每日12小时，撑起巴基斯坦的家：马力克的异乡日常 Twelve Hours a Day, Holding Up a Family in Pakistan: Malik’s Life in a Foreign Land

“如果你说某个人不好，你可以说这个人不好，但不要牵扯整个国家。如果我不好，你不需要说巴基斯坦人都是这样。因为你提到的是一个人错，不是整个国家的错。请试着理解这点。”——马力克

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在加影一家24小时营业的Mamak档里，早班收银员马力克（Malik）从早上七点起，就已经在柜台前待命。39岁的马力克来自巴基斯坦，三年前为了寻求生计，离开了家乡来到马来西亚。他回忆道，刚到马来西亚时，他先在柔佛新山工作了半年，之后才辗转来到吉隆坡这座繁忙的城市。从一开始在新山的商场工作，到如今在Mamak档，他一做就是三年。

在马来西亚，许多 Mamak 档都是 24 小时营业，特别是在吉隆坡，更是随处可见。马力克说，他每天必须在店里工作 12 小时——这是 Mamak 档里默认的“潜规则”。

“只要是 24 小时营业的店，工时一定是 12 小时，没有兼职，也没有少于这个的选择，就是持续上 12 个小时。”对马力克来说，他也只能慢慢习惯这样的节奏。

剩下的 12 个小时，就是他一天里唯一能休息的时间。

在语言与牵挂之间的坚持

马力克回忆到，当初来到马来西亚的时候，对他来说最难的不是体力活，而是学会并且运用一门语言。“当你不懂怎么工作，也不懂这里的语言的时候，你会遇到很多的问题。但是你必须忍耐，并且需要学习。当你学会之后，自然什么事情你都会做了。”

休息时间，也是马力克能和家人保持联系的时刻。他几乎每天都和远在巴基斯坦的妻儿通话。他基本上每个月都会汇钱回家，寄出的通常是薪水的大半部分，剩下的则是给自己备用和购置生活用品的经费。他表示虽然每个月的金额不固定，但都会尽力把最好、最多的留给他心爱的家人。因为他知道，那是孩子的学费、家里的生活费，也是他坚持留在这里的理由。“我想念他们，我也想回去。但我正是为了他们才留在这里的。”

异乡中的信任与依靠

谈起雇主和员工的关系，马力克对自己的老板赞不绝口。他提到，“老板对我，对所有人都一样好。”马力克在这家Mamak档工作了两年，他坦言自己非常喜欢这里的工作环境，和老板、同事们相处融洽，因此不打算离开。

马力克在这里，也有一位非常要好且信任的人，那就是他的哥哥——哈斯纳 (hasnad)。哈斯纳来马来西亚工作已有七年，这里的每一位老板都认识他。如今，哈斯纳已经帮忙老板打理三家门店。每当马力克的证件出现问题、需要寄送物品，或是遇到生活上的难题时，他总是会告诉哈斯纳，而哈斯纳便会赶过来关心他。

为家人奔赴的未来

聊起未来的计划，马力克透露自己明年想要回到巴基斯坦，开一家他一直很想开的五金店，做一些水电、电工相关的生意。回到巴基斯坦，也意味着他即将和家人团聚，生活在一起。“我的梦想是，我的家人、我的孩子，无论他们想做什么，我都想帮他们完成他们的愿望。”

“我不是标签”

谈话来到尾声时，马力克突然灵机一动，叫住了我们，请我们打开相机继续摄录；像是有什么很想说的却又一直不敢说的，在这一刻将要被释放。马力克说，这是他一直收在心里面的一些想法。

“如果你说某个人不好，你可以说这个人不好，但不要牵扯整个国家。如果我不好，你不需要说巴基斯坦人都是这样。因为你提到的是一个人错，不是整个国家的错。请试着理解这点。”

在马力克的眼睛此时此刻更加明亮，这番话也让他变得更加勇敢。

夜色再次笼罩加影，Mamak 档的灯光依旧亮着。柜台前的马力克，继续重复着熟悉的动作，把一天又一天的时间投入这间不眠的店铺。他的生活看似单调，却在每一次汇款、每一通跨国电话、每一个忍耐与坚持之中，被赋予了重量与意义。对马力克而言，马来西亚不仅是一处工作的地方，更是一段为家人而走过的旅程。而在无数个24小时不停运转的Mamak档里，像他一样的外籍劳工，用自己的青春与劳力，支撑起城市的日常，也悄悄编织着属于自己的未来。

