The following is a news article from The Stars...
Thursday July 19, 2007
Pride and shame of being Malaysian
Along the Watchtower: M. VEERA PANDIYAN
We have progressed in form, but definitely not in terms of substance after 50 years.
THE countdown has begun. In six weeks, we will be celebrating 50 years of Merdeka. Half a century of being independent is indeed something to be proud of.
But before the fireworks, parades and parties begin, can we hit the pause button and ponder about the kind of nation we have grown into?
Compared with most countries that freed themselves from colonialism at about the same time, we can be smug with our tangible trappings of progress – impressive infrastructure, grandiose buildings, vibrant cities, state-of-the-art technology and thriving businesses and industries.
In form, there is no doubt that we have advanced. As for growth in terms of substance, I’m afraid there isn’t much to gloat over. Call me unpatriotic if you want, but in areas where it really matters, there are many things we should be ashamed of.
To begin with, we are dirty. After 50 years, it’s a disgrace that Malaysians haven’t learned how to keep our surroundings clean nor reduce the amount of filth produced daily.
Last week, the Prime Minister lambasted those who still throw rubbish out of their houses, along roads and into rivers. Don’t bet on his scolding to have much impact, though.
Each time a flash flood occurs, there will be a customary hue and cry over clogged ditches. But except for the prolific breeding of roaches and rodents, nothing much really happens to the drains until the next surge of muddy water.
In our cities and towns, food outlets, hawkers, and pasar malam traders blissfully discharge waste into the drains.
Public health enforcement from the much-touted delivery system? Forget it. It might take an outbreak of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome or perhaps the bubonic plague before our local authorities start worrying about rats multiplying in the sewers.
Hygiene appears to be seriously lacking in the canteens of our schools, too, based on the alarming numbers of food poisoning cases. Flies, carriers of countless deadly diseases, are a common sight in places where food is being prepared for vulnerable young children.
Malaysians make a huge fuss each time some stall owner raises the price of teh tarik or roti canai by 10 sen but don’t seem perturbed by filthy toilets, nor the presence of flies or German cockroaches in the outlets, unless of course they see the creatures in their food.
The rising numbers of crime is another ignominy. For the record, there was an 8.7% increase in the crime index in the first five months of this year compared with the corresponding period in 2006.
As of May, 87, 582 cases of brazen rapes, car thefts, and burglaries committed throughout the country, 7,006 more than the 80,576 filed during the first five months last year.
Between January and May, 1,243 rapes were committed, 272 more than the 971 recorded during the corresponding period in 2006. The highest numbers of rape cases were in Selangor with 280, followed by Johor (158) and Kedah (138).
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohd Najib Abd Aziz said last week that policemen shouldn’t solely be liable for the high crime rate in some areas.
He blamed those who always say saya tak tahu (I don’t know) for the force’s difficulties in solving crimes, claiming that even those who see offences committed before their eyes refuse to help the police.
Sir, can you fault them for keeping mum with all the allegations being made against the force, including its topmost brass? Even a deputy minister known for questioning the conduct of the police, has demanded that bloggers, whose postings have already spread far and wide, be investigated so that the truth could be known.
The perception of corruption both in the public and private sectors is yet another one of the nation's infamies. What is more shameful is the majority of citizens are not outraged by what is going on.
Instead of leading by example, some politicians proffer farcical suggestions like making anti-corruption a subject in schools. An apt Bahasa Malaysia saying comes to mind: Seperti ketam mengajar anaknya berjalan betul. (Like a crab trying to teach its young to walk straight.)
Honestly, how many of them are willing to publicly declare their wealth and their direct and indirect business interests?
Steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king ... this line from Bob Dylan’s 1983 song, Sweetheart Like You, sounds applicable to our corporate scandals over the years, doesn’t it?
As for pride in our national unity, our leaders always market Malaysia as a global example of multi-ethnicity, multi-culturalism and multi-religiosity, but the reality is, after five decades of living together, distrust, prejudice and intolerance still lie dormant beneath the patina of our harmony.
Instead of force-feeding morality on students, we should instil in them the pride of being a part of a rich multi-ethnic, mutually respecting and mutually tolerant society.
If this is made a compulsory lesson for every Malaysian child, perhaps there could be better hope for us to achieve true national unity.
While today’s focus is on developing human capital, we are still driving away our best brains, no thanks to questionable implementation of policies. At the same time, we are drawing in more cheap brawn for our manufacturing industries, while local workers are unable to get a decent minimum wage.
I'll end with the state of Malaysian football, which has plunged to its sorriest depths of shame. Enough excuses have been given; it’s time to kick the bootless bosses out.
Honestly, I am in total agreement on what the writer has mentioned......
