Chinese work hard for money, Malays wait for ‘rezeki’: Observation on work ethic sparks fiery debate

 

A HIGHLY skewered opinion on Threads has gotten netizens all worked up. According to @ashifatul_salleh, Chinese parents imbue their offspring with the right values by teaching them:

1/ God will not help you get rich

2/The government will not help you get rich

3/ Other people will not help you get rich

4/ I myself am unable to help you get rich.

“Hence, when the Chinese wants something, they work hard for it. The more the person wants, the harder he works,” she surmised.

Compare and contrast with the Malay mindset where parents impart to their kids:

1/ The Almighty will take care of your sustenance

2/ The government will give handouts

3/ The Malays will help the Malays

4/ Listen to the above 1, 2 and 3

Hence, the Malays sit around waiting for rezeki (livelihood).

For good measure, the poster added that Malays who did not sit around waiting for good fortune to land on their laps have gone on to make their fortunes.

The pointed observations have generated 2.1K likes, 85 comments, 238 re-posts and 118 shares at the time of writing. There was a heated debate among netizens centred around the topic too.

Taking the opportunity spread the word on family planning, one commenter noted that the Chinese rarely had large broods.

“Please use condoms,” he urged Malay families. “Children aren’t rezeki per se Children are a responsibility.”

If one is unable to afford it, stop reproducing as children are not labour to be used but are in fact, costly to raise. 

Backing up the poster’s observations, @jasmine_tnlr remarked that her Chinese mother gave the same pep talk. “If you don’t help yourself, God also don’t want to help you,” she said.

Leading by example, her mother would insist on working despite being an octogenarian.

One commenter agreed with the poster’s race-baiting observations while noting that the conservative Malay masses would find it hard to accept this bittersweet fact. 

It was also observed that too often Chinese success is attributed to the lack of prohibitions. This commenter argued that non-Muslims too are God-fearing hence not all of them are involved in activities that are related to vice and/or corruption. 

“Did you think one could earn millions daily from gambling alone?” he chided.

Right on cue came a comment that made precisely that accusation, that non-Malays/Muslims prosper as they have no religious restrictions on how they earn a living.

Some commenters took issue with the poster equating the Malays’ lack of industry with their religious upbringing. 

It was argued that the Almighty will only help a person with his livelihood only if there is hard work involved. “Even if you are liberal, please be mindful when using the Almighty’s name,” he jibed. 

“Health is wealth.” This commenter made the pertinent point that wealth can’t just be measured with material assets. He convincingly argued that a healthy body and a calm soul were also worthy prizes.

To those who disagreed, @fadhlipalott called for calm and to avoid being triggered as the poster was talking about difference in mindsets between the communities. “Context is key,” he remarked. 

However, one commenter summed it up best when it was quite rightly pointed out that not all Chinese were rich. “Regardless Chinese, Malay or Indian, the rich limited to the 5%-10% elite only,” he surmised. –  Focus Malaysia