Malaysia is a beautiful country, but is that enough?

 

Malaysia is beautiful and bountiful.

Whilst the weather might be a tad muggy, it is not extreme. A few times a year, the rain comes down hard, and some areas are prone to floods. But that is the most extreme thing that happens here. Usually, it’s ‘light and airy clothes’ time all year round, with sandals.

My wife, who comes from the mountains in Europe, insists she wants to live here because she loves our climate. Good for her that she married me, right?

Our food is absolutely mind-blowing. Each region and state in the country has its specialties. There are options for every taste bud and dietary need. The confluence of different races and their culinary offerings makes the food here really eclectic.

Eateries are available at any given time of the day or night. With no fuss and bother, you can just usually walk out from your home and find something delicious to eat. And, you can leave home with no palaver or having to look for the right clothes for different seasons. Our weather is a constant.

The country is a melting-pot of cultures, and the citizenry live harmoniously. A culture of understanding, mutual respect, and acceptance of each other’s practices has long been cultivated. The last time a big flare up between the races in our country happened, it was over 50 years ago.

People are generally sanguine and go about minding their own business.

The terrain and landscape of the nation is magnificent. Everyone will find something that works for them. From pristine beaches to cooling mountains, and bustling exciting cities to quiet spots in the dense rainforest, Malaysia offers something for everyone’s liking.

Opportunities for good employment have always been present. Our nation has moved from being an agrarian society to an industrialised one. Foreign investments have come in the droves, and people have opportunities for work. In recent times, local entrepreneurship has also thrived, and many people are employed by wholly-owned Malaysian companies.

For a long time, the country’s economy was among the best in the region.

In my thirties, as I made my foray into entrepreneurship and business ownership, Malaysia was a great place to be in. It had a dynamic business community. Pragmatism paved the way for innovation and new businesses. Creativity thrived, and many doors were available to knock on for enterprising individuals with new ideas.

Then something turned in our country. I don’t know exactly when, but over the past twenty years, things started changing slowly.

The food remained the same, and the terrain is as beautiful as ever, but a simmering discontent in the way the country was being governed, began. Certain sections of the population started to feel the inequality of being Malaysian.

This uneasiness wasn’t just about privileges that some communities enjoyed over others. It was also about the poverty divide in the nation.

Our brethren in the rural hinterland as well as in parts of East Malaysia began questioning the unbridled economic development concentrated in the cities. Especially when there are small towns and villages that still struggle with clean water and regular electricity supplies.

Opportunities were available in the big cities, but rural Malaysia was being drained of young people who made their way to work elsewhere. The rural-urban divide kept growing.

Simultaneously, certain quarters of the population began to radicalise and make everything about race and religion. Unscrupulous politicians jumped on this bandwagon and turned the governance of the nation into a race-baiting endeavour.

Many issues simply became an ‘us versus them’ narrative.

A previously sanguine and tolerant people, perhaps subconsciously, started taking up polarised positions. Many began to proudly identify themselves first by their own race and religion, and only then, as Malaysians.

Politicians saw the escalating fanaticism, but instead of calming tensions and being wise about the potential disharmony this could bring to the country, they added fuel to the fires.

More chauvinistic groups formed. And everything in Malaysia started being viewed primarily through racial lenses. Slowly, the primary aim of our nationhood, which was to be a united people who could leverage on our diversity for strength, was lost.

In its place, our differences were brought to the fore.

Today, Malaysia finds itself in a corruption quandary at the highest echelons of power. Ultra-racially charged groups are on the rise. The nation’s economy is being badgered by inflation. Our livelihood, and ability to maintain a decent lifestyle, is being threatened.

Yet, we get waylaid by unimportant side-shows, while the real problems of good governance, quelling the brain-drain, rebuilding race-relations, and fighting the scourge of institutional corruption is not being dealt with firmly and decisively.

There is no solid and well-thought through strategy in sight to get the nation back on track. What we do see are declarations and announcements for ‘this or that initiative’, which all sound like PR exercises to just appease a disgruntled populace.

The country feels rather like a rudderless runaway ship. While this might sound exaggerated and alarmist, for many people, Malaysia’s malaise is fast-approaching the point of no return.

As a nation and as a people, where is the maturity to discern the real issues? When will we stop being baited by smokescreens and mirrors that deflect from our problems?

If we don’t mature fast and make changes, this glorious nation of ours, will find itself in dangerous waters on that rudderless ship. Banking only on our magnificent food, agreeable weather and beautiful terrain, will not save us. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.