KUALA LUMPUR, April – Sabah and Sarawak churches must prepare their youths who are coming over to live in Peninsular Malaysia so as to avoid the problems that are currently plaguing many East Malaysian Christians living here.

This is one of the major proposals by the 43 participants of a recent consul tation organised by the NECF Malaysia BM Commission to brainstorm ways to help solve the woes of East Malaysians who are facing serious difficulties in adjusting to the life here. As a result, problems such as immorality, alcoholism and smoking, are rife among them.

At the consultation, three men shared their experiences and the specific problems they encountered in their ministry to the East Malaysians here.

Daniel Raut, a Human Resource and Administration Manager with an international manufacturing company in Johor Baru, told the participants – mainly BM pastors and church leaders – that most factories in Johor are reluctant to employ East Malaysians because of their poor working habits, ill discipline, and problematic lifestyle that includes poor financial management and loose morals.

The elder of SIB JB said most East Malaysian workers lack foresight and motivation for self-improvement. On average, they usually last 10 months in a company before they "disappear", he cited from experience and discussions with his peers.

Kon Oon Sien, the second speaker, said that generally most Christian parents, including those in East Malaysia, have the wrong perception that their children are "safe" as long as they are attending church meetings.

The reality is that regular church attendance does not guarantee freedom from temptations; in fact, a sizeable number of youths from Christian homes are involved in immoral activities because they are unable to withstand the temptations.

Kon, a former lawyer who now heads a non-profit organisation, stressed the need for East Malaysian churches and their Christian parents to instil strong moral values in their young ones.

Lawyer Hon Kay Ping, the third speaker, provided information on how East Malaysian students here are faring. He observed that most of them bow easily to peer pressure out of a strong need to be accepted. Many of them have picked up the smoking habit, but the greater danger is pornography addiction through the Internet and pornographic VCDs that are easily available, he said.

After the talks, participants gathered in small groups for discussions on how to overcome the problems. They concluded that a strong spiritual foundation would help to minimise, if not avoid, the potential troubles of living in the peninsula.

They also proposed that East Malaysian churches inform NECF of any youth coming over to the peninsula and their exact destination; NECF will then forward the name to the nearest BM church for follow up.

The NECF BM Commission will organise talks between churches from East and West Malaysia to discuss the problems and solutions.