Go see your parents... or else!

Malaysians are still divided on the need of a filial piety law, but many countries in the world are already enforcing it.

IF you are disrespectful to your elders, you will be tortured and killed - that was the law during the Han Dynasty in ancient China. Although the death sentence is no longer mandatory for such behaviour in modern China, it is still a crime under its newly revised law Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly.

Enforced in July last year, the Act lists nine new clauses that stipulate the duties of children - finacially and emotionally - towards their elderly parents. A main clause requires family members living apart from the elderly to “frequently visit or send greetings to the elderly persons.”

And if that is difficult for those living far away, a provision was included requiring employers to allow their employees time off to visit their elderly parents. However, no punishments were stipulated for those who neglect their parents.

The law allows senior citizens to sue their children and get a court order for financial aid, care and visits.

It was introduced due to the growing number of cases of the aged being abandoned in China in the last few decades, despite the deeply ingrained filial piety belief in its culture. In 2011, it was reported that nearly half of the 185 million people aged 60 and above live apart from their children.

An ageing population was also the impetus behind India’s 2007 filial piety law which states that adult children have an obligation of fulfilling all their parent’s needs including housing, food, and medical care. Failure to do so is punishable by hefty fines, and jail.

Closer to home, Singapore has enforced a Maintenance of Parents Act since 1999. The law also allows parents to sue their grown children for an allowance and care; or face six months in jail.

What many will find surprising is that filial piety laws are also practised in the United States, or rather in 30 American states. What is more surprising is that they are based on a law dating back to 1601, the Elizabethan Poor Relief Act, which stipulated that “the father and grandfather, and the mother and grandmother, and the children of ‘every poor, old, blind, lame and impotent person’ being of a sufficient ability, shall, at their own charges, relieve and maintain every such poor Person.”

The American filial piety laws differ from state to state but each generally describes the responsibility of children to provide financial support to their parents.

Many of the laws enable nursing homes to sue the adult children for their parents’ unpaid medical bills. A dozen states stipulate it a crime punishable by jail. South Dakota allows children who have been sued to get a court order for their siblings to pitch in.

Six states make grandchildren accountable.

As many have found out, living in another state does not protect them against a lawsuit – in 2007, Elnora Thomas from Florida was reportedly sued by her mother’s nursing home in Pennsylvania for unpaid bills. When she was unable to cough up the money, she was told they would put a lien on her house.

In France, the filial piety law allows senior citizens to get cash and care from their children-in-law too. Other Western countries that mandate financial support from adult children to their aged parents are Canada, Ukraine and Russia.

Can you legislate filial loyalty and love?

ONE of the cases that pushed the government of China to mandate filial piety was in Jiangsu province where a local TV station reported that a farmer had kept his 100-year-old mother in a pigsty with a 200kg sow.

94-year-old Zhang Zefang won her suit against her four children for financial support and care.

Last December, 94-year-old Zhang Zefang won her suit against her four children for financial support and care. They were ordered to split her medical bills and take turns to look after her. Due to their own financial problems, the siblings asked the youngest brother to take her in. He put her up in his garage - which was in a condition arguably worse than a pigsty.

Whose responsibility is it to look after the aged?

A CRITICISM of the filial piety law is that it is an attempt by the government to pass the buck of elderly care to the people with the growing size of the ageing population and escalating costs of healthcare, property and general living.

Another concern is for those who were abused by their parents when they were younger – should they be legally bound to care for the abusive parents?

Recently, the father of K-pop idol group Super Junior leader Leeteuk hanged himself after killing his own parents.

He reportedly suffered from depression due to the overwhelming financial and emotional burden of caring for his elderly parents who had dementia.

The high publicity case has sent the republic into a national debate on the public support system available for carers and relatives of the elderly suffering from serious illnesses, especially Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

In New York last week, a group of 70-something Korean-Americans were evicted from a McDonald’s restaurant for overstaying – they reportedly hogged the tables at the eatery from 5am until dark every day, affecting its business. The senior citizens are not homeless; they just have no other place to hang out together!

Symbols of filial piety

In Japan, filial piety is embodied in various statues called kohyo no zou (filial piety statues) around its public buildings and temples. One of the most famous statues is that of Nippon Foundation founder Ryoichi Sasakawa carrying his elderly mother up the stairs of a temple.

In China last year, Guangzhou Daily highlighted the filial heroics of a 26-year-old man who pushed his disabled mother for 93 days in a wheelchair for a holiday at a popular tourist site in Yunnan Province.

Filial tradition

FILIAL piety is a key virtue in cultures rooted in Confucianism such as that of China and South Korea. It is defined as respect for one’s parents and ancestors. However, the concept is well-ingrained in many other cultures too.

