Memories of a kinder past

I READ Mangai Balasegaram’s article on poverty and how we treat the poor in Malaysia in The Star recently (“In Malaysia, we live in a culture that is very hostile to the poor”, Human Writes, Starlifestyle, Aug 14; online at bit.ly/star_poor).

Firstly, thank you Mangai, for writing such a well-thought through article that gives us something to ponder and wonder whether we are all on the same page.

Yes, why do we treat the poor as subhuman?

The poor don’t choose to be poor; it is circumstances that have led them to such a situation – often, as Mangai rightly points out, society through its ignorance has failed these people. We could all find ourselves in that situation if we are unfortunate.

I have observed that poverty can be brought about through the loss of jobs; and the break-up of marriages, too, can lead to losing homes and people ending up on the streets. Then there is often the hidden cause, poor mental health.

I would like to share with readers of The Star an example of how poverty can affect anyone – though first, I should mention that I now live in London.

In the late 1990s, it was reported that Britain’s Prince Charles met someone on the streets selling the Big Issue, a magazine that was started with the aim of helping homeless people earn an income by selling copies of it.

It turned out that the man had been to the same private school the prince had attended, Gordonstoun, a boarding school that is, of course, very expensive. Clearly this guy now living on the streets came from a privileged background. It’s obvious anybody’s circumstances can change.

I returned to Malaysia recently for a visit and was saddened to see how things have changed from what I remember of my childhood days in the country. It is all about “me” now. “I want a Jaguar, a big house, foreign travel, designer clothes, etc”. And I got the impression that people seemed prepared to do anything to meet those ends.

I remember the Malaysia I grew up in when neighbours looked out for each other, and I don’t remember encountering all this greed and arrogance. People seemed generally kinder, more compassionate and less exploitative back then. I remember being taught to always think, “How would I would feel if I was in his/her situation?”

To me, the saddest thing was to hear how youngsters address their elderly parents and people of that generation now: They call them oldies. Growing up, we used to address the elderly with respect for their knowledge and experiences as “Uncle” and “Aunty”.

Did I correct the youngsters? Yes, I told them not to use hurtful and derogatory words. Furthermore, I told them that they too will get there some day.

I returned to London disappointed and feeling that I will never return. I would rather remember and live on memories of a kinder and better past.

KUMAR KATHIRAMALI London