I went to Asia this time around to try and land new clients, and was fairly successful. However, the pragmatic side of me waits with detachment and baited breath to actually get a work offer out of these companies. It's time to move on, as a business owner, as a person, and as an artist/entertainment professional.
I must explain something first: The title "Rainbow Tour" came from the musical Evita. Evita was beautiful, glamourous, and had that je ne sais quoi charismatic quality that can help influence things. She did after all, help her husband Juan Peron, get his presidency and stay in power. Regardless of the good and/or bad she did, I related to the charisma, beauty and her mission: to make friends and influence people.
I don't want to talk about what I accomplished on this trip in this post. I want to speak out about the things I saw, experienced and witnessed. What I experienced was a lot of injustice. I saw how ugly political and social agendas can be, though created with the best of intentions. Finally I witnessed what those things can do to people and societies that affects.
Hong Kong was interesting. It's been three years since my last visit. In my previous posts, I talk about how the civil rights of Hong Kongers -- The Basic Law -- is being chipped away at by Beijing. Way before its time, in 2047. A lot of signage was not bilingual -- English and Traditional Chinese. It was much harder to find someone who would talk to you in English. Though it did not bother me as much, as I utilized coping mechanisms I learned from assisting Latin American tourists at one of my jobs -- you know, the rude "I don't give a damn that you can't speak Spanish. Just pay me and leave. Thank you. Bye-bye!" mentality. I found it disturbing, as since Hong Kong has billed itself as "Asia's World City", that it isn't as international as it used to be. The majority of the signage that was bilingual was put out by the Government, as public service announcements.
People are mad, angry, and much more into themselves, as a result of Beijing's will being enforced. They will not have direct vote over their Chief Executive as promised. Mandarin and the system of indoctrination of the Communist Party will be imposed upon the youth in the next year or so, which means Cantonese will be gone in China, and can only be heard in overseas Chinese communities AND the youth will not hear about Tianamen Square in their history lessons. Even the police force is obligated to only support the pro-Beijing protesters. The rule of law is being trampled on.
And like Tibet and Xinjiang Autonomous Region, Hong Kong is being inundated by Mainland Chinese, who lack manners and social skills, and monopolize the cities' resources, driving consumer and property prices higher, in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
For example, infant formula, in many places, is something we take for granted. Because of food safety issues related to the quality of local brands and US/Aussie/European stocks can be hard to get, Mainlanders arrive in HK and hoard the supply. Retailers have imposed limits on how much they are allowed to buy, and they are reminded at Hong Kong International Airport, once more on how much they are allowed to take back to China, which is, I believe 2 canisters per party.
Mainland Trash (or Rubbish, if one prefers), I call them, are creating unnecessary conflict in a city whose problems seem to mount with their presence. Screw the economic benefit of Mainland money into the Hong Kong economy, it has many negative effects as well.
Hong Kongers did not choose this fate. It was decided for them, by Britain and Bejing. They should have had the right to choose, even if this is contrary to the Central Government's One China policy. I reckon that they are feeling disempowered, and are forced to accept the new order of things, without a fight. I guess Maggie Thatcher decided it wasn't worth the fight and getting NATO involved.
Unfortunately, the biggest losers will not be the Chinese Hong Kongers. It will be the expats, mainly of European decent, the Filipino/Indonesian/Malaysian contract workers, and the Indians are the decendants of the servants that the British brought with them. These people will be constantly reminded that they don't belong here, and will never successfully be integrated into HK society. Even with everything the Government has done to encourage diversity and integration.
A few years ago, I saw a Hong Kong Government video on the subject, where a white guy said he never had any problems dealing with anyone. Really? Is it because he's cloistered himself in expat circles and neighborhood, which offer a degree of protection and isolation, as well as support? What universe was he living in? Wow! I wonder if he is still in Hong Kong, how he feels about things as they have evolved into now.
What doesn't help is the HK English media doesn't report on the same things that the Chinese media does. So we get different impressions of what the reality is. It would be SO nice if we hear and see the same things that the locals do.
Singapore was refreshing. I felt more at home and safer than I ever did in HK. Which is weird, because I never really had serious drama there, save the crappy customer service bullshit. It kept its culture. It's cleaner. Though officially multi-lingual, English is widely spoken. I was impressed that a Singapore Post counter clerk went from Hindi, to Chinese, to Malay, and finally when dealing with me, English in a course of 20 minutes. Their system encourages diversity, as their history points out -- the city state was forced out of Malaysia over riots demanding equality for everyone.
Equality and prosperity comes at a price. Though one is allowed to vote for their government, their choices are few, as the ruling party has ruled since the formation of the country. There's a saying that is prominent with anything tourist oriented -- "Singapore is a Fine City" -- meaning on one hand, that it is a great place to visit, but on the other, one can get fined for the slightest infraction, like littering. Chewing Gum is banned and is confiscated upon arrival. Freedom of expression is tightly controlled. Another joke says that the only thing that Singaporeans can legally complain about without fear of jail is food.
The city has a better planned transit system, as cars are expensive to purchase, own and maintain there. MRT was easy to get around and had toilets at the stops. It just felt like home. More than Hong Kong ever did.
Malaysia is something I didn't get a chance to see much of. However, I am reminded of Cebu when Alan and I visited in 2006. Without the major tourist traps, casinos and traffic issues. But my escort and friend had given me the 411 about how this country works. Remember a few paragraphs ago I talked about equality?
There is a system that was created to distribute the wealth and social services to the poorest of Malaysians -- 60% of the country are Malay Muslims. The Malays get preferential treatment in housing, university, social services and government jobs. This leaves the Malaysians of Chinese and Indian decent, as well as the indigenous peoples out of this equation. The Chinese and Indians create the bulk of Malaysian wealth, but aren't allowed to participate fully.
The elections in May were racked with allegations of fraud, and many Malaysians regard it as a joke. One of the major issues was this system, this 'great equalizer'. Unless this is reformed, it is reported that the Chinese and Indians will leave, creating a brain drain. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister has plans to expand the system.
This system is very divisive. My friend/escort only really took me to Chinese areas, as he wasn't really comfortable dealing with the Malay places. We went to a coffee place by my hotel, and though the food was good, the Malays treated us with indifference. It's kinda sad, really, as he should feel at home at home, anywhere he goes.
This trip was an eyeopener. I knew there was injustice in the world, but I got to see it first hand how it affects people where they live. My Malaysian friend, who is actually a Hong Konger reminded me: "We are really lucky. You're American. I'm Hong Konger. We can go back. These people can't. We have freedoms that these people don't."
(Drew's note: you can find a lot of material I discuss in my blog posts or my Facebook posts. I also post this critique knowing I have a lot to lose. Following Aung Sang Suu Kyi's statement: Use your freedom to fight for those who have none, I will do my best to be a voice in this ongoing struggle.)
