There are three Ethnic Groups in Malaysia. The largest are indigenous Malays, who are Muslim and are forbidden by their religion to drink alcohol. The other two Groups are Chinese and Indians who mainly think about their families and making money. They are not big alcohol drinkers. As a consequence, you very rarely see any Pubs in Malaysia. In Ipoh, a city of 600,000 I saw only two signs saying 'Pub'.
Another consequence is that is no drunken mindless violence that you see so much of in Britain.
The only violence or crime that you see here is with the clear objective of making money.
Last week, we visited the United Nations here in Kuala Lumpur where the Director had his BMW stolen at gun-point. Apparently they usually find their way to the Middle East.
You also see a lot of motorbikes with two guys riding them. The job of the guy on the back is to snatch the bags from shoulders of unsuspecting women shoppers as they walk along the street.
He also frequently carries a large machete or knife to chop at the strap or arm or whatever is nearest. They are now targetted by police who shoot first and ask questions second !
In Malaysia, there are no Unemployment Benefits so no job equals no income. Therefore a lot of people get desparate for money.
About a year ago, there was a sudden increase in the number of foreigners being mugged in the expatriate area of KL. Again, the Police descended on the area and would shoot any suspects on sight ! The Malaysian version of zero-tolerance is pretty drastic.
So far, in the company of my wife, and her knowledge of Malaysian Silat (Self-Defence) I have been OK !!
No comments:
Post a Comment