Get Rid of KGN Hin Bus from Penang!

Penang is in dire need to have an efficient public transport system. The idea mooted by the Penang State Government to introduce Water Taxis like those in Sydney must be lauded. As much as we need more buses plying our roads regularly, I can't help but feel disgusted by the presence of KGN Hin Bus which is plying the the Tourist Route of Georgetown - Tanjong Bungah - Batu Ferringi. The buses used by KGN HIN are actually buses that are dumped from other States. These buses are poorly maintained.

KGN Hin buses also pack passengers like sardines and I've even seen people dangling from a speeding KGN Hin bus just like you would see in Jakarta or Dhaka, Bangladesh. Very often you will find KGN Hin buses breaking down. Most of these buses are old and slow and are not suitable to travel the hilly and winding road to Batu Ferringi. Motorists have to frustratingly put up with these slow moving buses less they want to take the risk of overtaking these buses on a winding road such as Batu Ferringi. The sight of these buses are unsightly and the drivers are reckless and rude to passengers. These KGN Hin Buses also emit a lot of smoke. By right the the relevant authourities such as JPJ, Puspakom ought to pull KGN Hin Buses off the road. However I know why no action has been taken thus far. The reason for this is because KGN HIN is owned by an Umno linked Company. Need I say more?

Whatever the case, KGN Hin is an embarrassment to Penang as it gives a bad impression to foreigners visiting Penang. In fact, a child of a tourist from England thought that KGN Hin Buses were actually prison buses!

Filial Piety: the Most Important Virtue in Chinese Culture

Being brought up in a conservative Chinese family in Ipoh, the idea of Filial Piety and other virtues may seem rather absurd to the Gen X people. But according to Chinese tradition Filial Piety is the most important virtue to be cherished through out the span of one’s parents’ lifetime.

According to the Chinese tradition being a filial son is the uppermost duty of any Chinese son. Being a filial son means complete obedience to your parents, taking all possible cares of them, meeting their demands at any cost and not harming their feelings at any point of time. However it has been debated that in the times of Valentine’s Day culture how far can a son agree to all characteristics of filial piety.

Filial Piety had its origin in Confucius. Xiao was a very important doctrine with Confucius. It means blind loyalty to one’s own parents. But ren and yi were even more important norms with Confucius. Xiao is merely the show of ren and yi, which formulate the interrelationship of the parents and the children. The most important text on Filial Piety is “Xiao Jing” or the “Book of Filial Piety”.

According to Chinese tradition Filial Piety has its other features too. After the death of the parents the eldest child is required to perform all the rituals. One basic thing about filial piety is that the child has to ensure that the family line is continued. If the marriage turns out to a barren one the son can take another wife or adopt a child.

Stories about Filial Piety abound in Chinese tradition and culture. The most fascinating story collection of this sort is The Twenty Four Examples of Filial Piety compiled and edited by Kuo Chu-ching in Yuan Dynasty.

BANANA PEOPLE

Just a few days ago, I went to buy bread from a Chinese sundry shop in Tanjong Bungah. The towkei of the shop packed the bread for me and said, "Yi kuai Jiu!" and I had to turn to my friend, "What ah? How much ah?" Feeling very pai seh, my friend replied, "He said RM1.90 la.."

The towkei was slightly amused and wondered where I'm from since I can't understand Chinese (Mandarin). My friend then explained to him that I am from Ipoh and English educated (cheh wah, like very gaya like that) and can't read or write Chinese. The kindly old towkei nodded and smiled understandingly.

Not wanting to appear as un-chinese as I have already seemed to him, I said, "Ngo sek gong guongdong wah lah!" (I can speak Cantonese). "Ngo sek gong siu siu wah yi tan hai ng sek gong fu kin wah. Soh yu tau sin ngo ng meng pak lei gong mee yeah loh." (I know a little mandarin but do not know any Hokkien. That is why I did not understand what you said just now).

The towkei looked at me blankly. His 13 year old son replied for his father, "Ngo ah pa ng sek gong guongdong wah geh. Tan hai hui tau sin hai gong gan wah yi, ng hai fu kin wah," (My father doesn’t speak Cantonese. But he was speaking mandarin just now, not hokkien.).

The little boy then gave me a disgusted look, clearly wondering what kind of Chinese species I am if I don't even know mandarin. I was so peeved!!

I was looked down upon! Discriminated by my own race!
Maybe it's time to form another race of my own: Bananas.

For those who do not know, Banana is a term given to Chinese people who cannot speak Mandarin. Just like a banana, they are yellow on the outside but white on the inside. We originate from a bunch of Chinese people whose parents sent them to English schools set up by the British and most of the time, for the past three generations, not a single family member would know how to write Chinese. Most of the bananas' greatest command of Chinese would be the Hokkien and Cantonese vulgarities though.

Banana people (xiang jiao ren/kung chiu yan) have adopted Manglish as their traditional language (Just like Pua Chu Kang with his Singlish). Majority of the bananas can speak their own dialect but they can not read or write Chinese. Bananas celebrate Christmas (we like presents!) and Chinese new year (money is always good). Now, this has nothing to do with religion but we just like to celebrate for the slightest reasons.

Banana people shake their heads at other Chinese with extremely bad grammar. "May I friendster you?" makes banana girls want to drive a stake through the skulls of those lala chais. Perhaps banana people may be a little egoistical in the sense that they think just because they are westernized and are more proficient in English means they are better educated. I used to hold true to that belief but I have changed my views as I have come to realize the extreme difference between two types of Chinese educated Chinese.

Most of the top students in Malaysia are those from Chinese schools. They can get the highest grades and scare you with their studious attitude.(read: nerd.) Of course I respect them, I need to copy their notes. These top students are also one of the more creative people around and perhaps it's the chinese school upbringing, they are usually very talented.