Politicising a beneficial scheme

YOU did not fare too well in your SPM. You are the oldest in a family of five, so making it in the current economy means doing it yourself, with no older sibling to take the lead. You have missed out on the vocational training your younger brothers are now taking. The skills upgrading classes for youth are available but taxing on your schedule at a time when you need to be making money already.

You tried working in Shah Alam as a low-grade mechanic. You fixed bumpers and ducked your head under cars all day with the expectation of getting paid late. The living quarters were cramped and the journeys back to kampung were a hassle. You made no real friends here. It just was not home.