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Nothing makes me prouder than to see the young Malay executives in their flashy, luxury cars( Merc. BMW or Lexis) or heavy 4-stroke machines that passed you by at 160-80 kph, usually on the left side of your car. These are the financial and maybe political leaders of tomorrow though some are already in the corridor of power. In the office their suits are impeccable and on the heavy machines their boots and leather jackets proclaim their superior socio-economic status.
As an old pensioner. I seldom had an opportunity anymore to talk to them. What with my old and baggy clothes, probably walking about in slippers. I can only watch and admire them from afar. If I approach them and ask how they feel to be a successful young Malay executive, they'd probably think I am a looney. Only if a TV camera focusses on them with a sweetie pie holding a microphone seeking an interview, would they probably respond. Sometimes I see them stopping somewhere in a group for a smoke or having coffee at a classy bistro.
The other day I was filling up my tank at a gas station, stopping behind a glittering Mercedes S320. The tall. handsome, young man in black pants, shiny black shoes and dark wind-breaker type jacket, was gracefully pulling out the pump nozzle to fill up the luxurious car. His movement was almost poetic, very much in taste with the fabulous car he was pampering, pride and dignity showing on his face. I said to myself. " Aaah another successful, young executive, the pride of the nation, using an S320 Merc at a young age of maybe the late twenties or early thirties." I felt ashamed stopping behind him in my old jalopy, very mindful of my anachronistic existence in a brave, prosperous and wealthy new world, where the young are masters of their own destiny.
A beautiful young lady, dressed to kill as they say. passed by to get back to her MyV parked near the air pressure gauge. The young executive corked up his head to gaze at the stunningly beautiful dame, as i too feasted my eyes on her. The young executive was holding himself up in a full manly pose with a glint in his eyes, clearly to attract the dame's attention. But she wasn't responding. Here was a drama that i loved and I watched intently to see what the young executive would do next to make the dame look at him - the prosperous, young executive.
When the beauteous young lady dallied somewhat at the door of her car, slowly opening it and striking a pose that I was sure was meant for the young executive to savour, my heart fluttered with anxiety. Would the young executive drop all discretions and approach the lady, Had he the gut to do so? I would if I were him, for the lady was clearly game. The young executive was clearly mesmerized by her beauty, standing agape with the gas pump nozzle in his hand.
At that moment the back door of the Merc opened up and a short, well-rounded but well-dressed, balding gentleman, emerged from the back seat of the car. The darkened window pane and his lack of height made me fail to notice him. He stood at his full height, barely higher than the car. clearly making a show to the lady as to who was the boss. He was half eyeing the lady himself.
The young man quickly pulled the gas-pump nozzle out from the car, replaced it on the hook, closed the car's gas-tank cover, jumped into the driver's seat and gunned the engine. He waited for the boss to come into the car and after the door closed, slowly drove the car away.
I was grinning like a cheshire cat. My handsome. prosperous, young Malay executive, turned out to be just a chauffer aka a driver. His poise and flourish totally deceived me. Without the boss at the back of the car, I had no doubt that the young beautiful dame would have also been deceived. Only then did I remember that the real handsome, young and prosperous executives certainly did not act like a proud bourgeoisie, I did see a few walking around in T-shirt, fades jeans and slippers.
Yea....I'm proud of you guys!!!
11 comments:
Akhi Norzah,
I was equally taken up with your narration disguised as it is but had me fooled right until the end not until you had revealed the actual.
Nonetheless, what you described could well be the truth more likely circa mid-90’s when the market was up, around 1400 points and these young brazen yuppies flaunt their excesses after being blessed with some good contracts. But all is not lost as the market is riding high again and may even surpass the previous peaks in the not too distant future. So we may yet see what you had described being a reality again peaking around 2012.
Property prices had already indicated ‘good times’ having trebled from those of a decade ago. A previously RM350k link house is now hovering around RM850k ( in Damansara Utama) a RM1mil bungalow now hovering around RM3mil (in Taman Tun)- all way beyond the reach of ordinary folks, and still rising! Phew!
The path is made all the more easier and the prospects believable to happen from the multiplier effects of mega projects envisaged through Idris Jala’s Pemudah ( with so many developmental ‘dreams’ revealed recently) which some would see the light of day, I’m sure,… I hope!
