MARCH 5 — Many Malaysians are mocking the naiveté of the Sarawak natives who were cheated in Liberia, Africa. They must have been “stupid” to believe salaries could be that high in such poor countries, these armchair experts snigger.
Let’s see who are the ignorant ones.
Truth is, 5-figure (ringgit per month) jobs in "unheard of" places are all too real. Thousands of Sarawakian loggers have been earning good money in Papua New Guinea, Africa and South America for decades.
By the time domestic logging declined, the Sarawak-based logging concessionaires had amassed huge fortunes, and also unmatched expertise in opening up virgin tropical forests for timber operations.
Even as they wound down operations at home, they ventured farther afield, securing concessions in faraway countries that most Malaysians have never heard off.
Where they went, they brought experienced loggers with them. The same loggers who have been cutting down trees and driving massive trucks in the forests of Borneo.
These workers are very well paid. White-collar workers in air-conditioned KL offices would be stunned to learn that, as long ago as 1985, over 3 decades ago, a logging truck driver could earn RM20,000 in a month. That was more than enough to buy a Toyota Corolla, cash, back then.
How do I know? As a rookie loss adjuster investigating insurance claims, I had access to the payrolls.
They are paid well because the work they do is extremely hard, extremely dangerous and yes, lives, are frequently lost. Timber is worth a lot of money, which is why the tycoons became so rich, and could afford to pay good wages.
More recently, I have travelled widely throughout Sarawak for leisure, visiting and often staying overnight at longhouses. At night, there isn’t much else to do other than share a few drinks and talk. These natives have been to places most city slickers have not even heard of. Solomon Islands, anyone?
As long ago as 2004, I was on a Petronas Adventure expedition to north Africa’s Sahara, and one of my fellow travellers had just retired from a senior position with a logging company operating in West Africa. That was how long ago?
So, thousands of Sarawakians have been bringing home millions of ringgit and improving their families’ lives.
While city slickers and unemployed graduates struggle to pay their car loans, these uneducated natives buy new Hiluxes with cash, because banks won’t loan them money.
That explains why there are always workers willing to travel so far for such jobs.
The recent news of “scams” is also real. The details are slowly emerging, that a “taukeh” ran off after a deal failed. Some of the “scammed” workers have worked in Africa before so it was not like they were sheep led blindly to the slaughter.
Now that I have your attention, perhaps you are wondering where to sign up for such a 5-figure job? Forget it. If you've never heard of this, you're not cut out for it. The logging companies pick the people they want from among the people they know.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
