.jpg)
Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 39, Number 17, July 19, 1976.
The Condition of the Malaysian Poor
The Condition of the Malaysian Poor
Dear Sir,
Over a week ago I wrote to the Dominion about the affair over the Malaysian High Commissioner's new residence. I appears that it has been rejected and I think the reason why is self explanatory in the following outline of that letter:
The letter in question was written in response to the query of a certain Mr Hopper from the Chatham Is., about the silence of Hart and Care over the racist remarks made by some Khandallah residents about Malaysians.
I pointed out in that letter that in order to be fair to Hart and Care the critic should have also asked why Malaysians themselves have been very quiet about this matter.
| 1. | Many Malaysian here were unsympathetic wit their government which pursued repressive social and economic policies. They could not support the effort of the High Commissioner to join upper class in Khandallah. |
| 2. | Some Malaysians thought that the money that is going to be spent on the grandiose building should be spent on the poor at home, whose living conditions were reflected in two of the objections made by the Khandallah objectors. For e. g. the "drying of washing on poles" showed how crowded the living space of the poor was. They either have to live in slums or in congested high-rise buildings; neither of which are healthy for them. It would have been a contradiction for Malaysians to defend the privilege of their High Commissioner to live in some grand building while millions of his fellow men lived in miserable and insanitary squalor. |
| 3. | Malaysians have lost their power of speech when it comes to defending their rights. It was pointed out that the repressive policies of their government was bearing fruit, in an unexpected way. |
In any case, their silence has been very disturbing to the High Commission office, although soothing for others. Also few New Zealanders came out to their defence. Did they see it in the same light as this writer?
Yours sincerely,
unsympathetic Malaysian.