We’re all missing crucial point of Zahra’s speech – Aliah Ali

The video of a 23-year-old law graduate Zahra which has been making its rounds has gathered mixed responses from the public.

Many have called Zahra entitled, too young to complain about hardships of life and some have even compared her situation with the economic crisis in Greece.

My analysis of the responses on social media prompted me to write this piece to highlight the crucial point of Zahra’s speech that we are all missing. Zahra’s speech was not just about a law graduate whining or feeling entitled, it was not just about a law graduate demanding more than what she deserved and it was not about a law graduate not wanting to work hard.

The main point we are all missing from Zahra’s speech is the growing disparity in standard of living between the rich and poor.

Malaysia has always been the little Southeast Asian country that could in spite of the 1997 economic crisis. Our growth has also led Malaysia to aim to achieve high-income nation status by 2020. We are only five years away from the deadline.

Many Netizens have been calling Zahra entitled because she highlighted the rising cost of houses, leaving many houses and apartments empty. She then goes on to ask “who are these houses built for?”

In my opinion these are valid questions and concerns and the reason is simple – houses should be built to house people and families, not merely to please the pocket of developers. The state holds the responsibility to house people rather than build more high-cost apartments as moot accolades of development.

Zahra’s question becomes even more important when we see developments in central Kuala Lumpur such as the Four Seasons Place, Harrod’s Hotel and St Regis Residences juxtaposed with the growing homelessness and Malaysians living further away from Kuala Lumpur, never mind the fact that jobs are concentrated in central Kuala Lumpur.

Every day, the average Malaysian spends at least four hours a day driving to and from work because of the congestion resulting from a lack of efficient public transport.

We are left with no choice but to drive, however, today owning a car has become exorbitant with the cost of parking alone amounting to a minimum of RM200 a month. Does one not deserve to ask questions about housing when houses are built without fulfilling its purpose, that is to house people?

Does one not deserve to ask these questions when as citizens of the country, we make up the national GDP, make Malaysia the developing country that she is today but often get neglected? Are we, the citizens of Malaysia responsible to the state government or is the state government responsible to us?  

Many Netizens have also commented on Zahra not wanting to work hard. As a 23-year-old woman myself and just entering the job market, I can vouch for other fresh graduates in saying that we work hard.

In today’s world, we the emerging youth deal with more competition from national and international competitors, the era of technology demands more and more from us and in return we always try to give our best because we know if we do not, someone else is available to take our spot. We have become the dispensable and precarious youth living in a nation where the cost of living keeps rising.

I do have points of contention with Zahra as I believe that the struggle is not exclusively faced by Malays but all Malaysians across the board.

However, I stand by Zahra in bringing to light the current struggles faced by the precarious Malaysian youth. I echo her concern in that as a recipient of higher education, we already feel the dent of the rising cost of living in Malaysia, what hope do those with no higher education have?

What hope do the people who were not given the same opportunities as I have in trying to sustain a living in the face of more high-cost apartments being built, more shopping malls and more boutique hotels as opposed to affordable housing?  

Now having painting the bigger picture of Malaysia’s economic background, is it still fair for the majority of Malaysians to accept a standard of living that is not reflective of the image of development often touted to the world?

We need to expand the definition of development to make it relevant to the situation today. It is no longer fair for us to keep comparing Malaysia to other struggling countries, because if we do, we will never find the will or the need to progress.

Comparisons also need to be relevant to our situation. The definition of “struggling” is relative to time and place. We shouldn’t keep stroking the ego of Malaysia by comparing ourselves to other less developed countries in the Asean region.

How will we ever progress if we set a low benchmark for development? If we are ever to reach a high-income nation, we need to start thinking of ways to move forward together. Wealth cannot and should not be concentrated in the hands of the top 1% any more.

The development of Malaysia should not just be on paper, it should be reflected in the everyday lives of Malaysians. Progress cannot be called progress if more than 50% of the population are still working only to survive and not enjoying the benefits of development in the country.

* Aliah Ali reads The Malaysian Insider.