he had no money to pay his tuition fees. He then worked as a delivery boy in the Pudu wet market and later owned his vegetable stall in the market. Through hard work, he was able to save enough money to open his first supermarket outlet. Today, Pasaraya Harian Bhuiyen has 20 outlets in the Klang Valley and Seremban. Md Billal Hossain Bhuiyan, a permanent resident of Malaysia now, also owns a poultry farm. He started with nothing and is now worth millions or perhaps billions of ringgit. This is the dream of every foreigner who made it to Malaysia. What about our Malaysians? Do they have such a dream too? The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams (Eleanor Roosevelt).

The rags-to-riches stories of the foreigners clearly show that one does not have to sit in the office to make big money in life. Since there is a glut of university graduates, paper qualification is worthless unless one is willing to work hard.

In a way, we should salute the foreigners for their resilience, hard work, and determination as it is not easy to build their empire from nothing in a foreign country. This is especially true for the Rohingyas who brave death at sea for a better life in Malaysia. It seems that Malaysia, being their favored destination, is their only hope. That was why, Mohammed Noor, a Rohingya in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh, summed up the Rohingya condition as 'zero hope' when a Rohingya boat was prevented from docking in Malaysia on 16 April 2020. But why is Malaysia their only hope? I'll take that as a compliment because it means that there is hope for everyone in Malaysia. Let us pray that the whole world would work together to solve the Rohingya refugee problems so that they would find hope in other countries as well.

The foreigners who come to Malaysia for a better life would agree that it is the land of opportunity and hope. This clearly explains why businesses run by illegal immigrants are mushrooming. Some of them have been here for a long time and have dominated certain businesses. Others have married local women and are conducting their businesses through their wives. These foreigners don't mind marrying any grandmother who comes along as long as they can stay in Malaysia and start their business. Why? Because they know that there is gold everywhere in Malaysia. Are Malaysians aware of that? If the foreigners could become successful entrepreneurs in Malaysia, surely our own people would be able to do much better! And Malaysians certainly have better chances than foreigners should they wish to find a job or set up a business. The good news is - since the Movement Control Order (MCO), employers are not allowed to hire illegal foreign workers anymore and premises operated by foreigners illegally would be raided and ordered to shut down. With a slowing economy due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the government's first priority is to solve the problem of unemployment among Malaysians. Therefore, the priority to employment is given to the locals and not the illegal immigrants.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) raided and shut down a barber shop run by Indonesians who were doing their business illegally at Jalan Madrasah. (Source: Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia).


DBKL shut down and sealed an illegal mini-mart run by foreigners at Taman Sri Sinar Segambut, Kuala Lumpur (Source: DBKL Facebook).


DBKL closed down car wash run by 3 Myanmar citizens holding UNHCR cards at Kampung Bandar Dalam, Gombak (Source: DBKL Facebook).


Following tips from the public, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has raided and shut down many shops, restaurants, car washes, mini-marts, clothing stores, and roadside stalls operated by illegal foreigners. The shops were raided, closed down and sealed as a warning to those who run their business illegally. Now that illegal immigrants are not allowed to work and more and more illegal premises are  ordered to shut down, let's hope that Malaysians who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak would take this opportunity to rebuild their lives and have satisfying careers in the future. The best way to predict the future is to create it (Abraham Lincoln). The future depends on what you do today (Mahatma Gandhi). Within every crisis lies a golden opportunity (Sonia Ricotti). A year from now you may wish you had started today (Karen Lamb).

You may also like to read Should the illegal entry of the Rohingyas into Malaysia be encouraged? To view the content page of this blog, please click here.


References:
1.  RM500,000 hingga RM1 juta. Itu harga satu tapak niaga di Pasar Borong Kuala Lumpur
2.  Presiden Rohingya MERHROM, Zafar Ahmad siap ada kedai runcit sendiri
3.  A look at (famous for being infamous) Pudu through the eyes of its residents
4.  Over 65 illegally run premises shut down in DBKL ops
5.  Hundreds of Rohingya Refugees Stuck at Sea With ‘Zero Hope’
6.  Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani - A Biography


Thursday, June 18, 2020

IF YOU WANT TO GET RICH QUICK, START A CULT

As I was googling for more news about money-hungry pastors recently, I came across a very interesting article entitled 4.5-Year Jail Term for Mosque Thief Shows That If You Want to Take People's Money, Start a Church.. This article is about the 6 members of Singapore's City Harvest church who were convicted of misappropriating $50 million in church funds. Despite the huge amount of money involved, their sentences were lowered to between 7 months and 3.5 years. On the other hand, the man who stole $1900 from a mosque was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison. Netizens were of the opinion that he should have taken $50 million instead of a meager $1900. The moral of the story is if you want to take money illegally, do it wisely such as starting a religion and asking for donations.