Known as seva in the Indian culture, filial piety is demonstrated at various traditional ceremonies including weddings where the young would serve milk to the elders and wash their feet.

In the Malay culture, the tale of Si Tanggang is used to caution the young on the consequences of filial impiety.

Si Tanggang is a poor young boy who goes off to sea in search of his fortunes. He promises to return for his mother when he makes something of himself. However, when he gets rich, he forgets her. When he returns after many years, she rushes to the shore with his favourite dish, but Si Tanggang is so ashamed of his poor mother that he refuses to acknowledge her. Worse, he orders his men to throw her off his ship. Heartbroken, Si Tanggang’s mother prays for God to turn him into stone.

For the Muslims, filial piety is asserted in various Quran verses and Hadith. A common reminder is “Heaven is at the bottom of your mother’s feet.”

Similarly, in the Jewish and Christian traditions, filial piety is asserted in various instances of their holy texts, such as the Fifth Commandment which says “Honor your father and your mother”.

Contributed by Hariati Azizan The Star/Asia News Network

A question of talent in Malaysia

In addition to drawing Malaysians home to work, we should equip, educate and train citizens so that they have equal opportunities to excel.

The success of Talent Corporation – a brilliant idea by the prime minister to lure Malaysians abroad to return home to live and work – has been quite impressive.

I am told that many talented Malaysians have answered the prime minister’s call to help transform the nation’s economy and I’d like to think that these Malaysians have returned not just because of the lower tax rate and other personal incentives (such as tax exemptions for two completely knocked down cars) but because they truly have something valuable to offer the country.

I do not for a moment think that these Malaysians returned because they found it tough to work abroad.

Instead, I think they have taken the opportunity under the Talent Corp programme to contribute their expertise and talent to Malaysia’s growth and development.

Although it has been successful since its inception in 2011, Talent Corp (and other organisations that provide incentives to lure Malaysians home) can only be a short-term solution at best.

The longer we rely on Talent Corp, the deeper the failings of our system will get and the more serious they will become. We will continue to be unable to provide the educational training necessary to produce a skilled workforce or to retain existing Malaysians.

There are many reasons why people emigrate and work elsewhere but most leave the country because they believe that their prospects in life will improve or because they no longer feel they belong – alienation and social injustice have driven them away.

Hence, while many millions have been spent on Talent Corp (and spent wisely), I urge the government to remain committed to building capacities within our country as well.

I am not thinking of spending millions of ringgit a la BR1M (people's aid) but of giving the nation the right dose of the good old work ethic.

Schools, besides exhibiting photographs of leaders, should be places where the right values can be inculcated.

The government, via the state apparatus available to it, needs to emphasise on a daily basis the importance of hard work and the inherent character-building effects of such an effort: for example, we’d certainly have enough television airtime for educational programmes if we were to dispense with some of the more sensational shows.

The effects on employment will be obvious. If we look objectively at why we need so many foreign workers, a large chunk of our workforce neither has the right work attitude nor does it feel sufficiently motivated to work hard.

It’s true that some employers take advantage of the presence of foreign workers to depress wages but it also quite clear to many employers that foreign workers work harder and smarter.

It’s not good policy to live with this situation and look for the easy way out (that is, to keep relying on and exploiting foreign labour) without putting serious effort into changing the values and attitudes of our own workforce.

In my experience there is hardly anyone who is incorrigibly bad and beyond help.

People want to better themselves but sometimes they need to be given a leg up. Everyone is capable of realising his or her true potential through nurture, patience and perseverance.

The attitudinal change we need in this country must come from our political leaders as well as employees and employers.

Malaysians are capable of many things and must never doubt this: the sacrifice we all need to make is to be patient, to endure the difficulties of training, and to help the less able and skilled to achieve their goals.

If an analogy is required, I shall say that leaders must learn to appreciate growing their own vegetables and rearing their own chickens. The satisfaction that comes from this is far more valuable than just depending solely on buying groceries from air-conditioned supermarkets.

This is where we must embrace the culture of meritocracy wholeheartedly.

In Malaysia today, meritocracy is a bogeyman, especially among Malays, who are terribly afraid of it without even knowing what it is, and we must discard the notion that meritocracy will have unintended discriminatory or negative effects on any given social group or ethnic community.

Let’s start by understanding what the word means, which is simply this: if we have ability and talent, then we should be rewarded.

We should not reward someone merely because he or she belongs to a certain class or has some inherited privileges.

The idea is simply to inspire and motivate all citizens through ability and sheer hard work. It also means that society and government have a grave responsibility to equip, educate and train citizens so that they have equal opportunities to excel and contribute to our nation.

Citizens can then propel themselves forward and build bigger and better things for the country, which in turn transforms our economy and society. It’s a liberating idea.

