YOURSAY | PAS MP's CNY work lament exposes his own ignorance

YOURSAY | ‘Not uncommon for Chinese to work during CNY due to favourable conditions.’

PAS MP laments Chinese forced to work during CNY amid weak economy

Sherlock: It is so nice of this PAS MP, Mohd Syahir Che Sulaiman, to show concern for the Chinese community. Are things changing now? 

But it only goes to show how unintelligent this fellow is, and it also shows how detached this guy is from the work habits of the Chinese community. 

Maybe he has been so accustomed to his community that he finds the way Chinese people work foreign and strange and he uses this to “shoot” the government.

He seems to have just woken up from a slumber, just because he wanted to show concern. He did not know that most Chinese food businesses stay open from Day 1 to Day 15 of the celebrations and then take a break for a few days. 

This is the guy rated amongst the top echelons, together with Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar. You can see the low standard for yourself. 

Spinnot: It only shows this MP has little or zero social interaction with the Chinese community. 

Otherwise, he would know that many Chinese eateries (even the most successful ones) would remain open during the whole Chinese New Year period (Eve to Chap Goh Mei) as many locals would opt to dine in during the festival and there would also be many mainland Chinese tourists in the country.

This is the best time for doing business and it also applies to other businesses such as tour operators and transport providers such as Grab drivers. 

They would take a break after Chap Goh Mei. 

According to news reports, business levels have reached 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels during this Chinese New Year period.

I am a Malaysian: As others have already mentioned, Chinese New Year celebrations spread over 15 days and it is not uncommon for some Chinese to work on some of those days as sales and business opportunities are more favourable.

It is often worth their sacrifice for a shorter holiday. 

I also see such a pragmatic, commendable, hard-working attitude amongst the Malays and Indians, notably in the courier sector when they continue delivering parcels whether the day is blazing hot or incessantly wet, and often late into the night.

Nothing is wrong at all with Malaysians slogging harder to earn an honest living rather than always blaming the government for the challenging economic times. 

Anyway, the snide comment coming from an MP of PAS, a party that has yet to prove any good and capable governance at the state level, is an act of politicking and nothing else.

I shudder to imagine the frightening consequences of suffering for the rakyat if non-performing PAS were to form the federal government.

VoteOfOne: The Chinese have a thing during their new year and that is, to start anew. 

For a Grab driver, the paid fares during the holidays are better additional income and assured earnings than, say, counting red packets or gambling.  

It is surely easier to mine for feedback from Grab drivers that could be weaponised to fit your PAS narratives.

If PAS was ever the hero to drive the economy, we must have missed their manifestos for decades.

Even if PAS runs the government today, no feedback for non-believers of your faith will ever see the light of day, much less from a Grab driver.

The Chinese New Year would have been made a working day for being not compliant with your brand of religion.

Remember when your esteemed leaders ascribed that the worst Muslims were better at running the country than having a government run by an infidel? Well, are we not there yet? 

We surely could have done better with a better economy than what we have now.

Doc: Syahir is trying to claim that the Chinese have to work during the Chinese New Year because of poor economic conditions.

He is trying to place the blame on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his allies.

Well, at least, the Chinese have jobs during these poor economic times because when Perikatan Nasional and PAS were in power recently, not only the Chinese but all races were holding up white flags in the streets begging for help as they had lost their source of income.

What were these parties doing during those difficult times for the rakyat? Nothing, which is a trademark of PAS.

The rakyat resorted to helping each other during those times while PAS was busy playing race-based politics.

Knucklehead: Ah, the million-dollar question. What magical economic wonders has PAS conjured up?

Concerts banned, Langkawi stripped of its fun quotient, fashion police out in full force, and 7-Eleven turning sober. PAS, the true architects of economic brilliance!

Their pursuit of preserving “bangsa dan agama” is like a scarecrow, shooing away tourists and investors faster than you can say “economic downturn”.  

Bravo PAS, for your unparalleled prowess in economic commentary!  

Now they are concerned that the Chinese have to work during the Chinese New Year.

RZee: The Chinese had to and have to work as they have done for many, many years as they wish to earn money for themselves and their children, who do not enjoy equal rights in this country.

They have to work and diligently pay taxes for their taxes to be used and misused by others. 

They have to work because others get breaks and opportunities that they do not enjoy. 

If they had to work due to the ailing economy, we hope the other races worked too.

Anonymous_3f4b: No free money, no government assistance, no special privileges, no help from government agencies, no special loans, have to support the family, no scholarships for their children, no quota for easy admission to government-aided colleges, have to enrol in private colleges and lack of employment opportunities in the civil service because of their race.  

How can they not work on public holidays and festive seasons?

Equalizer59: In Parliament, MPs should debate intelligently and provide solutions.

So far, nothing substantial from PN! Instead of resorting to reliable data, he chose to tell us about a coffeeshop experience that nobody can vouch for.

Come on PN, pull up your socks. You are not ready to go back to Putrajaya. - Mkini