A fifth generation Iban?

This is a letter I just sent to the editors of the New Straits Times and the Star. I just had to say something because it is bad enough that the ad campaign is so meaningless and inane but to have that stupid segment about being a fifth generation Iban makes my blood boil. We are an educated, fairly well-exposed society. Don't give us images and messages based on an assumption of our level of sophistication.

Dear Sir,

How can one be a "fifth generation Iban"? I put this
question to Telekom Malaysia and the team responsible
for the advertising campaign to promote the company's
new brand identity. Lately, the media have been awash
with TM advertisements featuring a man proudly
claiming to be a fifth generation Iban.

The use of the phrase "fifth generation" in this
context is inaccurate because it refers to
nationality, not ethnicity. It means how many
generations have been born in a state or country since
the original ancestor settled there. Therefore, you
can be a fifth generation Malaysian but never a fifth
generation Iban.

To compound matters, the phrase was used in connection
with one of our many indigenous communities. To
suggest that an Iban can only trace his ancestry back
five generations, that his forefathers have been Iban
for less than 150 years (assuming that a new
generation is born every 25 years), is at best,
absurd. At worst, it is insensitive and insulting.

This re-branding exercise is meant to present a new
Telekom Malaysia to the world, a Telekom Malaysia that
ostensibly understands its customers and is willing to
go further to serve them. Unfortunately, its lavish,
very, very expensive advertising campaign undermines
the whole effort by this display of ignorance.

Thank you.

Sincerely, etc.


The only bit we like is the fisherman who says he doesn't like fish. That displays a nice sense of irony that the rest of the campaign lacks.