Women in our workforce, for example, are fully capable of taking on more demanding tasks at senior levels but we only hear of policies intending to provide them more access to top positions – little has happened to translate policy into action.

The prejudice against women bosses is still widespread and is based on a lack of appreciation for the positive contributions they make.

The skill sets that women bring to the table are largely ignored by men who are worried that their own positions will be threatened.

But as long as women are ignored at the top levels of decision making, the country will lose out on capturing the special talents and skills they possess.

There is also a great deal of prejudice in our society against gays and other minorities who, from my personal experience, are as diligent and capable of great achievements as anyone else.

I have friends who are world-class professionals and possess great ability and integrity who belong to these minorities, and yet we seem to love waging war against them for reasons I cannot comprehend.

If we put more emphasis on creating enemies among our own people, or putting up barriers to excellence because others “threaten” our own positions, then we will never produce the right attitudes or values.

The government must lead, inspire and motivate our workforce by example and through the effective implementation of policy. Malaysians deserve fair wages, adequate training and just rewards when they achieve their targets.

This is a long-term project, of course, but nothing worthwhile can be achieved if we lack perseverance.

As such, Malaysia continues to need Talent Corp but the local workforce needs respect and encouragement if the transformation of our country is to succeed sustainably.

 Contributed by  Zaid Ibrahim, The Star/ANN

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China successfully tested new ultra hypersonic missile vehiche seeks to calm US fears

China hypersonic missile test not targeted at any country: DM CCTV News - CNTV English

The Ministry of National Defense issued a statement on Wednesday dismissing media reports that China's recent ultrahigh-speed missile test flight was aimed at delivering warheads through the missile defenses of the United States.

"It is normal for China to conduct scientific experiments within its borders according to its plans. The tests were not aimed at any nation nor any specific target," the ministry said in a written reply to China Daily.

Western media have been playing up the significance of the hypersonic missile delivery vehicle test since The Washington Free Beacon news website quoted an anonymous Pentagon official as saying that the test was conducted with the aim of sending warheads through US missile defenses.

In an article on the test, the website reported that the new hypersonic missile was detected traveling at extremely high speeds over China.

US Pentagon spokesman Jeffrey Pool told the website, "We routinely monitor foreign defense activities and we are aware of this test."

Observers said reports that play up competition on military capabilities indicate a lack of mutual understanding on the part of the militaries of China and the US, but the misperceptions can be resolved through talks.

Lack of mutual strategic trust between the two nations is the reason why the US is worried about China's military development, said Fan Jishe, an expert on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"Washington is afraid that China's growing power will reduce its influence in the region, and threaten the interests of its allies, such as Japan and the Philippines. ... The US still enjoys the leading position in military ability, both strategic weapons and conventional armaments," Fan said.

"The US has been devoted to high-tech weapons research for a long time, and China is still rather backward in this field," he said.

China has been sufficiently transparent on developments in its military technologies to allow for the development of mutual trust with other nations, he added.

Li Qingkong, deputy secretary-general of the China Council for National Security Policy Studies, said, "There is no need for the US or any other country to worry about the development of the Chinese military, given that China's military expenditure is much lower than that of the US."

Such weapons use cutting-edge technology for flying and maneuvering at ultrahigh speeds in space and within the Earth's atmosphere.

The advantages of hypersonic craft include precise targeting, very rapid delivery of weapons, and greater survivability against missile and space defenses.

The Washington Free Beacon said the US, Russia, and China are all engaged in research on hypersonic weapons, while India is also developing a hypersonic variant of its BrahMos cruise missile. - China Daily

Fighting ivory trade the China way

China crushed 6.1 tons of ivory on January 6. Image: @thewcs

CHINA, which has been described by conservationists as the world’s leading hub for the illegal ivory trade, took everyone by surprise recently by destroying some six tonnes of confiscated ivory from its stockpile.

The landmark destruction of the confiscated ivory and products such as carvings and ornaments, which were said to be amassed over the years, is indeed a good piece of news for the world and China deserve all-round applause. The fact that China chose to destroy the ivory on the first week of the New Year is a symbolic gesture of the Chinese leadership that they are in sync with the views and feelings of conservationists and animal-lovers on the subject.

The act of destroying the confiscated ivory in public for the first time by the Chinese authorities indicates that China is not prepared to tolerate the illegal trade in elephant ivory any more. The destruction of the ivory in Guangdong province sends a very powerful message to the Chinese people and the world that China is concerned with animal welfare and it is prepared to work with the international community in protecting and conserving our endangered wildlife.

Ivory is said to be a prized status symbol in the well-to-do Chinese community and it is used in traditional crafts and carvings. China and Thailand have been singled out as the two countries where the demand for ivory has been fuelling poaching activities in Africa according to the Convention on Interna­tional Trade in Endangered Species.