Introduction

“If you want to say that someone is bad, you can say that person is bad—but don’t drag an entire country into it. If I am wrong, you don’t need to say that all Pakistanis are like this. You are talking about one person’s mistake, not a whole nation’s. Please try to understand this.” — Malik

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At a 24-hour mamak restaurant in Kajang, Malik, the morning-shift cashier, has been standing behind the counter since seven o’clock in the morning. The 39-year-old came from Pakistan three years ago in search of a livelihood, leaving his home and family behind to work in Malaysia.

When he first arrived, Malik spent six months working in Johor Bahru before moving to Kuala Lumpur. From a job in a shopping mall in Johor to his current position at a mamak restaurant, he has now been working continuously for three years.

In Malaysia, many mamak restaurants operate around the clock, especially in Kuala Lumpur, where they are found almost everywhere. Malik explains that he works twelve hours a day, it is an unspoken “rule” in the mamak industry.

“As long as the shop operates 24 hours, the working shift is always twelve hours. There are no part-time options, no shorter shifts. You just work for twelve hours straight,” he says. For Malik, adapting to this rhythm was not a choice but a necessity.

The remaining twelve hours of the day are the only time he has to rest.

Holding On Between Language and Longing

Looking back on his early days in Malaysia, Malik says the hardest part was not the physical labor, but learning to understand and use a new language.

“When you don’t know how the work is done, and you don’t understand the language here, you face many problems. But you must endure, and you must learn. Once you learn, everything becomes easier” he reflects.

His rest hours are also the moments when he stays connected with his family. Almost every day, Malik speaks with his wife and children back in Pakistan. He sends money home nearly every month, usually transferring most of his salary. What remains is used for his own basic needs and daily expenses.

Although the amount varies from month to month, he says he always tries to send as much as he can. He knows the money is for his children’s school fees, household expenses, and daily survival, and it is also the reason he continues to stay.

“I miss them, and I want to go back. But it is for them that I stay here.”

Trust and Support in a Foreign Land

When speaking about the relationship between employers and workers, Malik has nothing but praise for his boss.

“My boss treats me well, he treats everyone the same,” Malik says. He has been working at this mamak restaurant for two years and describes the workplace as one he truly enjoys. He gets along well with both his employer and colleagues and has no intention of leaving.

In Malaysia, Malik also has someone he deeply trusts, that was his older brother, Hasnad. Hasnad has been working in Malaysia for seven years and is well known by many employers. Today, he helps manage three outlets for his boss.

Whenever Malik encounters problems with his documents, needs help sending items, or faces difficulties in daily life, Hasnad is the first person he speaks to. His brother would come by to check on him and offer assistance, providing both practical help and emotional reassurance.

A Future Built for Family

When asked about his plans for the future, Malik shares that he hopes to return to Pakistan next year to open a hardware store, something he has long dreamed of. He plans to run a small business related to plumbing and electrical work.

Going home also means reuniting with his family and finally living together again.

“My dream is that my family, my children, whatever they want to do in the future, I want to help them achieve their wishes,” he says.

“I Am Not a Label”

As the conversation drew to a close, Malik suddenly asked us to turn the camera back on. It was as if he had something he had been holding for a long time, something he was finally ready to say.

“If you want to say someone is bad, you can say that person is bad. But don’t involve an entire country. If I am bad, you don’t need to say all Pakistanis are like this. You are talking about one person’s fault, not a whole nation’s fault. Please try to understand this.”

At that moment, Malik’s eyes seemed brighter. His words made him sound braver, firmer, and more certain of his own dignity.

Night once again falls over Kajang, and the lights of the mamak restaurant remain on. Behind the counter, Malik continues his familiar routine, pouring day after day into this sleepless shop. His life may appear repetitive, but in every remittance sent home, every cross-border phone call, and every act of endurance and persistence, his days are filled with weight and meaning.

For Malik, Malaysia is not just a place of work—it is a journey undertaken for his family. And in the countless 24-hour mamak restaurants that never stop running, migrant workers like him uphold the city’s daily rhythm with their youth and labor, quietly weaving futures of their own.