Postmen Job for Malaysian Graduates

More than 1,000 applicants, many with diplomas and degrees, turned up at the Pos Malaysia (Kedah/Perlis) headquarters today to apply for 100 vacancies as postmen.

The job only requires a Sijil Rendah Pelajaran or Penilaian Menengah Rendah qualification but many who were interviewed said they were desperate for work.

A 25-year-old applicant with an IT degree from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) said he was currently working as a general assistant on a RM500 monthly salary. "I heard they don’t want graduates which I think is wrong. They are discriminating against us graduates. ...the postman job pays RM700 and is more secure."

Another applicant, with a degree in Human Resource from Universiti Malaya, said he had been jobless since graduating two years ago. "I applied everywhere, even for a shop or supermarket assistant, but was rejected because I am over-qualified. I can’t be living off my parents any more."

Back in the 70s and 80s, parents are so proud when their siblings managed to get a place in the university. Every morning, we see mothers chatting away with their friends, parading their story of how their children were offered a place in our public universities. Some are far more narcissistic as theire children were awarded scholarships to "drink salt water" (study at oversea's U). Then, you can hear those envies of the other mamas. Back in those days, when someone graduate and returns back to the Kampung and New Villages, you can see those neighbours and relatives coming to pay their homages. The graduate looks so proud and is regarded as a man of high standing. If it is a girl, wow, all those rich families would be sending out feelers and agents to seek her hand of marriage.

Graduates were then the pride of the day, and parents' esteem is largely directed to their children's graduation photograph. That picture of a person with a mortar board in his head and a black gown is paraded like someone who was made a king or sultan. If it is a girl's picture, then she will be look as if she had just won the Miss Universe and made a Queen of Zanzibar.

Today, just walk to the coffee shops in the Kampung and villages. You will be hearing mothers mocking their children who had graduated and are jobless for years. Parents cried that they had spent so much to groom their children to reach university and to graduate and thereafter, they sit at home, helping to clean up the house and buying groceries. Then later in the evening, their children will go out to meet their fella jobless graduates.

Some of those luckier graduates found job in the postoffice, Fire Brigate, Supermarket assistant, Insurance Agent, and Corporate officeboy and delivery men.

What is happening? Is it because there is lack of job opportunities or is it because there are too many graduates vying for too few executive jobs?

Alas, it is not. Then why? What's happening and how did it happen?

Take a survey with most of the Human Resource Department manager of corporations and you will find the answer ...

"These graduates can't even structure a simple sentence in English. When asked to talk something about their family, the answer was, 'Father died, mother not died.' How do you expect us to employ them when they can't even communicate?" said a HR manager.

"I asked him to write a simple memo to illustrate his writing ability, and he wrote: 'Boss say if don't come tomolo, boss say pochi.' How can I employ this engineer who graduated from Mara with a degree and completed with a Master degree from an Australian U. How did he graduate?" complain another HR executive from an engineering consultant firm.

"They came for interview asking about their pay packet, what are the benefits, where is their room, and will they be given a car and handphone. You can't be impressed with fresh graduates who seemed to be applying for a princely job in Buckingham Palace," lament another HR manager.

"I like to employ fresh graduates as they are fresh apple, easy to be moulded. But I don't want rotten unripe apple. They are graduates because they have that piece of paper only but without the academic theoretical knowledge. I always thought graduates would have the relevant basic knowledge, but out of the 20 graduates who applied for the post of accounting audit assistant, none can tell me how to audit expenses." This was a complain by an Audit firm.

Well, don't complain. We reap what we sow. Our universities are anxious to drive out the pupils to graduate and to show high percentage of passes. So, we help these pupils to score high marks so that our university looks good with 99% passes. We even give them tips for exam questions and the tips are so chun... (perfect prediction). That's why they score high marks. The dissertations were basically cut and paste from the internet but our lecturers don't even know it because they either don't have a computer or they don't do research themselves. Our lecturers had graduated and they believe that they now do not need to learn any more; they are only required to teach what they had previously learn.

So, what is our MPs doing in Parliament and State Assembly? Didn't they know this problem and are they not suppose to discuss and debate this problem?

