Yes. Is Malaysia trapped in the fangs of serious troubles? Surely our neighbouring nations and especially the Asean fraternity are watching very closely given the on-goings that keep surfacing in spasmodic tides and keep increasing in intensity over time.

Asean would also be wondering, now that Malaysia is taking over the chair of the Asean Economic Community (AEC), what are we (member nations) to expect in the future ahead?

Malaysia is a nation that was once the pride and envy amongst its neighbors. While they were trapped with corrupt regimes or fighting brutal regimes or suffocating under acute drainage of national wealth or wondering how to build a nation with zero natural resources and a tiny island for space, Malaysia is basking with oil resources and is a land of abundant crops and minerals.

Yes, 1969 set the country back. But we raced onward believing that we will eventually not remain as a rising tiger but attain a first world nation status with ‘gaya’.

But the political landscape of Malaysia today paints a different story.

Take the media breaking news as a starter.

Or if you are a sworn believer that media is all but lies, then take the Auditor-General’s Annual Reports.

But if you are a blind optimist, then take stock of the way Parliament is zooming onwards with its fast-throttle Bills.

But if you are a till-death-do-us-part party loyalist, then review the kinds of legal cases chocking our Palace of Justice.

But if you still continue to live in denial that Malaysia is in trouble, then, we surely already are.

Which country in the Asean neighborhood is having scandalous issues that implicate its leaders? Which nation is drawing so much of international floodlights for its policies, laws, governance and sundry for the wrong reasons?

Even the former often regarded as dictatorial prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad hit the gong by stating that ‘Malaysia is the most corrupt nation in the world’ - did he not?

Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim has just recently clearly spelt out the degree, extent and complicated corruption culture that have become the norm in this nation while our Asean members are openly registering celebrated hopes of victories over this scourge of human failings.

Malaysia, are you not in trouble? What happened to our dear promising nation? Or is this question  already seditious and deemed a treason against the country for asking?