This article reminded me of the juvenile detention center where I conducted my doctoral research. I didn't know why I suddenly started thinking of my 12 boys in the detention center after reading this article. How can I forget them? We got along very well and if not because of them, I would not get my Ph.D. Truly, I have learnt a lot from them. Two of them, aged 13 and 14, were brothers. They were very handsome and cute boys, especially the younger one. Why were they apprehended and sent to the juvenile detention center? Because they attempted to steal RM17 from a donation box in a mosque. The two brothers had no pocket money after their father left them and their mother's meager income was barely sufficient to support them. They were so poor that they had to depend on the handouts given to them by their relatives and neighbors. However, their failure to steal RM17 did not allow them to escape criminal liability and both of them had to spend more than one year in the juvenile detention center. Well, there is a world of difference between RM17 and $50 million and I feel even sadder for these two boys now. Is there any justice in this world?

According to Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (13 March 1911 - 24 January 1986), an American science fiction author, "You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion."  How right he is! One cannot deny the fact that many of those who started their own religion have become filthy rich today. Do you know that a good speaker who knows how to influence his audience can easily attract a large congregation and brainwash them to give away everything they have including their lives? According to Linda (not her real name), a former megachurch member, "the pastor would tell every existing member to bring in at least two new members to the church every weekend. If they fail to bring in new members, they would be scolded and humiliated. To encourage the people to donate as much as they could, the pastor would brainwash them saying that God would reward those who make generous donations to the church a hundred-fold and that they should downgrade their homes and sell their cars to donate more to the church. During the 'offerings' session, envelopes are used to collect donations from the church members. Those who make large donations are applauded whilst those who give little are strongly encouraged to contribute more. If any of the church members were too poor to make an offering, their group leaders would monitor them closely and persuade them to donate whatever they have. On top of the 'offerings', the congregants are required to give 10% of their income/allowance to the church every month. To monitor their tithing, the congregants are given an envelope and a form to fill up their name, contact number, and the amount of money they are giving. Apart from the compulsory offerings and 10% tithing, the congregants are also required to contribute at least $200 for the building fund. In addition to the donations, it is compulsory for them to buy CDs, not only one, but several copies of the exact same album." Linda's description of the megachurch donations therefore clearly explains how one can get rich by starting a religion.

Many years ago, when a friend of mine kept pestering me to go to her church, I didn't understand why she suddenly became so persuasive - even more persuasive than the sales representatives that I have ever met. She seemed to be so desperate that she came to my house to drag me to church and even said that she would introduce a doctor to me at her church. Since I was totally uninterested in her church and the doctor in it, I did not give her invitation second thought. All I wanted to do then was to get rid of her because she was so annoying. It took me so many years to realize that she was actually doing what her pastor wanted her to do - to attract new members and hence more donations. Talking about donations, Linda's story (above) clearly describes how clever her pastor is in the art of getting donations. Although he has to spend some money to buy the offering envelopes, these envelopes not only serve as a donation reminder but also an important tool to make the congregants part with their money out of social pressure. Having a group leader to monitor the donors and to persuade them to donate is another effective way to make the congregants part with their hard-earned money. The people are just too shy not to donate when they are pressured to do so. However, Linda's experiences at the megachurch sounds scary to me. I am thankful that the Catholic Church has never pressured anyone to donate money like that.

Many of us would have read about Jim Warren Jones (13 May 1931 - 18 Nov 1978), an American preacher and cult leader, who led his followers into a mass murder-suicide. Also known as the Jonestown massacre, more than 900 individuals died of cyanide poisoning in this incident. Why did they follow the orders of their cult leader, Jim Jones? Why did Jim Jones have such great influence over his followers? Through mind control and brain washing. This infamous and horrific event clearly shows that if the pastor is able to influence the minds of his followers in his favor, they would commit suicide with him. The moral of the story is if  the pastor can brainwash and control the minds of his congregants, they would do anything for him such as downgrading their homes and selling their cars for cash and donating all the money to their pastor. It is nothing surprising if they stand by him and give him their unwavering support knowing that he has misappropriated religious donations and church funds. Why not? Do you know that in certain churches, pastors are treated like Gods?