It was recently reported by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) that an estimated 35,000 or more elephants are slaughtered annually in a barbaric manner by poachers for their ivory.

Ivory, which has been referred as “white gold”, is said to fetch between RM7,000 and RM8,000 per kg in the black market.

Ivory trafficking apparently is taking a toll on the elephant population around the world and its related activities are now seen by many countries as a threat to regional security.

The decision of China to step forward, perhaps for the first time in history, to destroy part of its stockpile of confiscated elephant tusks and products is indeed a giant step towards conserving and safeguarding these magnificent animals that roam our jungles.

Back home it is heartening to note that the Malaysian authorities too have been on high alert to these ivory smuggling activities. The several tons of ivory shipments worth millions of ringgit seized by our authorities over the years is still under lock and key.

I urge the authorities to emulate China’s move and destroy all the confiscated ivory in public.

Since no one has been arrested so far and we are not seeing any development on the matter, it is advisable for the authorities to destroy all the illegal ivory in our stockpile.

Destroying the confiscated stockpile of ivory will send a strong message to all parties concerned that Malaysia too does not tolerate ivory trafficking and it’s equally serious in wildlife conservation and protection.

The destruction of our stockpile will put a stop to all the speculation and allegations that some of the confiscated ivory in our stockpile has been “leaking out” secretly and is found on the black market.

The destruction of confiscated ivory in countries along the illegal ivory trafficking trade chain will send a powerful message to consumers all over the world that buying is unethical and wrong.

When the Chinese, who are well-known in the world to treasure ivory and its products, can come forward to destroy their stockpile to show their concern and support for wildlife conservation and protection, I am sure we can do the same or better.

Contributed by S. PARAM Ipoh Malaysia

Canadian entrepreneur: Malaysia conducive for start-ups

Hirsch: ‘It takes less than RM20,000 to start a new company within MGVD

KUALA LUMPUR: Canadian entrepreneur Adam Hirsch, who focuses on tech start-ups, finds Malaysia a conducive place for start-ups, not just because of low operational cost or the English language proficiency of the people, but also the ability to get fast results here.

With a recommendation from a friend in 2012 to start his business here, Hirsch told StarBiz: “We can quickly get feedbacks and easily validate the success or failure of a new idea.”

Citing an example of one of his recent ventures to provide a sales training programme for retail and food and beverages (F&B) personnels, he said after a quick check with potential clients on the ground, his team found out in less than a week that many wanted the course but were not willing to pay for it.

“This idea subsequently metamorphosised to become a digital marketing agency where we help our clients do search engine optimisation (SEO),” he said.

The venture, which is only three months old, has 15 clients comprising small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Hirsch, who founded the Kuala Lumpur-based Mother Goose Venture Developer (MGVD) in early 2013, said he was solely interested in building businesses through his company which he described as a “venture builder platform” that brought people, ideas and resources together to build successful businesses.

The company has six active ventures at the moment, including Hijab2Go and Easy Read. Hijab2go is an e-commerce website specialising in women’s fashion brands, specifically traditional Muslim fashion, while Easy Read is a language education application that helps young adults and professionals learn new languages while reading content that is relevant to them.

“With so much of shared resources, it takes less than RM20,000 to start a new company within MGVD,” he said.
One of MGVD’s ventures, Ticket Hero, has also received a grant from Cradle Fund, an agency under the Ministry of Finance, which promotes early stage funding.

Ticket Hero is an event listing web and mobile application that helps Malaysians discover their city by listing all types of events including arts, cultural, nightlife and sports.

Hirsch, who started two Internet companies in his university days, said there were four categories of assistance available in the start-up community, namely the incubator, accelerator, venture capitalist (VC) and business builder.

“To assist a start-up is not as simple as giving them the funds and a strategy to work on. Hence, you encounter many VCs failing with that strategy. Those VCs that succeed will likely be attributed to the entrepreneurs in the start-up,” he said.

As a business builder, Hirsch, who is keen on the details of building a business, said MGVD used funds to build a business but did not disburse funds like a VC did.

“The No. 1 disease in the start-up community is talking about building companies and yet doing nothing about it. It is more hands-on where we are also involved in marketing and business development, beyond just being a service provider,” he said.

Planning to raise RM1.5mil within the start-up community this year, he said the group would start another 10 ventures within the next two years.

Adding that the group was looking for entrepreneur-in-residence, he said they would do all that was needed to get the business running to become profitable entities.

“We hope to attract more Malaysian entrepreneurs who are ready to lead a project and team. Our goal is to build as many successful businesses as possible and to help entrepreneurs to push themselves towards excellence,” he concluded.

Contributed by  Lim Wing Hooi The Star/Asia News Network

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