A good decision can make different in life

I AM happy to see our old ministry head quarters from Yangon transform to public hospitals. I was also disappointing when they all are being left when its staffs are moving to the newest capital city. It became worse when the government put them on the list of auction in the attempt of privatization of public own properties. The bid price of successful tenderer was shocking to me as it all come by billion figures which we never experienced such huge amount in life time. I don't know where does those money come from. I can't imagine how do those people suddenly became super rich people. Probably only fraction part of those bidders would be traditionally rich people. The rest are most likely to be immediate millionaire by taking advantage of our loose government system.

I have been working in oversea for seven years and haven't owned even a flat in the Myanmar's biggest city. I might be considered a middle class of my country as most of people are poor. It's impossible to own a person who is working in domestic unless he/she is shun from dirty jobs. We all know that most of prime land areas in Myanmar's second largest city are owned by Chinese. Likewise, the downtown area of Myanmar's biggest city is dominated by Indian. Then where do our people goes? They all find it unable to resist the over market rate offer from foreign back business men to sell their residential land. And move to cheaper outskirt area of the town. By this way the original people are apparently become second class citizen by residing slum areas in several big towns.

When I learn how other governments protect the benefit of their own people with regard to the property which is considered the fundamental right for a person. The smart government would ever think of its people to ensure there is a ceiling above them. I'm now trying to buy a flat in my home land and I feel tiny myself to search a good flat with my small budget. My wife and I have saved most of our earns for few years. But we still find it unaffordable and there must have been wrong with our property market. People are extremely poor while some are unlimited earning from various sources. Shall we call it success when only few people are right? Absolutely not. It's strange trend but accept.

What can we do being a civilian person without power? Nothing but seeing things goes wrong and upsetting ourselves. Where to go complain for our plight? Nowhere to be relied. Fortunately, we are living in central area and can avoid conflict between government soldiers and ethnic rebels. Most of refugee come out of Burma are those who are living in the less developed areas and border line areas. Since Myanmar is quite big, the government would find it difficult to fulfill the will of every single person. However, there is a will there must be a way to relief people's life difficulties.

We have to welcome government's move in trying to convert the old buildings of ministries to public hospital because public healthcare is badly needed in our country. Our people find it very expensive to go private clinic and hospitals. The authority should enforce the rule and regulation with regard to our public hospitals. Because most of medical staffs are doing their own business during office hours. They would join with business men and collaborate the establish of their private clinic or hospital. As a result, most patient who go to public hospital find empty service building rather than reliable hospital. Our hospitals are well known for its lack of medicine and Doctors. It's embarrassing our patients need to buy medicine outside hospital to get proper treatment. Hopefully the new government leaders would address these long existing problems in favour of public's health.

Thanks for transforming our beautiful colonial buildings to public hospital. I'ld like to credit to those who initiate this kind idea by this post. May our leaders able to think of such meaningful job and conquer the hearts of our people.

Rely on yourself, not government

HMMM,,,,the busy days has come and gone.....It's inevitable that I have to settle all messy things at least once a month. If things get worse, I would get an abusive things to be done. Sound strange for you? Yes you'll never understand unless you have been working in a more developed country than your own land. Being underdogs, we can't imagine a fair treatment from our colleagues. Some are fair and kind enough while others are abusive. That's the way we have to come across as long as we need to work oversea. Unfortunately, we, FWs, are never welcomed by locals. It's usual that we can read such news on local papers. Last week, there was a head line news surfaced related to foreign workers.

One employment agency advertised as it is. The advertisement mentioned that "Jobs only for PRs and employment pass holders". Meaning the Singaporean are needless to apply for the job. There is no mention what kind of job offer is. The problem begin by the time a local man saw it and pass it to a minister. Then minister notice through the complaint letter and issue warning to the agency which advertise those offensive page. It became hot news for a week and drew a lot people's attention mostly negative way. One said "what a dare agency to advertise like that?" Another said, "if one agency can do, other would follow". Someone told that "I don't think there is such dare agency in any other country in the world". I can't remember all comments but it all come to attack ruling party, PAP. Let it be as this is their business and the way they see their life.

