I WATCHED the video of the speech by a 23-year old law graduate named Zahra on YouTube that recently went viral and I have to say, I totally disagree with her.

Many found her admirable, but I found her to be a sorry sight.

The only thing admirable about Zahra is her ability to sound calm, scripted and collected in front of an assertive audience while she whines about her shattered dreams of the working world, of her reality.

For her to say she represents the voice of today’s younger generation would be misleading because I know many happy and successful 20-something Malay women and men who would totally agree with me.

I also feel her speech was not-so-subtly nuanced with racism. It is sad to know that her generation sees the spirit of unity in this country as unimportant and secondary.

She pleads to the government to defend the fate of the Malays and the Bumiputeras, whom she claims are now like immigrants in their own country.

What does she mean by that? I hear young Malays utter this line almost on a daily basis. Are they oppressed? And if so, by whom? The government? Doesn’t the government already hand out a succession of incentives, loans, scholarships etc. only for Malays?

Zahra is also inconsistent with her real-life story, based on contradictory facts she presented.

For instance, if she could take the LRT to work at the end of every month, why would she opt for renting a car from her father? Doesn’t she know that taking public transportation is way more economical and environmentally friendly?

She is also embarrassed that she can’t support her family financially, that she has to live from hand to mouth with her current financial situation. But didn’t she say she is renting her father’s car at RM500 a month? Isn’t that helpful enough for a daughter who has just started work? So, what’s there to be embarrassed about?

She grumbles about paying RM500 a month in rental, for a house where she lives huddled together with eight other people. That works out to RM4,000 a month in rental.

Why splurge when she can rent a much cheaper house? I know my apartment in Ampang is going for RM2000 and there's plenty of room for those staying there. In fact, five people can live comfortably in a unit.

She also asked about empty houses in Kuala Lumpur and questioned who they are made for, when she can’t even afford the 10 per cent down payment for a home somewhere in Ampang or Melawati, both nicely tucked not far from the city centre.

This says a lot about her and her standard of education. Does she not understand the basics of property valuation, or how to make full use of her salary? Didn’t her mom teach her to “to live within one’s means”?

The part where I cringed the most was when she said she can’t help but think that the only way out of her turmoil is to marry a rich guy. Really Zahra, how shallow can you get? Don’t you know that a woman does not need to rely on a man and his wealth to be successful and happy in life?

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She ended her speech by saying “I love Malaysia”. Really? What has she actually contributed to the country to prove her love, aside from whining about the current socio-economic situation?

And why are there more and more young Malays today who expect ‘charity’ from the government, rather than working hard to achieve success and financial stability?

It takes maturity to understand that there is more to life than just buying cars, owning a house or marrying a rich guy. And maturity is what is lacking in the younger generation of Malays today.