‘Chase after truth like hell and you'll free yourself, even though you never touch its coat-tails.’ — Clarence Darrow

Malaysians are fortunate to have people like Raja Petra Kamarudin and others chasing the truth. Politics often stinks. The thirst for power often brings out the worst in people.

In Malaysia, the pile of crap is so deep it requires a submarine to reach the bottom. RPK recently described how corruption injures society at all levels. Someone wrote that the government helps the rakyat to own cars, by allowing for long loan periods.

That ‘help’ is actually further exploitation. Because of the interest on the loan, the nett amount the car buyer pays becomes so much higher. By the time the loan is finished the car is so old and decrepit, nobody wants to buy it.

It would be far better if salaries were higher and car loan could be paid in two or three years. A decent minimum wage would help the rakyat and the government too. With more income there would be more income tax revenue.

Malaysians have noticed (and visitors have also noticed and told me) of the lack of quality in our buildings and roads and in the services of electricians, plumbers, car mechanics and the like.

Corruption certainly plays a role in that.

Contracts are awarded by bribes, not competency. Students and professors, some with fake degrees, plagiarise in universities. They copy the work of others rather than have to think about the subject.

They graduate half-baked, incompetent but in positions of responsibility where they can harm society. Even the professions of engineering, medicine and law suffer from such half-baked incompetent graduates.

Bribe. Plagiarise. Don't think, except maybe how to cheat to get money. That is the sad state of affairs in Malaysia.

The lack of thinking is very common, thanks in part to an incompetent education system driven by government officers who don't think.

We are not born corrupt, but we are born greedy and lazy. Any creature, a human included, will chose the path of least effort for the most gain.

Nevertheless, the sense of fair play in our DNA must be allowed to express itself, aided by social rules and law.

I believe if we follow this principle we can have a prosperous and just society that makes our lives enjoyable and serves as a positive role model for the rest of the world.