In around 2011, we had a conversation with a Malay friend. The internet was blooming. So I stated that, you don't have to buy Utusan and read their nonsense, brainwashing. You can read real news, real research, online. Then decide what type of news is worth your time.
So he did followed. Now he said:
- per year he saved over 400 ringgit (each paper cost about 1 ringgit plus, round up to 365 days to 400)
- so far it has been 7 years
- 7 years x 400 ringgit = 2800 ringgit
- that sum of money isn't too much nor too little
- he was able to indirectly pay for his motorbike loans
The lesson is that we could save from indiscriminate spending, or worthless spending. Especially with fake news media, that powers up on fear, on racial tension. Why waste our money (even 1 ringgit seems small) but it adds up to supporting these bad actors, these manipulators of the mind.
Clearly, he achieved another level of zen. PLUS bonus, that resources that would have been wasted - went into servicing his motorbike loans!
See the screen shot of the paper. It says "apa Cina lagi mau?" in both a derogatory manner, and fear mongering.
In Malaysia, there are chinese ancestry people, who came before the first world war. These people are citizens. They are not migrants, not asylum seekers, not from war-torn countries, not mega rich. They were born in Malaysia. Malaysians, as the new Finance Minister said.
But the way the Utusan paper writes it "apa Cina lagi mau" - what the f* the Chinese wants?
Is to: stir tension, create emotional fear.
Fear China. Fear Chinese culture. Fear 5000 years of history. Fear the ancestors who created the compass, the gun-powder. Fear the people who invented the oil mining rig (yes it was from salt mining!), fear them who are supposedly well-versed in kungfu, in meditation, in the ability to fly (Crouching Tiger anyone?) Fear pork (most chinese eat pork).
This is not a newspaper. Utusan. It is owned by Barisan Nasional, UMNO - the party that implements nepotism, corruption. Apartheid system for example a chinese malaysian still has to pay 40% more for a house/home. Their reasoning was the Chinese are richer or great businessman. It is assumed there is no poor chinese. This generalisation is smack right in the dot of World War 2 era propaganda.
So the chinese just "endures" (忍 - or ren - endures - the same word revered in ninjutsu - that is patience and to endure). So they saved up more, reduce consumption, reduce wastage, since to buy that seemingly more expensive roof over the head, one has to be more prudent. So eventually he is able to buy. Then the cycle repeats. Name calling. They are rich, they can buy the EXPENSIVE 40% house!
The UMNO regime uses this again, year after year, decades after decades. And their reason is that the poor Malays, all poor - cannot afford so need the chinese to subsidy 40% (the one who pay higher, subsidise the one who is granted the rights to pay lower). BUT - who finally buys the discounted housing? No, not the poor Malay. It is the rich political UMNO crony Malay! He scoops them up for cheap, then rents them to the poorer Malay who again couldn't afford. And again just using implied trajectory, that look - the Chinese could afford it, they are filthy rich! So don't vote for them. Vote us. We will give you the rights to get premium discounts!
FINALLY - the rakyat had enough. And finally with peaceful, and clean (bersih) means - removed the corrupt regime of Najip and we still have more work to do to retrieve the stolen money/resources of the nation.