An interview with my dad, Part One: Life in Malaysia vs. the UK

Happy Malaysian Independence Day! ????

It's been a long time coming (while this was filmed back in May 2023, only recently have I managed to completely get it sorted for publication) - the latest edition of "The ESEA Echo" is an interview with my own dad. And fittingly it's being posted on Malaysian Independence Day (31st August).

In the first part of this episode (as it was very long!), we talk about his time growing up in Malaysia in the 50s and 60s (he's been in the UK since 1972), why he decided to move to England, his family then and now, the differences and similarities between the two countries, and about discrimination and prejudice he faced in his early years here - a story I didn't know about and was saddened but also not surprised to hear.

In Part Two, coming soon, we discuss the prevalence of ESEA parents willing their children to go down certain career paths, and why, parenting as a culturally traditional Chinese person, the increase in ESEA people these days taking a stand against discrimination, and more - so stay tuned!

About Malaysia and Malaysians living in the UK:

• Malaysia has been known by its current name since 1963, formerly also known as "Malaya" (making it quite officially 60 years old)
• Singapore also used to be part of Malaysia, up until 1965
• 31st August marks the date in 1957 that Malaysia was no longer under British empirical rule
• Malaysia is perhaps one of the most multicultural countries in Southeast Asia, comprising of ethnic Malays (up to 70%), Chinese (23%), Indians (around 7%) and indigenous populations
• There are anywhere between 60-75,000 British citizens who have full or partial Malaysian origin or descent and Malaysian citizens residing in the UK
• Malaysians are one of the largest overseas student groups in the UK
• Malaysians are the 16th largest ethnic minority group working in the NHS
• These above figures do not break down into ethnic groups such as Malays, Chinese or Indian
• Non-Malays have suffered discrimination and prejudice in Malaysia, often finding it difficult to climb career ladders in predominantly Malay-owned and run businesses, being benchmarked higher for exams, and generally less favoured in other situations
• The Malaysian Chinese are often seen as linguistically gifted, with the majority able to speak English, Malay (Bahasa Melayu), and at least one Chinese dialect in addition to Mandarin, which they most learn in Chinese language-specific schools. My mum was able to speak around five fluently!
• Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country and is often ruled as such despite the constitution granting freedom of religion
• LGBTQ rights are practically non-existent for everyone