I hope that all of us are seen as equals.

A security guard. When this occupation is mentioned in conversations, it is often regarded as an undesirable occupation. Many people think that this is a job for ‘lazy’ people.

My name is Dev Bahadus. I am 32 years old and I came from Nepal. I have been working in Malaysia for 7 years. Currently, I work as a security guard. I chose to come to Malaysia to work because this job offers a higher pay as compared to what I’d get in my homeland. I first started working in a factory that manufactures plastic robots but later switched to being a security guard.

Working as a security guard is tough, we often have to work 12-hours shifts without any rest in between. I’ve even worked for 24-hours straight. Even though it is hard, I still continue to work in order to feed my wife and 2 kids at home.

I think that as human beings, we should respect each other regardless of nationality or occupation. I believe that we can build a community with trust; that is why I greet the residents every day. Of course, sometimes we encounter problems like discrimination. Some residents look down on us and ignore us when we interact with them. I do feel sad because we left our homeland and risk our lives to do our job, which is to protect others, yet we are ignored and disrespected. One day, I hope that all of us are seen as equals, and that we can all respect each other as human beings.