This Bangladesh family
yewjin | May 29, 2008About … let’s see.. 5-6 years ago, I hired this Bangladesh boy who responded an ad at my place. He was around 18-19 years old trying to find work - peniless, jobless and without a visa. I offered him a job as a print operator. Being a digital printer, everything runs on computers - and these are unix based printers.
I gave him a try and from my first impression, he was hard working. I had always these perspective that they are either gay or lazy or dirty or a nuisance to the nation that roam pudu raya on weekends and tarnish our nation’s image. Worst of the lot compared to the cambodians or mynamars.
He did what was told and worked really hard - and believe me he really treated me like I was GOD - refusing to let me carry anything heavy. Practically I did not lift anything at all. At times we had to run shifts on a 24 hours basis. He would worked from 9 a.m. till 9 a.m. and I’ll force him to go back to sleep and will be back to work at 12 p.m. the same afternoon. I dont blame him as he needed the money but he could go on for days with little sleep.
As years went by, he stood by me loyally - he basically could operate the whole business without me being there. He could open files, send files to print, ensure that the output was correct and of quality, finish the product and get it ready for delivery. He even played some parts in sales. Of course throughout the years, we became not only as an employer employee relationship but rather closed friends. I bought him a motorcycle which he brags among his friends that he is the only bangla that has a motor and a private house to stay in - not a hostel or above some dodgey shop lot . When his brother came to Malaysia, I employed him too. We were basically like families looking out for each other and they were the people that I could count on when I needed anything done. They gave practically everything to the company and me. Even when at times the company was not doing so well, they supported me by taking a salary cut or working overtime without any pay. The Malaysian employees left the company taking their last pay, sensing that the company was in trouble but the Banglas were the ones that stood by me through good and bad times.
The elder brother is about to leave to go back to Bangladesh and yesterday he invited me for breakfast as he wanted to talk to me. He said that I was the only friend that they could rely on and though he will miss me, he will never forget me and the things that I given these two brothers - the headaches dealing with police when they were caught. He told me to take care of his brother and though there may be some things that he does not approve of what the brother does, he knows that the only person that he’ll listen is me.
The brothers left the company to pursue something better which I gave my blessings but they call me once in a while to check on how I was doing and whenever I needed help, they were always there for me.
The perception of bangla workers hasn’t always been a good one but frankly after being with the brothers and their community I think they are a much better employee than the other nations. I have hired mynamars but I feel that bangla workers are a much better worker.
I shall miss that elder brother who will be leaving Malaysia next week but I hope this blog entry will be a message to us all that dont be a prejudice of the bangla workers. They are only here to earn a living and send money home so that their families back home can have a better life. They are the very few people I know that put their lives ahead of others.
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) - nice spacious airport with loads of 24 hours restaurant, cafe bars, toilets but only one smoking room (after the aerobridge), lousy tv entertainment, nice chairs and free wireless + some PCs for you to use for free. To think about it, it is the only airport that offers free wireless connection. Here are my ratings for KLIA :