Caishen, the Chinese God of Wealth

I have been wondering why those who start a religion always prefer to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. If their ultimate intention is to make as much money as they could out of the congregants for their personal benefits, perhaps they should stop using the name of Jesus and the Gospels to profit. In actual fact, apart from Christianity, there are many religions that they can consider and many other subjects that they can preach. They don't even have to call their place of worship a church. Why not call it a temple or an organization? The names such as Prosperity Temple, God of Wealth Temple, Come And Be Rich Temple, Get Rich Fast Organization, or Money! Money! Money! Organization sound equally good, don't they? Why not call themselves 'Gurus' instead of 'Pastors'? If they know how to brainwash and control the mind of their followers, they can still get lots of donations, perhaps more than what they can get from preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For instance, a guru who starts a cult to make quick money should preach about materialism and ask his followers to worship the God of Wealth. It would be meaningless if he preaches about how much Jesus loves us and that He will always be there for us and then ended up embezzling church funds himself. What actually is he trying to preach then? Is he trying to demonstrate that Jesus will be there for us when we take other people's money?

We all know that begging is a lucrative career in Malaysia and beggars have never been arrested for misappropriating funds. Why? Because the money given to them is intended for them. It does not matter how they spend the money because they have never asked the public to give the money to Jesus. So, if the pastor's intention is to keep the donations for himself, why not start a cult and preach about his own ideologies instead of preaching about Jesus and the Gospels? If he could brainwash his congregants, turn them into faithful followers and make them worship him, making it clear that the donations are for his ideologies, then there is no embezzlement. If his followers don't mind giving him money and willingly support his ideologies, then he is free to use the donations to buy condominiums, luxury cars, and invest in a music company if these are his ideologies. There is no need for him to abuse the name of Jesus to build his empire and tarnish Jesus's image with his bad fruit and scandals.

Covid-19 Emergency Support Report
Photo Source: SFXC Facebook

My dear readers, you may have read Controversial Louisiana megachurch pastor who has repeatedly flouted social distancing by holding in-person services now wants Americans to donate their stimulus checks to evangelists. This pastor has endangered the health of his congregants when he defied stay-at-home orders and repeatedly held large religious services. He also asked the poor to donate their $1200 stimulus checks to his megachurch. Should the pastor ask the poor to donate their stimulus checks when they need money to spend on basics such as groceries and rent? Instead of asking the congregants to donate their stimulus checks (Bantuan Prihatin Nasional) to the churches, the Catholic Churches in Malaysia continued to help the poor, aged, handicapped, and those with medical issues even during the Movement Control Order. Due to restrictions in movements for NGOs, funds were credited into the beneficiaries' bank accounts to help them survive the tough times. How did the Catholic churches do that? Our priests do not invest in condominiums or music companies. They don't live lavish lifestyles. They don't need private jets and luxury cars. They don't have to buy Lamborghinis for their wives. Most of all, they are living the life of Christ (You may also like to read Beware of Greedy, Selfish and Money-Hungry Pastors FATHER OC LIM: AN IMAGE OF CHRIST THE PRIEST). To view the content page of this blog, please click here.


References:
1. 9 Reasons Why City Harvest Church Was the Devil To Me
2. My unpleasant experience at City Harvest Church after being brought there by a female friend
3. 4.5-Year Jail Term For Mosque Thief Shows That If You Want To Take People’s Money, Start A Church
4.  Kong Hee lives in Sentosa Cove but asked donors to give and downgrade homes
5.  Pastor John Gray Defends Buying $200K Lamborghini for Wife
6.  Controversial Louisiana megachurch pastor who has repeatedly flouted social distancing by holding in-person services now wants Americans to donate their stimulus checks to evangelists



Sunday, June 7, 2020

FATHER OC LIM: AN IMAGE OF CHRIST THE PRIEST

The heart of a priest is made for love.
He does so in the manner and
following the example of Christ the
Bridegroom, of Christ who gave
Himself entirely to humanity in love
- Bishop Nicolas Brouwet


The photo above is taken from the Catholic Asian News dated June 1992 which I have kept for 28 years. This issue of the CA News is very precious to me because it tells the story of Father O.C. Lim's beautiful ordination in great detail. That was a beautiful beginning of his journey as a Jesuit priest. Everyone was very happy that day. But 28 years later...

Reverend Father Anthony Lim Ooi Chai (26 Aug 1943 - 5 June 2020), better known as Father O.C. Lim, passed away at Pantai Medical Centre on 5th June 2020. He was admitted to the hospital in early May and had been recovering after surgery. His sudden death was caused by his earlier aortic dissection and aneurysm. His demise came as a shock to everyone. Too sad to be true. I prefer to think of Father OC Lim's beautiful ordination.

