The Malaysian Privilege Checklist You get 1 point for each of the following item that applies to you. The highest possible score is 102 points. How many did you get? 1. You have never been called a pendatang. 2. You’ve never had to work part-time to alleviate your family’s financial situation. 3. You’ve heard of words/things like A Levels, International Baccalaureate, Harvard/Yale/Princeton, and Oxbridge before age 12. 4. You can mention your partner/talk about your relationship with anyone in Malaysia without worrying about your personal safety. 5. You have more than 100 family photos. 6. You can easily find clothes that fit you in any shopping mall in Malaysia. 7. During your teenage and college years, you have never had to worry about your peers suggesting a restaurant/social activity that was out of your budget. 8. In a mixed-gender setting, teachers were more likely to pay attention to you/ask you to be a leader because of your gender. 9. You have never been robbed or confronted with street crime in Malaysia. 10. You expect to live until at least age 60. 11. You’ve been to KLCC before you were 12 years old. 12. You attended a secondary school well-known for producing top students in SPM/GCSE. 13. Your ethnicity does not automatically disqualify you (realistically speaking) from being Prime Minister of Malaysia. 14. You grew up in a neighbourhood where there was at least one Starbucks outlet within 15km from your house. 15. There is at least one person you can call and talk to comfortably right now if you are sad. 16. You have never thought about making career sacrifices for your spouse/future spouse. 17. You learned swimming in a proper swimming pool before you were 12 years old. 18. During your primary school years, you went to school every day in a private car. 19. Your parents were alive and still married when you were 18. 20. 70% of Malaysian politicians are trying to fight for your vote. 21. You have never been teased/bullied/ridiculed for your sexual orientation. 22. You have never had to take more than a few weeks off from work/school to look after a sick family member. 23. You have a birth certificate, IC, and passport. 24. You have friends/family who can help prepare you for job interviews. 25.You can speak German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese or Japanese. 26. As a child, your parents sent you for some form of enrichment activity (taekwondo lessons, drawing class, nature society, etc.) for at least 3 years. 27. Almost all the teachers in your secondary school spoke fluent English. 28. People won’t question your expertise/authority/leadership position or take you less seriously because of your gender. 29. You can discuss your religion openly in Malaysia. 30. You were born in the Klang Valley area. 31. You have never lost a loved one before age 25. 32. Throughout your whole life, you have spent less than 10 days in total in a hospital. 33. You have gone on at least one overseas holiday with your family to Europe or North America. 34. Every student in your school was expected to have his/her own laptop. 35. By age 21, you had friends and acquaintances from more than 3 continents/12 countries. 36. You grew up with loving, supportive siblings. 37.There is an abundance of programmes on TV1, TV2, TV3 and Astro Awani in the mother tongue of your ethnicity. 38. You can afford to do an unpaid internship for 3 months if you wish. 39. You were socially familiar with ang mohs by age 18. 40. At least one of your parents graduated from university. 41. You have medical/health insurance. 42.You have never been sexually harassed or touched inappropriately in public. 43.You can survive solely on your savings for 3 months or more if you suddenly lose all your sources of income. 44. You have relatives living in at least 3 other countries. 45. You will never have to worry about being bypassed for a job promotion because of your ethnicity if you work in a GLC in Malaysia. 46. You will never have to give birth. 47. You were surrounded by classmates who studied hard. 48. You have a Permanent Residency, full-time student visa, employment visa, or other long-term pass in another country. 49. You have never experienced hunger for 48 hours or more because you couldn’t afford to pay for food. 50. You do not have to see a doctor at least once every 3 months. 51. Your secondary school had student clubs/societies such as skating, programming, philosophy, robotics, chess, fencing, hip hop dancing or UNHCR. 52. You have never experienced domestic violence. 53. You have watched a Shakespeare play, a symphony orchestra, an English debate competition, or a ballet performance during secondary school. 54. You feel comfortable in the sex and body you were born in. 55. You have never been mistaken as a foreign worker and/or foreign Indian in Malaysia. 56. You don’t worry about being mocked for bad driving because of your gender. 57. You’ve lived in a family-owned landed house or condominium with a swimming pool in Malaysia for 10 years or more. 58. You have never been wolf whistled or catcalled in public. 59. You do not have to worry about the stigma of having a mental illness. 60. You will never need to convert if you marry someone of a different religion in Malaysia. 61. There’re at least 3 main characters of your gender in almost every novel you read/movie you watch. 62. You’ve had access to the internet since you were 10 years old or younger. 63. Your family has never been in debt. 64. You have never worried about racial quotas. 65. You grew up with friendly neighbours. 66. Your parents took an interest in your educational development and expected you to get some form of university education. 67. You go for a nice dinner (at least RM40 per head) at least once a month, whether you’re paying for it, or it’s paid by someone else. 68. You never have to worry about bleeding profusely from your genitals every month. 69. Someone will help bail you out if you ever get into jail. 70. As a child, your house had at least 20 novels/story books/children’s books. 71. There is an entire article in the Malaysian Constitution dedicated to your privileges. 72. You had at least one teacher in primary/secondary school who took a serious interest in your personal development. 73. By age 13, you had your own bedroom (not shared with any sibling). 74. From the place you live right now, it takes you 2 hours or less to get to the nearest international airport. 75. You do not have a physical disability. 76. You won’t have to worry about being stared at if you wear shorts that end above your knees in public in Malaysia. 77. Someone will realize if you go missing for more than 3 days. 78. You’re at least 5' (if female)/ 5' 4" (if male) tall. 79. You can marry your partner in Malaysia. 80. You’ve had friends stay over at your house at least 3 times when you were a child/teenager. 81. You’ve had at least 2 years of private education (be it primary school, secondary school or university). 82. When you make mistakes or show a weakness, you don’t have to worry about it being attributed to your gender or ethnicity. 83. Malaysian employers won’t overlook your application because of your degree/major/the school you went to. 84. Your parents had tertiary education plans/suggestions for you. 85. You have never been told to dress in a certain way so you won’t get raped in Malaysia. 86. There are schools, scholarships, universities, housing discounts, investment schemes, and civil service positions in Malaysia that prioritize your ethnicity. 87. You can study your religion as an SPM subject. 88. You have lived in the same house/apartment/flat for at least a period of 10 years before age 18. 89. You won’t need to raise funds/ask for public donations to help pay for medical fees if you or your immediate family has a medical emergency. 90. You do not have a disfigurement. 91. There is an abundance of places of worship and religious institutions in Malaysia catering to your religion. 92. You have never experienced homelessness or being disowned by your family. 93. Your family has connections that can help you land a job if you’re a fresh graduate right now. 94. You have lots of fond and memorable experiences with your father. 95. You feel safe walking within a 2km radius of your house at 12 midnight. 96. You don’t worry about people in Malaysia judging you if they find out your course of study/line of work/the field you intend to pursue. 97. You feel comfortable using a public toilet for your gender in Malaysia. 98. You grew up in a hometown where you could find a top violin teacher. 99. You’ve had homeschooling, tuition, after-school classes, and/or private tutoring of any form. 100. As a child/teenager, parents taught you the importance of saving and the basics of personal finance as well as got you a bank account. 101. You have attained a level of literacy that enables you to read and understand this article, as well as count your number of points. 102. You have been told that you are loved.