Okay, so I thought of starting with “all my life growing up in Malaysia” but the fact is the 28 years growing up in Malaysia, I’ve experienced noticeable changes in our country’s people.
I don’t have a problem with foreigners coming here for better jobs and such. However, it pisses me off feeling their not-so-good habits are influencing our culture. Any by foreigners, I’d say it even extends to the Malaysians whom came to KL from out of state.
Ignorant and arrogant motorists
If you’re my age or older, have you noticed the drivers here are now worst than what they were 10 years before. Seriously. When I first got my license, there weren’t idiots who squeezed their arrogant faces just before they can’t do it. The motorcyclist were more careful of the vehicles for the safety of their life rather than trying to be king of the road.
Making kids behave
Now as an adult, you reflect on the actions your parents did to discipline you. You get it now. Which is why you find old cartoons now lame because you actually pay attention to the scripts in them – that’s another story. I’ve noticed parents nowadays are more lax with their kids. Unlike when I was a kid, parents advised kids to not be so rowdy. Thanks to technology, you know this was coming, Apple’s iPad not only has kept the kids quiet but sometimes detached from observation. Which is why I myself am wondering how’d I bring up my kids with such technology later.
Keeping Malaysia cleaner
I don’t deny we can’t make our country spotless. But I’ve experienced enough in countries like Australia and Singapore to know, we can help keep our country; Malaysia, cleaner than what it is today. More smokers are chucking their buds out the car windows. Even normal motorist just throw their rubbish out the window. People who use parks with food or anything with disposable items don’t throw them in the bin. It keeps getting worse.
Cleanup after yourself at fast food outlets
When I was in Melbourne, I noticed patrons cleaned up after themselves when they finished their meal. It was weird for me as back in Malaysia, we never did it and I couldn’t understand why. So I decided to do the same and since then, I do it when I’m back too. It not only felt good to help others already working there, but you leave feeling proud that you did something great. Even it meant just cleaning up after yourself. Give it a try. Ignore the weird eye brows and cooks stares coming from other patrons.
People create the culture
That’s what a friend of mine said and as an adult, I understand the statement. Our parents who taught us to be better people aren’t going to be around forever. Our children are going to grow up following our discipline and habits. If we don’t start now and make others realize it, I’m more concerned our generations won’t have much of a culture.
So please stop throwing buds or rubbish out the window. Bring a black bag to the park for rubbish. Cleanup after yourself at your next McDonalds visit. Tell your relatives and friends their kids are not leaving them a good impression as a parent if they continue behaving that way.
The government is one thing. But we need better Malaysians too.
