Ben Contreras
AFTER watching a documentary on Malaysia, it is very plain to see that we are far behind her in many aspects. Although it is a Muslim country, I didn’t see any image that would instill fear the way some of our Muslim brothers here are doing to the citizenry. Theirs are happy faces, a sign of contentment. They seem to be a disciplined people in a way that I hardly notice garbage strewn just about anywhere.
Talk of skyscrapers and highise buildings, malls and recreational centers, arcades and historical sites — ours pale in comparison. That leads to the question: why?
How can an archipelago so rich in natural resources and fertile soil be left behind by its Asian neighbors? Perhaps, it is in the leadership and the people itself.
We have all been a divided people, not by our culture or norms but by our attitude, politics and lack of love for country.
Our leaders have always been motivated by self-aggrandizement. The greed for power and money is limitless. It has reached a level when certainty in a thief calling the other thief is in the air.
This is not to say that there is no corruption in Malaysia. But when you see a people happy and satisfied with their government, Malaysia may not be as corrupt as ours.
Truth hurts. The truth that we have so much politics in running a government explains why we lag behind in comparison. Crab mentality has been a trait we can hardly shed off.
Our lawmakers make loopholes more than laws to protect their interests. And we have a judicial system that seems to favor the rich and the powerful, if not corrupt.
As we are now witnessing, a senator accused a government commissioner of corruption only to open a can of worms involving the lawmaker’s son and perhaps, in the near future, his own skeletons.
We can hardly name a politician who got elected in government who didn’t become rich. Even from the lowest rank in the government service, they too struggle to become rich any way possible, even to the extent of selling their soul to the devil. They connive in looting the government coffers and share the booty. And to think that they love to be called “honorable.”
Our justices, do they have a price? Well, public perception is that they have. When government officials convicted of corruption several times are able to stay in their positions point to a justice system with a price.
Yes, we can’t put all the blame on our government and government officials. But we, too, as a people, fail ourselves.
Once the tiger of Asia, we now rank far below comparatively. Those who’ve been to wars with the United States have become tiger economies and a few more are catching up.
Today, we seem to be digging our own grave as we fight over what we call “dirty politics.” Crab mentality is very evident in the fight for supremacy.
In the end, it’s the people who are losers and the generations to come. When foes become friends and friends, enemies, the vicious cycle of pulling and dragging begins. While at that, our neighboring Asian countries continue to grow, leaving us at the tail end.
Yes, we need a revolution. It has to start from within our selves.
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