DECEMBER 16 — It gets a little nauseating sometimes how quickly we claim Malaysian connections to people doing well in foreign lands.
Never mind if it's the faintest tie, so long as they have some association by blood, marriage or perhaps they stopped over in KLIA for 20 minutes in transit.
Of course the reality is that some opportunities need to be found elsewhere. As an acquaintance once remarked, Yuna would probably only be singing at secretary luncheons instead of dueting with Usher if she didn't move to the US.
Yet there are some things that should be possible here but we make impossible unnecessarily.
An under-40, non-Bumiputera woman became mayor in the US but that could not be a reality here.
Instead our woman politicians have to deal with sexist remarks from their peers in parliament, alluding to their skin colour or menstrual cycles, and worst of all, those remarks are often made without fear of repercussion.
Even if you are not a woman, if you are below a certain age, you can expect older politicians to mock you or, as recently demonstrated by our finance minister, be treated as though you do not exist.
While Namewee is getting noticed at overseas film festivals, his choice of subject matter and the title of said film has somehow earned him police reports here.
Whether you like his work or not, getting your film shown at the Golden Horse film festival is a big deal... not to mention having it screened in Taiwan cinemas.
Some Malaysians have tried the patriotic thing of returning from foreign lands to try and contribute, but for many they end up finding only regret.
It's not a secret that success in Malaysia is not often due to talent or skill, but more than likely due to connections and being the right race or from the right economic strata.
Stop trying to get our talent back — they are probably better off where they are. Stop trying to take credit for their success — Malaysia was more a hindrance, likely, than a cause for it.
Malaysians need to be better at appreciating and nurturing our own talent. While Yuna wins awards and glowing reviews in the US, Malaysians send her abusive messages or criticise the way she chooses to wear her hijab.
The tall poppy syndrome in Malaysia is real; until we can make Malaysia a place to grow and sustain talent, instead of driving it away, we will continue to see it flourish elsewhere.
That will sadly be the case until we stop letting people call other Malaysians “pendatang” for being the wrong skin colour. It's time we nurture our own rough diamonds.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