Oh, no! They are talking about sarong and kebayas in Parliament. They are decrying about MAS stewardess uniform and the cuttings which are a bit revealing. They are talking about man wearing ear-rings. They are talking about kerlings ... they are talking about everything that people talk at the coffee shop and pasar malam and night-clubs.

Lets read some of them:

DATUK Wira Poh Ah Tiam serenaded an amused House yesterday with a few verses of the song Tanjong Katong. The state Housing, Local Government, Environment and Transport committee chairman broke into song to explain what he meant by the phrase cuci mata to Betty Chew (DAP-Kota Laksamana). With the permission of Speaker Datuk Mo’min Abd Aziz, Poh sang, "Di Tanjong Katong, airnya jernih, di situlah tempat mencuci mata".

Chew had questioned Poh earlier during the sitting on why the Malacca River was still so dirty despite his assurances at the previous assembly that the Malacca River Beautification Project would ensure the water would be "so clean, it could be used to wash one’s eyes".

After his song, Poh told Chew that by cuci mata, he had meant the river’s cleanliness and clarity would be pleasing to the eye. Amused as she was, Chew was not convinced. Speaking to the Press at the end of the three-day meeting, she said: "At the last sitting, Datuk Poh had said the river water would be so clean that even ikan bilis could be seen swimming about.

"This contradicts his statement that by cuci mata he was referring to the beauty of the river and its surroundings.“

Jerai MP Datuk Badruddin Amiruldin’s spoke about a male newsreader on Astro who wore earrings, saying that it was “odd.” Chong Eng (DAP – Bukit Mertajam) pointed out that the first-born son in Indian families wore ear studs. “So you cannot say that this is odd,” she said. Badruddin replied: “I am talking about Muslims. I am not talking about keling.”

Badruddin explained that in Kedah, keling was used by the northerners to refer to Indians. “I don’t mean it as an insult,” he said, but went on to say that Kedahans used terms such as keling jual roti and keling botol.

Badruddin later spoke about how Jakim’s guidelines on the attire of artistes and newscasters were often ignored by TV stations. He cited how newsreaders would “cover up” during tragic or sad events but on other days they would “open up.” Badruddin also pointed out that if the Speaker of the Dewan could wear a songkok, why was it that the female Parliament staff could not cover up. “I suggest that the officers respect the Dewan and cover themselves up. This should not be a problem; in fact, it is beautiful,” he said.

Jerai MP Datuk Badruddin said: “Non-Muslim can wear whatever they want. That was why I told Batu Gajah PM Fong Po Kuan in the House that she can wear a bikini for all I care, she is not Muslim.”

Hi Datuk Bad, you are so inconsistent with your ideology. You have said that she can wear bikini in Parliament and now you said she must wear a scarf? It seems that datuk is paying a lot of attention to woman looks and sexiness? Is he looking to get another one to satisfy his libido?

THERE is apparently a huge pool of men out there known as 3Ts, the Dewan was told. It stands for “teringin tapi takut” – men who desire for more than one wife but are not polygamous for fear of not being able to act justly.

Idris Haron (BN – Tangga Batu) said many Muslim men were believed to fall under the 3T category. In jest, he conceded that he, too, was a 3T. Women, he said, should also be blamed because some of them preferred to court married men. “It surely takes two to tango. How can a man disappoint a woman if she professes her liking for him? Otherwise, she would cry,” he said during the debate on the Syariah Criminal Procedure (Federal Territories) Bill.

Fong Po Kuan (DAP – Batu Gajah) said statistics showed that there were more women than men aged between 65 and 75 years old. “Men should then take wives from this age category,” suggested Fong to hoots of the laughter from the MPs.

Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN - Kinabatangan) cut in, saying: “Mana boleh. Siapa mahu?” (That’s not possible. Who wants to do that?) “Maybe YB Ipoh Timor (Lim Kit Siang) would want someone from that age,” he added.

Salahudin Ayob (PAS – Kubang Kerian) said polygamy should be looked at on a case-by-case basis, adding that justice was most important.


Maybe. the Parliamentarians can spent more time to debate on this following issue: