The
Bakufu (
Jp. warlord) was delighted! At last he was freed from the frustration of having to dance around the politically well-connected Charge d’ Affaires who took care of the running of the organization. The
Bakufu has handpicked the
Gakusha (hereafter known as 'G'), the Ph.D scholar who “took care of” him when
Bakufu was visiting one of the two top universities in Japan. On top of the remarkable brand of G’s university, G’s even got the most prestigious educational scholarship in Japan. It’s the Monbushō Scholarship, of course!
We were happy for the
Bakufu - and we were anticipating a new Charge d’ Affaires who would not be overbearing, but one who would be sincere, friendly and competent. Besides
Bakufu works well with the Y-chromosome species - unless you're a well-known journalist or someone with 'a huge face' with whom he cannot afford to show gender preference.
Some months later, K, my colleague, was amazed why G is so slow at learning the rope and making daily judgments? If creative decisions are even too wishful to ask for, why must G also be such a poor communicator?
G works well with the “underdogs” -- as K puts it. G communicates best to people who cannot speak English – such as the electrical workmen, the cleaners and the aircon-washers. (This does not equate to G’s superb skills in speaking Japanese, though.) G shows disgust bluntly for the confident, slightly demanding young and stylishly groomed girls from a certain office.
G usually messes things up, says K, who’s often infuriated by the need to “clear the debris”. G has a work slogan: “I am very busy” –which also serves as a convenient word to pass the ball to someone else – usually close to deadlines. G grouches when I ask: “Why can’t we do this?” That’s when G will display a blank look.
Two questions surfaced among the observations and negative feedback on the productivity, working style, communication skills and job competence of G:
HOW did G obtain his scholarship and
HOW did he enter such a prestigious university?
G was admitted to that prestigious university for undergraduate studies. He did not go through the Junior college-local university passage. From there G landed the prestigious scholarship and finally obtained his Ph.D.
Compare G to students who spent most part of their childhood studying very hard to get into a local university to read Japanese Studies, G’s decision to go to Japan to pursue his studies was certainly the smartest thing to do.
G loved Japan and confessed to enjoying
izakaya (drinking) sessions everyday while local students such as me clocked ten hours daily to try to master Japanese language--pouring through dictionaries and verifying new words, completing daily assignments, and grabbing opportunities to practise the language.
My result is insignificant compared to what G is able to show to employers. G is able to teach in a local institute of learning because of the brand of his former university. Even with all the incompetence of G, G gets a fatter pay cheque than anyone else in this organization, except the
Bakufu.
For local high-school graduates who did not attempt to apply for the local university, or could not enter it due some reasons, but have chosen to go to Japan to study at the average universities, obtaining school scholarships or spending long hours just doing
arubaito (part-time jobs) were still useful in the long run, according to K, whose two aunties did that and succeeded in obtaining their graduate degrees from a certain less-known Japanese university. The intangible and tangible benefits reaped are likely to double what a student here tries to actively do to improve his/her Japanese. What is more important for a student going to Japan is that he/she will be able to fully focus on his/her interests on Japanese and Japanese culture, rather than being "interfered" by other non-related courses and/or even being discouraged by instructors hired by the local university or visiting fellows.
I 've been scratching my head, thinking hard over what defines a meritocratic system in this country?
