Saturday, June 25, 2011

Is Malaysia Suffering From Inferiority Complex?

When you ask why Malaysia is not as developed as its tiny next-door neighbour, Singapore, the standard retort is that Singapore is a tiny nation and by implication tiny is easy to develop.

The argument is spurious. There are bigger countries than Malaysia, its other neighbour Australia for example, which are more developed than Malaysia.

If you persist on insisting that with all the natural resources including oil that Malaysia is blessed with, we should do better than Singapore, they will tell you that if you are not happy, you could always go back to tiongsan (China) if you are a Chinese, or go back to India if you are an Indian.

Come on, can't Malaysians talk about development without resorting to the racial angle? Is development a racial thing?

Aren't Malaysians concerned about the state of the country's economy? For many years now, the Malaysian economy is not doing well or not doing as well as it should, notwithstanding what the government says.

Had it not been for oil, Malaysia would have gone bankrupt. A Malaysian cabinet minister had said so himself, although maybe not in so direct terms.

Even though China opened it economy only some 35 years ago, it has replaced Japan as the world's second largest economy. The retort to this is that China is a big country and with so many people and the system of government it has, it can do anything and develop quickly.

But they conveniently forget that although American is more or less the same size as China it has a much smaller population and a different system of government, yet it is the world's largest and most developed economy.

Ah, the classic symptom of inferiority complex - if you can't win an argument, just say anything inane or refuse to accept or see the truth.

2 comments:

  1. That kind of retort, to "go back to China" is so pathetic and does not portray the supposed "1Malaysia" concept at all. Anyhow, the real development which needs to take place is in the minds and attitudes of its people.

    Duncan In Kuantan

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes rather unfortunate, Duncan. But I think the government has over the years and in large part contributed to this lack of cohesiveness and understanding/appreciation among/between the races with its divide and rule policy favoured by politicians trying to prolong their political lives.

    ReplyDelete

Kluang's Little Bangsar

Kluang's Little Bangsar
Click To Visit

Kamini's Indian Wedding - Click To Visit

Kamini's Indian Wedding - Click To Visit
I attended my neighbour's daughter's Indian wedding dinner at the Sentul HGH Convention Centre. Click for a peek

Yasmin Ahmad - Click To Visit

Yasmin Ahmad - Click To Visit
Yasmin Ahmad was arguably Malaysia's best story-teller, filmmaker and advertiser. She was well known for her Petronas commercials and had won numerous international awards including the Golden Lion award for the 'Tan Ming Hong In Love' commercial. Her feature film Sepet not only garnered her several international awards including for Best Asian Film but also drew multi-racial audiences that rarely happens for a local film.

Genting Highlands - Click To Visit

Genting Highlands - Click To Visit
Genting Highlands Is A Popular Retreat With A Casino

Batu Caves - Click To Visit

Batu Caves - Click To Visit
Malaysia's Famous Landmark. Note The Statue Of Lord Muruga And The 272 Steps To The Temple Cave In The Background

Petronas Twin Towers And KLCC Park - Click To Visit

Petronas Twin Towers And KLCC Park - Click To Visit
Petronas Twin Towers Are Still The World's Tallest Twin Towers

Some Early Morning Views Of KL City Skyline - Click To Visit

Some Early Morning Views Of KL City Skyline - Click To Visit
Some early morning views of the KL city sykline I took from the 3rd floor of the KL Court with a low-pixel hand-phone camera

Kluang Town - Click To Visit

Kluang Town - Click To Visit
Kluang was a sleepy hollow, but is fast becoming a bustling town. You can't miss the bust-shaped gunung Lambak lording over the place and the town is well known for its tv brand coffee powder

Kluang RailCoffee

Kluang RailCoffee
The Kluang railway station coffee shop, now re-branded Kluang RailCoffee, is well known for its cuppa of coffee and the charcaol grilled piping hot buns oozing with butter and kaya...It used to attract standing-room only crowds. It still does, but the last time I was there it wasn't a good experience for me. The famous coffee had somewhat lost its oomph and even the buns...The shop has a long and noted history being first opened for business in 1938 and the place is now run by the 3rd generation LIm family. I hope the next time I return, the coffee would regain its oomph. Click to read more...