Poverty affirms Malaysia’s true status – J. D. Lovrenciear

Any first-time visitor to Malaysia will be left speechless as he gets overwhelmed by the towering skyscrapers, majestic palatial dwellings and infrastructure.

"Progressive and successful" is the accolade showered generously in the country’s publicity materials beamed across the world.

After 59 years of independence and self-rule by the sole political machinery, Barisan Nasional, Malaysians too have been mesmerised with the "Bumiputera" mantra as they think and believe that life could not have been better or worse.

The story of high achiever, K. Phugeneswaran, who scored a straight As in his SPM grades, may inspire many more parents, students and teachers.

But it also tolls the bell of how a government has failed in as many ways as it has brought seeming development to a nation of 30 million citizens and also enjoyed by another eight million migrant workers.

We need to do national reflection. Have the sins of corruption and omission contributed to the disparities we see?

How do we explain why his parents are both working at below the world-standard minimum wages?

Our deputy prime minister recently said Malaysians were shying away from "3D" jobs.

How do we explain the poverty that could also have almost threatened yet another youth to turn to crime?

Our prime minister proclaims how we have attained fantastic GDPs and GNPs, registering growth when the world over is stagnating!

How do we explain why in a land of heavy rainfall and piped water to every home (a signature sign of a well developing nation), we have one Indian boy living and having to study without water and electricity?

And we are not even sure if this young and determined lad will secure the much needed funds to further his studies without worries of an empty stomach and related hardship. How would we justify this fear?

Only the family of Phugeneswaran knows the true hardship and struggle they had to endure all these decades.

But today, as we celebrate and sing praises over this young Malaysian’s success, raising above all the many odds that life offered him, we need to ask: What is this development and success story that this country’s leadership is chasing after?

Why are Malaysians living and struggling in the face of abject poverty in a country blessed for decades with oil, crops and minerals?

After close to six decades of putting our trust and hope in one single political coalition, we are still guilty of disparity in sharing the nation’s so-called progress and development.

Even the 2.6 billion donation failed to rescue the poor and struggling Malaysians.

Would making Malaysia a high income nation ensure that we not get to see our own citizens suffer just like the family of this young boy who fought a hard and long battle against poverty and deprivations?

When migrant citizens land by the millions on this land of promises, we have our own citizens struggling against so many odds, including the lack of basic amenities.

No matter what the counter arguments and justifications that will be peddled to us, we must search our ethical bearings and owe up to the failures of good governance.

Or will we take up the much touted proclamation of "balik pendatang" against those who have to battle the unjustified odds in life and for bringing the matter into the public sphere of soul searching?

Surely there are also far more testimonies of Malaysians struggling without justifications in this land of good governance, progress and development.

Perhaps the media should do a CSR by bringing out the many stories of failures that are plastered with icings of celebrating news. – March 9, 2016.

* J. D. Lovrenciear reads The Malaysian Insider.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.