Forthnights

Hating your own country

I just had a brief online conversation with a former university mate.. and in no uncertain terms was I told by the person that they hated living in Malaysia.

This came as suprise to me. I have never really come across a Malaysian who hated their own country.. at least not so openly.

"What's the reasons for this?" I asked. This person did after all spend about a year in the UK after we all completed out studies... I was given 3 reasons. Weather, government and the people.

The weather part I can understand. We do live in a country that is not only hot but very humid as well. Most people think it's the heat that kills you here.. but really its the humidity. Physics 101 tells you that the more humid an environment, the harder it is for sweat to evaporate. The harder it is for sweat to evaporate, the harder it is for our bodies to stay cool and dry. That's why we feel hot and sticky all the time! As a result, we Malaysians won't walk anywhere if it takes longer than 5 minutes because if you do, on the outside, you get half baked from the sun rays, and on the inside, you get half soaked in your own sweat. So in that sense, I agree. Our weather is just so harsh that anyone who's ever been to other parts of the world well away from the equator and experienced a leisurely walk on a cool summers day, would never want to return to this steam oven we call home.

But there IS one thing to our favour here, that many of us take for granted all the time... and that's the sun. Yes, the sun. We grow up hiding from it and its effects all our life.. we walk under shades, we bring umbrellas, and we put creams on our faces to whiten our dark skin no thanks to the sun. We spend so much time and effort avoiding the sun. But the sun affects us in a more subtle but no less important way that many of us do not realize. When there is a clear blue sky with sunlight coming through down to land, we somehow become energized. Life literally becomes sunnier. People feel better, moods are lighter, and there is a general sense of liveliness everywhere you go.

I'm not making this up by the way.

I have personally experienced this in my travels, and was told the same thing by the people I visit. Can you imagine waking up every single morning, going to work, doing your gardening, or playing in the field with the sky in a permanent grey cast? Why do you think the British are so obsessed with the weather? Why do you think every single radio and TV news telecast almost always include a weather forecast? Why do you think so many westerners travel miles and miles or fly half way round the world to tropical countries during their winter holiday just to sit under a coconut tree by the sea? Its because of the sun. The presence of the sun affects us. I have been told by a Pharmacist friends that anti-depressant drug prescriptions always go up during the long UK winters when you hardly see the sun. So yes, we do get more than our fair share of sunlight here.. but hey.. better more than less!

On the second issue of government... oh brother... where do I even begin. If you read foreign papers like CNN, BBC or any other non-Malaysian newspaper, you probably have the impression that we are in a complete mess as a country. You will have been told of our newly elected Prime Minister somehow suspiciously link to dead Mongolian girls, how the non-Malay races are marginalized systematically with unfair & biased government affirmative actions, and how we are have absolutely no freedom of speech. Those daring enough to show dissent to the government get thrown into jail without a trial. Also, you are told that Malaysian officials are very corrupt and the only way to get things done is by paying someone off.

I find many people who make these comments often know little or hardly anything about our government at all, or they just echo whatever they just heard from others. These same people who tell you that our government is lousy would not even know any other minister in the cabinet beyond the Prime Minister and his deputy. These same people would also have not done any critical thinking, research or analysis of their own on the state of Malaysian politics and government. They either just repeat what they heard in the coffee shop, or hear what others say if they are overseas. Worst of all, these same people most probably did not vote either. I admit, our local politics seem more like a circus sometimes.. or what I like to call 'kampung style' politics. State assembly meetings under a tree, name calling and stupid 'bocor' remarks in proper Parliment sittings, and ministers making the most ridiculous remarks on a daily basis (I usually get my doses of funny political observations from Patrick Teo here). Yes, I totally agree our MP's are nowhere as polish, eloquent or sharp as the British MP's or members of the American Congress. In fact, if you follow the weekly Parliament sittings, it can be quite embarrassing to hear what these elected representatives actually say.

The issue of corruption is also taken very seriously, and to its credit, the government has made efforts to reduce this. But lets look at it with perspective. We are still a very young nation, at only 52 years old. Compared to countries like war torn Zimbabwe, who gained independence the same year we did, I think we have done considerably well. We aren't there yet, but we are learning. And who says first world countries are that much better anyway? Haven't you hear about the British MP's cheating on claims recently? Yes, hundreds and thousands of pounds used for personal repairs on their mansions, hotel bills for nights with their mistresses and suspicious payments out to companies the MP's themselves have a stake in were just the tip of the iceberg it seems. So who says corruption happens only in us 'developing countries'?

But you know, all this talk of government transparency, efficiency and national policies sometimes seem so detached from our real lives. It's funny that despite these people complaining that our government is lousy, no good and over controlling, they still live pretty good lives. The average man complains, eats, shops, worships, holiday, travel and write as he sees fit without any intervention from the government. There are no ears on the wall ala KGB waiting for you to say a wrong word before being sent to jail. Yes, there are some things we aren't allowed to debate and argue about publicly, like Malay privileges & Muslim conversions, and to the western world, this is a lack of freedom. But absolute freedom, unchecked spells doom, especially for a young country like us. Our society isn't mature enough to publicly fight and disagree on these issues without tearing ourselves apart. Despite being painted as a controlled society... our people lead comfortable and free lives. Cost of living is low, education levels are good, and there is genuine peace in the land. The daily circus of local politics aside, our government has in the last 20 years been a good steward of our country's and its people's welfare.

On the last issue of people... I have no idea what this person meant, but only said that people in the UK & other western countries were friendlier. Malaysians were rude and had no respect for each other. Well.... it sounded to me like they were saying Malaysians were just generally uncivilized & unrefined.

I don't know about that..... as a Malaysian, I know that we can be a bit quirky sometimes... but generally I think we are a well rounded lot. I don't know what kind of experience others have had, but generally, I find that we are highly adaptable people, able to live and adjust to life anywhere in the world. We all grow up with neighbors vastly different from ourselves, in race, religion, language, culture, social status and opinions. We know how to tolerate and adopt to each other. Only in Malaysia will you have a Chinese eating banana leaf rice with their hands, an Indian eats Wantan mee with chopsticks and a Malay chap having tau fu far (bean curd) for dessert. I do think we are generally friend and courteous people.. though perhaps not as polished in speech and mannerism as those in first work countries. We aren't too caught up in the rat race that we become selfish and uncaring of others (like our neighbours down south), and we aren't so backward that we don't know the ways of the world either. We all speak English, Malay and at least our mother tongue, and our culture remains very much Asian, where filial piety, hospitality to our guest, politeness and respect to elders still exist. So we aren't as high thinking others; we don't use hybrid cars, we don't recycle, we don't care for public property and we don't properly conserve natural resources like water and electricity very well.. but hey, one step at a time OK. The west polluted and pillaged the earth for hundreds of years before thinking of recycling or controlling green house gases. No one cried foul then, and no one is pointing fingers at them now either for the giant hole in the ozone over antarctic melting our icebergs as we speak. Like I said, we are getting there, slowly but surely.

So really, what is there to hate about this country? It's not perfect... but in many ways, it still is good by any standards. We get the sun all year round, we live comfortably and we all sit in the mamak peacefully watching football without killing each other (unless they were Liverpool fans of course, in which case, die!)..... don't you agree?

posted by Compulsive Blogger @ 11:49 pm Comments: 0