So tonight, while I am on a reflective mood a day after the country celebrates its 55th birthday and we lie under the beautiful blue moon which I couldn't see properly as it was covered by the clouds, I list here 10 things the country should have or should not have done to make our lives less tenuous. Simple things, no political affiliations, no personal attacks, just simple stuff which we take so much for granted. Here goes:
10 Things Malaysia should have/should not have done:
1. Should have ... A stricter clean toilet policy. For those who know me, dirty toilets are my pet peeve. This is hygiene, baby. If you cannot keep your toilets clean .... well, need I say more?
2. Should not have ... Allowed too many foreign nationals into the country. Sorry, but we should have been more selective in whom we allow to 'study' or 'work' here. Go figure whom I mean here!
3. Should have ... More parks. This is a given. Why, oh why, did our town planners not consider this? Perhaps they did, but I guess profits far outweigh environmental impacts. On the other hand, the very few parks we have in the townships should be better maintained. And the attitude of the users... Well, that's another thing.
4. Should not have ... Let our rivers pick up so much residue. This of course partly boils down to improper drainage, poor maintenance of the drains and indiscriminate throwing of rubbish, yikes.
5. Should have ... Set up a National Health Service. Our government hospitals are not able to handle the influx of patients. Having said that, some of our private hospitals' attitude to patients who cannot afford, but need, emergency treatments, is atrocious. And sadly, we are subject to expensive insurance policies, sigh.
6. Should not have ... Been such a laggard when in comes to effective public transportation and connectivity. Really, really, really, what can we say about our taxis, buses and train stations that lead us nowhere? A lot, apparently. You take a train, stop at the station and either have someone pick you up, or you drive off in your car which you have parked earlier, or, heaven forbid, grab a cab. Of course, some of us may be lucky as we can use the feeder buses that connect the station to our homes, but for how many of us? No, I shall not compare us with our down south neighbour which just happens to be the place where I was born. It is a small city, after all, compared to our country. But really, we should have started much earlier!
7. Should have ... Given more emphasis on the English language. "Concerns about
the falling standard of English (and the resultant lack of competitiveness), the unemployment rate of the ethnic Malays who are largely monolingual and the continued segregation of the races prompted the then Minister of Education, Musa Mohamed, to declare that beginning from January 2003 a Malay-English mixed-medium education would be implemented in national schools." * Enough said. And the fact that when DSAI was Education Minister and he introduced Bahasa Baku during the 1989-1990 years did not help either. Such wishy-washy policies do not bode well for the country. Such policies are prevalent till today. New minister, new policy, duhhh.
8. Should not have ... Created Proton and Perodua. Hahahaha, no, am just kidding. Just wanted to see if anyone notices. If Now Everyone Can Fly can get away with lots of stuff, than Now Everyone Can Own a Car should be given its due credit. Stop complaining. If you don't like the national car, there are many foreign makes to choose from, silly.
9. Should have ... Taught girls and boys about using protection even at primary school! Shocked by this? Wake up, people. No matter how much religious foundation you have given your children or guided your kids to do what is right, nothing can beat raging hormones and peer pressure. Of course, abstinence is the best policy. But if adults who know better cannot control their raging hormones, how do you expect those who have just reached puberty to control theirs? Especially when they are urged by their peers and porn is easily available on the net. Dumping/killing of babies vs using condoms/birth control - which is the lesser evil? You tell me.
10. Should not have ... Appointed an 'overdue' Minister to oversee MCMC. Sorry, but I used to admire his speaking prowess when he was a lot younger. But today, his speeches and ideas sparked off all kinds of ridiculous controversies and he belongs to the wrong age group to deal with Gen Y. Actually, a few other Ministries need shaking up too when it comes to the respective Ministers. Top on my list is Tourism. Why? That shall be spelt out in a separate blog post.
There you are, my first blog post and my first 10 Things. You may comment and add your own list, if you like, but take note I do not allow personal attacks and unnecessary political comments. Nope, this is not a democracy :). You can use some other avenue to avenge your personal attacks or unjustified criticisms. Remember, life is too short to waste it on unnecessary anger. Reminder: Don't take anyone, or anything, for granted.
* Paper on: The medium-of-instruction debate in Malaysia: English as a Malaysian language? by Peter K. W. Tan, National University of Singapore