Akhi Norzah,
It is just like a shot from a well directed Malay film made for TV viewers if not for the cinema. The irony of it all is that it is a true image of the Malay new rich, whereby the balding fellow could well be one of the rentiers, sucking the commissions from numerous contracts given on a platter for his political connections.
It could well be a non-Malay who emerged from the luxury car, but that does not matter, after all it is just a normal behaviour of the homo sapien, but my guess is not much important as the scene itself. But the twist is really comical and it would have been a comedy.
Akhi Kaykuala, I am proud of our young and dynamic executives but I see too many of them in the service sector. Who is manning our production centers - the industry which provides us the basic needs of life, food, housing, clothing, car repairs and spare parts, even the vegetables and eggs. Prices are sky-rocketing and govt's effort to control prices is unless you can control production and supplies. If the shops stop selling sugar, rice and household needs for one week today, many of us will go bonkers. Can govt control real estate prices?
Banks and capitalists are printing money on this item alone. We palce our hope on the Mega Projects. I hope we're not gambling on mega failures.
Akhi Halim: Fortunately the boss who emerged from the back seat of the luxury car in my story was a Malay. Otherwise the story would take a different turn.Many seekers of rich hubbies had become the victim of the false young Malay executives.
We see the TV dramas now exploiting the sophisticated and convoluted life of the Malay executives. Everything centered on 'kawin' and 'harta', the roots of all evils. We're making the disease a popular soul-food for the young. We see vicious killings around us now because of women and wealth, with power as the grease.
I shudder at the thought of seeing our young executives making money their God. But then the world is doing that. Do they have a choice and is our ulamas helping them to make the right choice?
Correction: Is our ulamas as a group or the Jabatan Ugama, helping them to make the right choice. Menyeru people supaya bertaqwa saja belum cukup.
Apalagi menyerahkan semuanya kepada Allah. Our young executives must have both Allah and Money in mind all the time, hehehe.
Dear Norzah,
The straight road in front of my house ia a 'racing circuit' for Mat Rempits living around this locality. They are young but not young executives of your posting. I look at them day in and day out and I wonder what what future ???
Akhi Norzah,
Do not expect much from the Jabatan Agama and those who are considered as ulamaks to bring about changes for the better. It all start from the parents who are the role models of their children. Socialisation is another factor that determines the character of our young execs. Lastly they themselves must seek the right path by lifelong learning.
Akhi pakcik Al-Manar,
Mat Rampits are certainly not the successfull young executives but represent the wannabes who are full of energy and enthusiasm for challenges. Unfortunately no one is giving them the attention they need and the police are just too happy to book them and throw them into the lockers. They are not rich enough to become professional racers. So why can't they race around where it is safe to do so. In fact it seems that the police intervention is making their gambit more interesting.
We all know that they are a menace sometimes, Akhi Pakcik, but the boys are OUR kids. What can we offer them to satisfy their need as active, challenge-loving, young men? Do we just throw the book at them? I think they need some help, not police brutality.
Akhi Halim,
I think our young executives are doing ok, but for the fact that they get carried away by the western value nexus. If our ulamaks and Jabatan Ugama Islam cannot make any impression on them, cannot draw their attention and interest, who else can? Their parents can no longer advice them for they are well-educated. The early education they had about religion must have been buried under the professional training they received. So, are we to let them be as they are and let them lead the nation to a new future based on corporate values? Idris Jalal is a good example of the new young executives already in the corridor of power.
Akhi Halim,
I think our young executives are doing ok, but for the fact that they get carried away by the western value nexus. If our ulamaks and Jabatan Ugama Islam cannot make any impression on them, cannot draw their attention and interest, who else can? Their parents can no longer advice them for they are well-educated. The early education they had about religion must have been buried under the professional training they received. So, are we to let them be as they are and let them lead the nation to a new future based on corporate values? Idris Jalal is a good example of the new young executives already in the corridor of power.
Akhi Halim,
I think our young executives are doing ok, but for the fact that they get carried away by the western value nexus. If our ulamaks and Jabatan Ugama Islam cannot make any impression on them, cannot draw their attention and interest, who else can? Their parents can no longer advice them for they are well-educated. The early education they had about religion must have been buried under the professional training they received. So, are we to let them be as they are and let them lead the nation to a new future based on corporate values? Idris Jalal is a good example of the new young executives already in the corridor of power.
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