Should I stay or should I go?

Migrating to Australia, good meh?
Authors: Ken And Michael Soong.

In the typical conceited Malaysian fashion complacent with his comfort zone and would not lift his finger to help his helpless neighbour, most of my friends who saw the title of the book were quick and forthcoming with their unsolicited advice, went on a with unpunctuated liberal last words. "You don't need read a book to know that, come here, I'll tell you!" they said.

Sure, it is easy to go on a rant on the merits and demerits of migration, the push and pull factors, of political and economic refuge. Sure, our forefathers took the bold step of giving up they had, which is what they never had, as times were bad then. It was a question of whether staying for a saviour to turn up to save the day, to become a statistic or plunge into the pit of uncertainty. Those were different times with different needs. We have come a long way from living to survive to living to prosper.

This book, in my view, gives a balanced view of what a potential migrant should consider before deciding to bade adieu to to this tropical shores.
The Soongs urge their readers to consider a few pitfalls and potential headache areas. Are you willing to able to accept your offspring embracing the Western culture, giving up your ancestral tongue and cultures? Are you willing to be treated like how Malaysians look at their foreign workers? No matter how much can be said, racism is still part and parcel of humankind. When a citizen who is cushy with laid back lifestyle suddenly sees how the competitive immigrants grab all available opportunities, tempers are bound to be stirred. The 'rustbelt' schools with uninitiated students, facilities and fatigued teachers cannot be the reason for Malaysian to forgo everything they have here to experience the piece of the Australian pie. One has to be in the right neighbourhood to enjoy good schools, neighbours and piece of mind. Schoolyard bullying is a rampant problem down under. They go on giving survival tips to potential migrants to blend in to this welfare state system and even succeed in life. Many examples of successful migration stories are laid out.

At the end of the day, we should ask ourselves why do we want to give up everything that we have here and start all anew. If it is for the betterment of our young one, how can they be at peace and pave themselves along the right path when they see their elders go through hell on our daily basis to bring food on the table? Success and good life can be achieved anywhere if we put our mind and soul into it.

Should I stay or should I go - The Clash