The Korean Chronicle Im in Korea. Seoul and Busan specifically. And the last time I was in Seoul was well over decade ago. Ive never been to Busan. Things have changed. Korea is a manufacturing and technology giant. We all have heard of their brands. They have an Apple troublemaker with Samsung, whom incidentally also makes cars here in Korea. The largest shipyard in the world belongs to Hyundai, whose cars we all know of. And. They dont speak English in Korea. The road signs have an English version on it. But most people do not generally speak English. Though, those that do, does it very well. Yet. They thrive. They dominate. So, whats different? Well, for one Koreans are fiercely patriotic and proud. They take pride in who they are, and what they do. And secondly. They are disciplined. Perhaps the two years they spend in National Service, compulsory for all Koreans helps. The cities are clean, and the people marches along to wherever they are going in a very orderly manner. Well the point is this. We often bring up the topic of English. Do we need it? Must we be good at it? And. We also often bring up the topic of Standards of Living. Are we earning enough? Can we earn more? Well. Koreans do not generally speak English. There isnt even a Korean TV Channel in English. They go about their own things innovating entertainment with the now popular Korean drama, K Pop, and yes Psys Gangnam Style which had one of the highest hits on Youtube. And. Koreans manufacture. And they make pretty much everything from electrical goods to behemoth ships. They dont outsource their factories, they build things themselves. They dont have a big influx of foreigners, they keep their jobs local. And. It isnt cheap, and yet they thrive. Everyone makes a living, making something. Making something. That perhaps is the missing link. We used to make things. Not for ourselves, but for large Multinationals. Then our salaries went up. And the companies moved their plants to Vietnam. And now we have a growing bubble of the new generation of Malaysians coming into the workforce, expecting a job, a salary of RM 3,500.00 if they did well in school, and they want to leave work at about 6pm. We used to be hard workers. Back in the days. We fought hard to keep our jobs. We were proud of what we do. Then. Something happened. Were not sure what. But suddenly, for the lack of a more tactful way of saying it, we became lazy. Buoyed by the false impression that we actually have cheap petrol and basic sustenance, thanks to subsidies. And the ever people-pleasing government, which continues to figure out how to win back their seats. We became fat and lazy. Well not you I am sure. Not all of us. But quite a bit of us. Perhaps, what we really need is tough love. Someone to step up, and pull a Tun M or even a Lee Kuan Yew stunt. A daddy knows all attitude in running the country. A firm and steady hand at running companies and country. Because in Korea, you cant find ciggarette butts on the streets anymore. Someone must have laid the law on the land. And enforced it. Perhaps. It is time for us too. To stop bickering about touching dogs and the other many little propaganda driven by both sides. Were not rich anymore. It really is time for people to get back to work. Really...
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 22:00:09 +0000
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