Spent some time lepaking at the garden there. Nice and scenic place. Tidy and neat. It's just the garden of a cluster of HDB flats. Still, I wish that public parks in Malaysia could be as nice. Personally, I think our maintenance culture got a lot of catching up to do if we want to be on par with Singapore's.
The Causeway was a bit jammed on our side. Guess the Singaporean custom and immigration people, despite being more strict than their Malaysian counterparts, are more efficient. Well, another thing we can improve.
I'm no fan of Singapore, but I don't hate that country either. So, when they are better than us, I would readily admit so. We do have better things going on compared to them, but I don't feel it's wrong to learn from them when necessary, so that we can improve our country.
Anyway, I wonder if Penang under Lim Guan Eng will soon be as good as Singapore. My DAP friends said they always wanted this country to be like Singapore. Guess they can have it on the Penang island due to the overwhelming majority of Chinese there. Most of the Malay and Indian Penangites are in Seberang Prai now, or elsewhere, if I am not mistaken. Easier for Guan Eng to implement things in a place where the ethnic composition is less diverse, I think.
Then again, I could be wrong for assuming that ...
I wonder, would any other country survive if their ethnic composition is as diverse as Malaysia? I'm thinking of countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina (50 per cent Muslims, 30 per cent Serbs, 20 per cent Croat). It's the only country with an ethnic composition similar to us ...
Oh, and then there is Fiji.
I like you Bigcat, you are subtle in telling the Malays that they had better watch out, BTW I was in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the war and I was never, never the same again ever, I wished I was not there in the first place. Yes, Fiji, when the Indians found out they can takeover the country, well briefly they did with a Fijian-Indian PM, all hell broke loose! Funny thing is Australia and NZ, the entire world, supported the Fijian-Indian plight much more than they did to the native! Same can be said here in Malaysia that the international community will not support the Malays if there ever a civil strife ala Bosnia!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI love travelling in the MRT in Singapork.Very very convenient n efficient.Hope Penang will do with MRT someday.
wawa
Ms BigCat,
ReplyDeleteIt is an accepted norm universally that the minority wiil be perceived as the underdog, the downtrodden and the helpless ones, whatever the scenario or the actual situation is.
Singapore looks good from outside yes. But the Singapore Chinese make sure it does not let Indians and Malays be too strong. There is always this latent "kiasu Chinese" policy. Here and there they put and Indian and Malay in some top positions just to show face. Otherwise its a Chinese autocratic government. Look what happened to Jeyaratnam. When he challenged the Chinese supremacy, he was finished. Singapore needs a strong two party system for true democracy. Otherwise its an autocracy of the PAP.
ReplyDeleteyup
Deletemy similiar experience too, in fact, ah pek speaking chinese malaysian valued more than the singaporean malays
Another chicken little,for years we hear that Malaysia will become bankrupt la, Malaysian will become maids la, we will be left behind Vietnam la..now a new one..nations will make the Malays the bad man if a civil war breaks out...all these are rubbish human prediction from a fickle heart and ill intentions.....its 2012 and we are seeing European nations fall into the abyss of debt..and here we are...still not bankrupt and I dun expect to see naval fleets of foreign powers going to bomb the Malays any time either..and things are not so rosy in Singapore either....high income gap and believe me many Singaporeans atre struggling to keep their job and paying off their debts too.
ReplyDeleteYeah
Deletework 50 hours a week, can only afford a 99 year lease tiny pigeon hole for a home
and a secondhand car coz mrt overcrowded with "new" citizens who speak no english
Physically the red dot is efficient but on the happiness index, they flopped
ReplyDeleteRewind back to 1963 lah. No need passport one.
ReplyDelete