Being a FW myself, it's common and usual to see job advertisement on the paper like that in favour of SCs and SPRs. Most of job advertisements used to end with a sentence read "Only for Singaporean or Singapore Permanent Resident". Sometime, alternatively we can read sentence with different words that "Foreigner need not APPLY". At worst case, I find an advertisement painfully that read "No Myanmar citizen need apply". What an abusive media by letting such advertisement? But we, being underdog, keep quiet and never complain for that despite we, all fellow citizens, are not happy. I don't know what is island state's foreign worker policy exactly. But I know they always protect the benefit of its people. However, we strangely witness that Singaporean still seem unsatisfy with their government's effort.

Probably this agency is foreign drive or carelessly advertised like that. But for sure is it's a rare case and hard to find once a year. I would like the locals to sympathize the feeling of FW, when they see the same advertisement with effectively bars their counterparts from other countries. We all are human being and able to sense feeling. Please do not think you all alone able to be sensitive when things goes wrong against your usual way. Imagine as if you are a FTs who intend to work more developed country in this lonely planet. Then you'll find an answer without necessarily asking somebody else.

May all have a fair ground when it come to competition regardless of race, religious and language. I hope this kind of sentence is no longer strange with all locals as their national song has such notes. Try to improve your ability and rely on your own, not your country. Then you'll never feel insecure with regard to your job. Trust in me.

Grab the best option

THESE DAYS, I am reading several news regarding to my country. I'm not happy to learn the news of fighting each other among own citizens. Kachin, Kayin, Shan, Wa ethnic armies are getting ready to counter-fight if government army make offensive attack towards them. Some news suggested that it's going to lead even civil war which is bad for all the people of Burma. I really don't understand if those fighting are necessary for the developing a nation or not. Why newly civil government is continuing the old method that was used by its predecessor? They should have opted a diplomatic way that international community strongly recommend, I think. As a result of unfinish war between ethnic rebels and government armies, our country have been generating the considerable refugees in the world. Recent UNHCR research showed that Myanmar is fifth from top in the list of refugees host countries. It's embarrassing result. Once we were boasted ourselves as a rich nation in the world and within few decades from independent, that has been upside down.

I have seen a lot of diplomatic people or representative of organization coming to our country since newly elected government has been handed over the power from Junta. As usual, China is early bird to recognize new government in the effort of maintaining good relationship with new government. Then ASEAN, UN, USA, India and now even EU delegates. Every delegate went newly government leaders and discuss on several things that are usually not disclosed. I don't know what are they trying to do. What is their policy. It's China-reliance policy or anti-western policy? Now world seems change in their policy toward our country and why not our leader can't be flexible that they show us? If we have options to be taken, why should we throw away the best possible? To me, making a good relationship with western would counter-balance to China's dominance to us. India alone won't be working for us to counter China's influence.

On the other hand, paving the way for western MNCs will have created jobs that our people severely need within country. By doing so, our government would have stop brain-draining and maintain our top talented people. We can't develop our nation by China way as they are not ranked top industrialized nation. They would be stingy in sharing technology they have acquired to us unless they got enough profit from us. Look the top countries of the region, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippine, they all have a good relationship with western countries especially with US. What do they lose by doing so? They are cautiously relate with China as it's inevitable for a developing nation. Now Vietnam is supporting US to counter its powerful China. No matter how enemy they are in the past, Vietnam can change its policy for the benefit of its people.

Look China back countries in the region, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Sri lanka, Pakistan, North Korea. How many countries of those are wealthy nowadays? Most of them do not have a good relationship with US and China is strategically taking advantage from their weak point. Luckily, our nation is rich in natural resource and located in the best possible geographically. It ease our people from starvation and let government do silly things. We have got independent at the same time with India & China. Now how far we have been behind those Asia's giant? It clearly show the mistake of our old government's policy. Now time to change and build our nation in the right way.

The world is interesting us and coming to see you at your door step. Please take this opportunity for the sake of our people. People would follow you when they trust in you. Action speaks louder than words. Stop talking so much and do action by constructive way. Time has called us to change and lets change together. Be honest on deciding critical decision that can change nation's future. People will know your effort and remember you for ever. Believe me.

