China News Service, May 29, according to the Malaysian Sing Zhou website, after Brunei became independent in March 1984, with its rich crude oil and natural gas resources, Brunei has become one of the richest countries in the world, many Malaysian Chinese choose to go to the local Development, let us listen to their stories.
Lin Salamander: " Brunei has good security. Don't be afraid to open the door at night."
Lin Salamander is the second-generation Malaysian Chinese living in Brunei. His father Lin Zaifa is the founder of Fengmanlou Restaurant, the most famous Chinese restaurant in Brunei Bay City.
Lin Salamander revealed that his father came to Brunei from Batu Pahat in Johor in the 1980s to develop. He originally planned to return to Malaysia after earning enough money. Unexpectedly, he gradually got used to the life of Brunei and got his own business and The industry, as well as the family, have all moved to Brunei, so they decided to settle in Brunei.
Lin Salamander moved to Brunei after being born in Malaysia, so he still holds Malaysian citizenship. He pointed out that after finishing junior high school education in Brunei, he went to Singapore for further study, and returned to Brunei after getting married and living in Singapore for more than 10 years.
"The main reason for coming back to Brunei is because my parents are old, and as the only son, I have the responsibility to come back to take care of them."
He added that he decided to return to Brunei only four or five years ago. "At that time, my environment and income in Singapore were very good. My wife also had her own profession, family and friends. She had to give up everything and come to Brunei to become a full-time housewife. So I was really entangled when I made this decision. "
Today, Lin Salamander is also very happy to finally return to Brunei. Compared to Singapore and Malaysia, Brunei has a slower pace of life and a leisurely life. It is a country very suitable for family life. "Brunei's work pace is not so tight, I can spend more time with the children, and I also hope that my children can grow up in the environment where I grew up."
Lin Sao said that the Brunei government knows that English is an international language, so education policy also attaches great importance to English. "Brunei's education system is the same as the British General Certificate of Education (GCE). Although the students' learning medium is English, they also learn Malay and Chinese. This is where the Brunei government's education policy has done very well."
He said that since Brunei's overall economy is relatively affluent, the crime rate and public security have also become relatively good. "The public security here is very good, you do n’t have to be afraid to open the door at night, and you do n’t have to worry about public security when you go out on the street. This is where the government does very well."
Yan Meiyun: "When I first arrived in Brunei, I was not used to it. I gave myself two years to go back to Malaysia if I couldn't adapt."
Yan Meiyun from Malacca has been in Brunei for 35 years and is now a naturalized citizen of Brunei, holding a yellow ID card for local citizens.
"Initially came to Brunei by chance." She pointed out that her father encouraged her to apply for the position after seeing the recruitment of teachers in the Brunei Nawei Chinese School in the newspaper. "I had a job in Kuala Lumpur at the time, so I was not very interested in Brunei, but I couldn't withstand my father's repeated requests, I promised my father, wrote a cover letter, and was accepted."
When I came to Brunei, I realized that it was completely different from what I had imagined. She said that the Nawei Chinese School where she works is in the rural area of Malawi, one hour away from the urban area, and the road conditions into and out of the urban area are very bad. It can be said that the development is relatively backward. "I almost came from a big city to a village smaller than my hometown. I was really not used to it when I first arrived, so I gave myself two years. If I ca n’t adapt to the local environment, it will be two years later. Back to Malaysia. "
Later, Yan Meiyun met her husband in Brunei and settled in her home in Brunei.
Guganglai: "Now, even if you are not a Brunei citizen, as long as you are a professional, you can be accepted."
Gugang has been enthusiastic about community activities and currently serves as the deputy secretary general of the ASEAN-China Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the deputy secretary general of the Brunei branch, the honorary vice president and director of the Guangdong Federation of People's Friendship, and the consultant of Jiangmen Overseas Chinese Federation. He has served for 42 years and 5 months at Brunei Malay Clam Shell Oil Company. Since the 1980s, he has actively participated in government and private community associations and organizations. He has been awarded two medals by Brunei for his recognition in the government. And private sector contributions.
Gu Ganglai ’s father came to the oilfield company from Miri, Sarawak in the 1940s. Guganglai is a native of Brunei. However, as mentioned earlier, although the next generation was born in Brunei, to obtain a Brunei ID card, they must pass a special application and a strict Malay and Malay customs knowledge test. Gugang came to say frankly that he had applied for Brunei nationality four times, but he has never been able to pass the identification test. "It is difficult to apply for the Malay test of naturalization. After I failed the test four times, I decided to give up."
However, this policy began to relax after the 1990s. "For the Chinese, there is no distinction between entering the Brunei company. As long as you meet the company's requirements and work hard, the company will give opportunities. Now, even if you are not a Brunei citizen, as long as you are a professional, you can be accepted. "
Lai Hongyan: "Children must learn their mother tongue well and understand their own culture."
In 2010, after failing to start a business, Lai Hongyan shouldered huge debts and took a fancy to Brunei ’s high exchange rate currency value, so he set foot on Brunei. "At that time, the exchange rate of Wenzhou Renminbi to Malaysian Ringgit was around 2.3 ringgit."
Lai Hongyan said that at the beginning, only himself came to Brunei, while his wife and children stayed in Kuching. "Later, the child is going to kindergarten. After doing some investigations, I found that Brunei's education system is good. I decided to let the child be educated here and took my wife and child over."
He revealed that the child is currently studying in a private school in Brunei. Although the school's language of instruction is English, Chinese is still listed as one of the learning subjects. "I emphasize that children must learn their mother tongue well and understand their culture."
Currently, Lai Hongyan settles in Brunei with a work permit or "green card" status; he admitted that if he finally fails to obtain permanent residency, he has no choice but to leave. "In Brunei, it is difficult to obtain permanent residency."
He admitted that although living in Brunei does not face much difficulty or unfair policies, in the long run, foreigners living in Brunei will still be "losing". "The money I earn now is all net gain. There is no so-called pension protection, so everything has to be planned by myself; my work visa needs to be renewed every two years, and I decide whether to get a renewal depending on my health. "He pointed out that as I grow older, I want to continue to get renewed jobs The visa will be a challenge. (Chen Xiaoren)