When I received news of Father O.C. Lim's death two days ago, I thought that it was a mistake and I could not accept this fact until I confirmed the sad news via the Facebook of St. Francis Xavier Church Jalan Gasing. I kept saying to myself, "He is only 76 and still young. There are many world leaders who are in power in their 80s and 90s. Why can't he stay with us a little longer? I have always prayed that he would enjoy a long and healthy life. Why can't he live past 100? Why is it that good people always die young?" I wanted to write another article about him at that instant but found it difficult to focus on my writing. For the past two days, I wasn't really doing anything at all because I just couldn't do anything. I believe that all those who know or have heard about him would feel the same too because Father OC Lim is not an ordinary man. He is an image of Christ the priest who has clearly proven the meaning, purpose, and importance of the Christian priesthood. Truly, he is another Christ (Alter Christus) who has given himself fully to the people that he has come to serve. In other words, he is a living icon of Christ in our midst.

What is the meaning of "another Christ" (Alter Christus)? According to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, priests are "men taken from among men" which means that they are not the Toms, Dicks, and Harrys that we meet on the streets each day. As representatives of Christ, they have to make the presence of Christ visible to the flock entrusted to their care and in order to do so they have to live the life of Christ themselves. This is clearly stated in the first letter of Peter:

"To the elders among you I, a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and sharer in the glory that is to be revealed, make this appeal. God's flock is in your midst; give it a shepherd's care. Watch over it willingly as God would have you do, not under constraint, and not for shameful profit either, but generously. Be examples to the flock, not lording it over those assigned to you, so that when the chief shepherd appears you will win yourselves the unfading crown of glory" (1 Peter 5:1-4).

Father OC Lim knew what living the life of Christ meant and need not be reminded by the Popes again and again about the importance of priestly celibacy. As a representative of Jesus Christ, he had the overwhelming responsibility to continue the mission of Christ the Priest by giving himself totally and absolutely to God and the Church. He has renounced everything including that which our society cannot live without - marriage and material things. Given the fact that almost everyone in this world is pursuing money, fame, power and love, only a saint can forgo these necessities of life. Father OC Lim has indeed set a good example for the priests through his act of total self-giving. As the good shepherd, he is truly a reflection of the goodness of Jesus and having him in our midst makes us feel the presence of Christ through him. He is our rare and precious treasure and the faithful will always appreciate his immense unconditional love. The word "love" here does not mean "deep affection for a particular woman" because it has a greater meaning than that in a priest's life. "The heart of a priest is made for love," says Bishop Nicolas Brouwet and "he does so in the manner and following the example of Christ the Bridegroom." According to Bishop Nicolas Brouwet, this is only possible if he can "give himself entirely to humanity in love and his heart is ready to offer itself for all, without exclusivity and without preference. He should be impartial so that he can go to everyone with a free heart, without attachment and this is precisely what the faithful appreciate" (You may like to read Bishop Nicolas Brouwet: The Heart of a Priest Is Made for Love). Yes, Father OC Lim has followed the example of Christ and given himself entirely to humanity in love. He has offered his heart for all, without exclusivity and preference. This is what we call true love.

Once I was dead but now I live -
forever and ever (Revelation 1:18).

Father OC Lim will live forever in our hearts and always be remembered as our hero. This hero will be respected, honored, loved, and greatly missed for years to come because he has sacrificed himself to live the life of Christ for a world in need of salvation. He is a shepherd of souls who has always been there for his sheep. Throughout these years, he has accompanied us especially in the dramatic moments of our lives. He did not live for himself but for the sanctification of the people. He will also be fondly remembered as an advocate for justice and righteousness. Through the sacred priesthood of Jesus Christ, he has at last won himself the unfading crown of glory. May his soul rest in peace.

I am the resurrection and the life:
whoever believes in me,
though he should die, will come to life;
and whoever is alive and believes in me
will never die. (John 11:25).

Let us pray that many more young men would emulate Father OC Lim and become holy priests. To all our Catholic priests who have renounced marriage and material goods to live the life of Christ, the faithful will always be proud of you because every one of you is a living image of Jesus Christ. Do you know that you are our unsung heroes? According to St. Francis of Assisi, the priesthood is a A VOCATION HIGHER THAN ANGELS and if he were to meet a priest and and angel at the same time, he would greet the priest first because the priest is a representative of Christ (You may also like to read FATHER OC LIM - OUR PRIEST LAWYER).


References:
1.  French bishop reflects on priestly celibacy book by Cardinal Sarah, Benedict XVI. The Catholic World Report.
2.  The New American Bible. New York: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
3.  Another Priest for Kuala Lumpur Archdiocese. CA News June 1992.