Our Priceless Joy

DEAR my little princess,

If I can call your mum as home-maker, I would like to call you our family-maker. Without wife, I could not have a home. Also without a child, a couple can't imagine the joyous of family life. You bring us a bundle of joyous moment. You bring us a brightness future. You bring us a definition of life. You bring us unaccountable dreams. You make us dream with regard to you. You make us direct the way we are going in life. You make our work more meaningful. You make our earning more valuable. In brief, you have changed the way we think of our life. You could be our princess. You could maintain our hope alive. Perhaps you can survive without us in future. However we'll find it very hard to spend our remaining life without you. That's the way your parent are thinking of you. You're always in our mind. We might have failed to call you in the past few months. It's not because we're forgetting you. It's not because we're getting cool of our hearts. In fact, our hearts become fonder by distance. Some say the time will make people less remember. I have to argue with that especially when this come to relationship between parent and their children. We're now more responsible with our own families as we have learned the deep of parental love since you have arrived our world.

You are now as young as 11 months old. But you are powerful and already influence our life. We have give up our habit of stingy when it come to you. We are unconditionally generous when we think of you, even for those who take care you in the absence of your parent. We two need not to discuss so much to spend on something for you. We cancelled the plan to buy camcorder when we are going back for married. But now, we are easily decided to buy camcorder for you as we would like to see you in action. We would like to hear your sound. The still photos of you make us always excited. Now we are aware that you started to recognize your environment and people. For that reason, we would like you to familiar with us by someway. That make us buy a digital photo frame on which you can see us moving with background music. We want to be in your little memory. We want you to remember us by not far frequent. We're now busying with taking photos around the city. It's not our way before, but we have to do it as we want you to see your parent's nice photo. If you enjoy with our photos and remember us, our goal would have been fulfilled.

We're preparing to give your the best since you are born. Whatever we do will belong to you. We know the important of living together as a family. We imagine how sorrowful would it be for you to stay away from biological parent at your age. We are not happy when we think of you. We are happy when we heard of your progressive in term of physical and mental through mobile phone. My eldest sister would tirelessly tell us about you when we are giving a call her. We're never satisfied to listen about you. Your mother still find it hard not to cry at night. She is wonderfully dreaming about you every night. She'll share me about her dream in the early morning. I'm not feeling well to see her like that. We are grateful to you for maintaining your good health. Otherwise we'll not be comfort by staying an ocean away from you.

Life is changing and we sincerely hope the day will arrive in favor of our union sooner than later. We wish you a happy 1 year old Birthday in advance, our dear.

Pain Truth 9

PEOPLE always said no other place is better than home. If so, I want to duplicate this as no other land is better than homeland. It's not going to be easy to return home being immigrant worker for us. There are a lot of things need to be done so that we can comfortably go back home. Once we think of return home, first headache is to clear income tax. Then other things would follow such as present for relatives, survey for cheapest airline with reliable safety, leave available, etc. Being immigrant workers, we are already sick and tired of hectic life and why don't we deserve to return home comfortably? Outside mother land, we are treated strangely by our international peers and it's understandable as we are deemed underdog. It's ok to be treated by foreigner and it's not fair to be treated by such manner by our fellow citizen who are government staff once we arrive our own international airport. We are paying income tax. They (immigration & custom staffs) are taking salaries from the tax collection. Then who is financially more contributing to the nation? It's obvious we are in the better place compare to them.

But they are treating us like their slaves when we get our homeland. No matter you have cleared income tax or not, they'll try to find our fault unless we pay bribe. On the other hand, you'ld be saluted if you pay some dollar without taking necessary action they are considered to take. Some might afford to pay such tip while other are not because they are not earning so much in foreign land. The officers might have thought all home coming people are richer than them. In fact, we are going foreign land to work because we can't find a proper job in domestic. Israel people are known that they are affectionately kiss their homeland as soon as they arrive their mother land from outside world. For us? We would be greeted by a treatment of terrorist. It's not really comforting. The custom officers would open all incoming briefcase by citing safety reason. However we can auto pass if we pay bribe. It's not good practice for people as well as nation because foreign people can misjudge our people's attitude on the doorstep.

The immigration and custom officers are naturally riches and those pose are highest demand in government created jobs. The government job is not a place to make money illegally. It should be rated a job to be performed rather than money making job. End of this month, I'm going to return home to visit my daughter's Birthday and start to headache again. Why don't I happy to return home? The above some reasons would have answered mine. We are eagerly look forward the days we could able to return peacefully. Hopefully our new government would address this matter in order to align with their anti-corruption policy.