Tuesday, April 20, 2010

HELP NOT FORTHCOMING FOR STRANDED MALAYSIAN IN PARIS

I wish to refer to an article in The Sun (front page) dated April 19, 2010 titled “Malaysian stranded in Paris plead for help” in which it was reported that “seven Malaysian in Paris who are stranded following flight cancellations because of a huge cloud of volcanic ash are pleading for help from Malaysia Embassy in Paris”, but were told by an embassy staff that “the embassy can only help to give information and do not have the budget to help or have facilities to provide accommodation for anyone” Such an answer coming from a Malaysian Embassy staff is lame, stupid, unconcern, lazy, and it is obvious that the staff lack the sense of responsibility and initiative. If this is the sort of people we have working in our Malaysian Embassies overseas, then I think they don't deserve to be where they are.

I wish to recall an incident that was told to me sometimes in the 80's that occurred at the Malaysian Embassy in Pakistan. The story related to me was that a group of Malaysian students had just arrived came to the embassy to report their presence to the officer in-charge of the Students Department. Being new to the place and on-transit to their colleges, these students naturally were expecting some form of assistance, mainly in the form of a temporary accommodation and some meals from the embassy. But such expectations were not to be, and they were left to fend on their own. And not knowing what to do and where to go, they rested at the garage of the embassy. This incident came to the notice of the Defence Attache who took pity for these young boys and took them all to his house to be fed and rested.

I am somewhat fortunate that when my son proceeded for his tertiary studies in Camberra, Australia in the early 90's, the Defence Attache at the Malaysian Embassy then was a colleague of mine. He had no qualms about taking my son to his house and feeding him until my son could find a house for rent close to the university. I am told that the Defence Attache has been doing this all along purely out of a sense of responsibility and being passionate about wanting to help others, especially new students who he treats like his own.

And in the case of the stranded Malaysians in Paris that I have related above, I would have thought that the embassy staff could have been more responsible by accepting and offering the stranded Malaysians a temporary resting place in the embassy itself (why not), or in the homes of some other Malaysian staffs. Don't tell me that the embassy staffs are all renting in just a one bedroom home and are too poor to even offer them food. Don't tell me that the Ambassador is too busy to even lift a finger to help. I am quite sure he is being told about the plight of the stranded Malaysians and the least he could do is to offer them a place in his own house (even the garage can do). Surely there is enough space for the seven stranded Malaysians to rough it out in his house.

I am truly ashame that a staff of the Malaysian Embassy in Paris could not offer any assistance to other Malaysians in difficulties. I suppose having a retired Malaysian Chief of Defence Force as the Ambassador in Paris would not be a bad choice after all.


CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

8 comments:

FMZam said...

Help is forthcoming Dato' and by MAS special flights just to ferry our stranded from France to a short lift to Rome for further arrangements. Our ambassador to France is Dato S Thanarajasingam has performed so well for Najib's visit and other big shots including Ibrahim Ali sometime ago, but as normal always the lowly rakyat are the ones to suffer mistreatment from our own embassies everywhere in the world.


Malaysian embassies are not for normal citizen, and any of our ambassadors are servants only to visiting Malaysian VIPs, other than that our embassies are the forbidden palaces.

Kamal Sanusi said...

Salam Dato'

This is what we call Land of Malaysian Boleh, hemmm... Boleh blah!!!...

Rakyat diHULUkan.

Maaf Dato', bahasa kurang menyenangkan. Geram sangat! Adakah kedutaan kita di luar sana hanya untuk organize bagi yg berpangkat VIP saja?

If I can re-call some news, other Embassy siap layan bagus rakyatnya.

FMZam said...

Sdr Kamal,

Inilah yang dikata Melayu berbudi bahasa, berbudi bahasa hanya pada yang kaya, yang ada nama, yang ada pangkat dan ada kepentingan, semua untuk dapat point bagi kepentingan diri. Kalau depa ni ada akal, mendapat pujian dari rakyat itu akan lebih lagi mengharumkan nama depa di kalangan rakyat sendiri. Tapi dah memang dasar Melayu suka mengampu dan diampu, maka rungutan rakyat akan terpadam kerana rakyat Malaysia, bukan sahaja Melayu, tapi kebanyakan rakyat Malaysia memang mudah lupa.

abdulhalimshah said...

Dear Dato' Arshad,
It all boils down to the " Corporate Culture" of Wisma Putra people serving overseas which had not changed since Independence.
I had a bad experience of requesting help from our High Commission in London while still in service. The answer given by a senior officer of the High Commission was that he needed a written authorisation letter first. That was a terrible disappointment, obviously he did not exercise discretion where it was most needed. And that would be prevalent till now.

Unknown said...

Dear Dato,

If you are in business and needs to get documentation done overseas, lets not go too far. Just go to our Malaysian Embassies in Manila / Singapore / Bangkok & Jakarta. Thats it folks!! Just wonder Why!! Such deplorable situation coupled with the most Negative Attitudes that they have.

So lets be very positive and wait for the right things to happen!! Keep On Waiting Ya!!

Salams

Unknown said...

Dato,

In order to get things done in the Malaysian Embassy in Singapore, you need to "Line Up" at 4.30am to 5am, even for the fact that 90% of those in the line are foreigners and we as Malaysians are not able to access to our own Embassy.

Anonymous said...

Dato,
Perangai orang orang Malaysia kat Embassy kita diluar negara sememang macam tu SOMBONG kebanyakkannya.Dua Puloh tahun dulu masa mengaji diEngland pun saya tengok perangai mereka macam ni.Jadi kalau kita ada masaalah diluar negara tak payah le jumpa mereka ni kecuali nak renew Paspot Malaysia.

Sekarang ni anak dan menantu saya sedang stranded di London tak tau bila dapat penerbangan balik.Saya terpaksa le hantar duit kat depa dan saya tak harap bantuan Embassy kita.Nasib le anak saya ni dah pernah duduk diEngland beberapatahun dan dia dah biasa kehidupan disana maka dia tak panik.Kalau saudara pembaca semua nak tau ,ni le tabiat dan perangai buruk kakitangan kedutaan kita diluar negara...........enjoying themselves and menghabihkan boreh ajo.

Markmore said...

Dato'

Tu mmg perkara biasa untuk PTD-PTD yang di Wisma Putra. Nak jadi Diplomat tapi SOMBONG. Mereka ni jadi kuli untuk VVIP dan saudara mara VVIP ni sahaja.

Ada jugak cerita yang saya dgr, kenderaan rasmi pejabat dijadikan limo untuk saudara-mara VVIP sbb nak angkut dia org ni shopping. Driver pejabat dah jadi driver dia org. Kalau tak layan saudara mara VVIP ni, nanti dapat "wahyu", kena panggil balik ke M'sia.

Rakyat biasa ni dia org tak layan sbb takde kepentingan. Kalau layan VVIP ni nanti bila dah pencen atau balik M'sia boleh "rub shoulders" dgn dia org. Nak mintak naik pangkat atau nak dpt tempat kat GLC pun senang. Semua ni kaki ampu je Dato'.