I reminisced a time when Malaysians from all walks of life could proudly brandish their country flags wherever they went as an affectionate symbol of nationalism. I reminisced a time where Malaysia was remembered as Southeast Asia’s “Tiger economy”.

I reminisced a time when Malaysia was known for its mesmerising Petronas Twin Towers, stable governance, non-hostile race relations, and semblance of religious unity despite its unique diversity.

It’s true that Malaysia was still filled with imperfections, but those imperfections didn’t define our Malaysian identity; instead it became hurdles which we collectively overcame as a united society.

We fought for independence as a collective. We overcame the wounds of the May 13, 1969 riots as a collective. We transitioned from an agricultural based economy to an industrialised economy as a collective. Heck, we were one of the first countries to recover from the crippling 1997 Asian financial crisis.

This was a time when Malaysians united behind the corny yet meaningful slogan, “Malaysia Boleh (Malaysia Can)!”

When I visited Kashmir in 2003, I was stopped by one of the immigration officers. He wasn’t a high ranking officer, yet he was pleased when he found out that I was from Malaysia. He talked fondly about our former prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and how Malaysia was the bastion of moderation in the Islamic world.

This was a time where the discussion of hudud laws didn’t define the religious rhetoric in Malaysia. The issue of hudud wasn’t used as a political tool by the ruling coalition, despite its obvious advantages from a political viewpoint. This was also a time where racially-charged riots like the red shirt rally were almost nonexistent.

Similarly, when I visited New York in 2011, people spoke highly of Anwar Ibrahim. He was touted as the country's best opposition leader in the history of Malaysia. The one to unite them all - PKR, DAP and PAS alike. The one who eventually won the opposition its much-needed popular vote.

Malaysia has never been free from imperfections, however deep down we knew that we were progressing forward, slowly but surely. Can we say the same today?

Today the reality is exceptionally bleak. Malaysia is on the front pages of internationally renowned newspapers for the worst of reasons. We have been notoriously popularised by the Wall Street Journal , The New York Times , Al Jazeera , BBC and countless more of the world’s leading news outlets.

No escape from 1MDB

When I was in New York one week ago, the 1MDB scandal was displayed on the huge screen at Times Square, New York City’s most glamorised site.

Unsurprisingly, whenever I introduced myself as a Malaysian, my non-Malaysian counterparts will always raise the issue of corruption relating to 1MDB. They’ll always point out the ludicrously concocted excuses given by some of our ministers.

These excuses escape the realm of logic. Even the 16-year-old kid, whom I had chatted with during my stay in Philadelphia, could point it out. Whenever you read both local and international news, this issue never seems to escape the sight of frustrated Malaysians.

Writing on her Facebook page, former international trade and industry minister Rafidah Aziz said Malaysia has become the talk of the world for "very wrong and embarrassing" reasons.

"The embarrassment of having foreigners point out the wrongs (which we ourselves are pointing out to the leaders) certainly is very painful... like adding salt and vinegar to the wound,” she lamented.

Dr Mahathir also shared the same view in his recent blog posting. The fact that we can no longer hear Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak doing a question-and-answer session at his press conferences is disturbing.

The Malaysian students who I talk to abroad have expressed the same concern. They’re often told not to ask “sensitive questions” or worse, will get their questions screened through first.

The fact that our beloved premier chose not to speak at the 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) is indicative of this trend. Malaysia took a beating that day.

Unsurprisingly, Transparency International (TI) chief Jose Ugaz spoke out against Najib over the RM2.6 billion "donation" in his personal accounts. Ugaz said that the money has all the elements of "grand corruption", while TI co-founder Michael J Hershman urged Najib to come clean on the funds.

I reckon that the assault upon our Malaysian identity magnetized by the 1MDB scandal will not stop anytime soon. Just when attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali cleared the PM of any wrongdoings, we hear that the prosecution departments in Switzerland, the United States, Singapore, Hong Kong - and now even France (Scorpene submarine scancal) - are investigating on alleged corruption involving 1MDB and our PM.

Counterbalance negativity

Despite these national blunders, I have always spoken highly of my beloved country. I keep on telling my friends abroad that Malaysia is a country defined by the actions of its 30 million people, not by the actions of the unscrupulous few. I keep on sharing articles that paint Malaysia in a positive limelight to counterbalance the negativity which surrounds our beloved land.

I tell my friends that Malaysia is ranked 14th in the latest World Competitiveness Yearbook 2015 by the Swiss-based Institute for Management Development (IMD). That Penang was ranked one of the world’s best tourist destinations. That we host some of the most gorgeous islands in the world.

However, time after time again, we’ll be redirected to the issue of structural corruption which plagues Malaysia.

If nothing is done now, Malaysia will be immortalised as a country which endorses a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal. The Malaysian identity which was once defined as a peaceful, moderate, multi-ethnic identity will now morph into an identity which tolerates the corrupt, who would hold on and abuse the chains of power even if it means sacrificing the rakyat.

Malaysians used to scream “Malaysia Boleh” as a symbol of unity, now we scream in anger as a symbol of frustration.

I am truly frustrated. I know I am not alone in this. As each day passes by, the oxygen which gives life to the Malaysian identity is being choked out by this national scandal. A scandal which toxifies the Malaysian identity.

We need to stop this murder now.

SYED SADDIQ SYED ABDUL RAHMAN is a part-time lecturer at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) Malaysia and is Asia’s best debater, winning the United Asia Debate Championship in May 2015.