I refer to the Malaysiakini article First world status: We've lost the race.

The writer relates his experience and tells us why he thinks Malaysia has lost the race to become a First world nation. But honestly, what is so desirable about a First world status? In fact it can be farcical given that many First world countries have problems that are not found in Third world countries.

Today, the world's worst financial fiasco and biggest fraud case in history belong to the world's foremost First world country. In First world Europe, United States and Japan you will find people so poor that they are living in the streets and there are few street people in Malaysia, and the poorest are found in squatter communities with a roof over their heads.

I have lived in Third world and First world nations and frankly I don't think a city like Kuala Lumpur is inferior to many other cities in First world countries. In fact, Kuala Lumpur is a First world city and since most Malaysians live in cities, they do not lack many of the things in other First world cities.

The reality is, once you step inside a posh hotel or one of the more salubrious shopping centres and there are many of them in Kuala Lumpur, you can be anywhere in the world.

And if someone wants to mention the horrific traffic snarls in Kuala Lumpur what about the ones in London, New York and not forgetting the crazy lineless roads in Rome? Not all is rosy in First world countries and frankly I find the dichotomy between First and Third world somewhat irrelevant today and in need of an overhaul.

The rising poor in First world countries and increasing rich in Third world countries make the definition useless.

But there is one distinct dissimilarity worth noting and that relates to governance in First world countries.

They are true democracies and errant politicians are held to account and it does not matter whether they are the country's leaders. We have seen American presidents impeached and Italian prime ministers removed from office for their misdeeds. There is true democracy and accountability. This is the most important distinction.

In contrast, we see Third world dictators like Robert Mugabe desperately and callously clinging on to power while his countrymen die of starvation, disease and despair. And in Malaysia you find all sorts of scandals and the police have the reports but nothing happens and the whistleblowers instead are punished. In a First world country, this would never happen.

When Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi came into power and made his remarkable "First world infrastructure and Third world mentality" statement, everyone agreed. But having raised the people's hopes that perhaps he was going to change all that, he did nothing to make a difference. What a letdown.

What was the purpose of his statement, you wonder? So right now the country is still a nation shackled by a Third world mentality which includes a siege mindset, a corrupt value system and a win -at- all costs approach, and heaps of frustration.

The revelation by Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng that Abdullah chastised him for opening the tender system is proof that the latter had never intended to bring about reforms for the benefit of the country, especially also with the departure of Zaid Ibrahim from the federal government.

Many of us may know the Biblical story of King Solomon and the mother whose baby was stolen by another woman. To discover the real mother, King Solomon, renowned for his wisdom suggested that he cut the baby in two and give half to each woman.

The other woman agreed and the real mother protested in horror and offered to let the other woman have the baby. You don't need to guess what King Solomon did.

If politicians are sincere about the welfare of the country, they would have done what is best for the country instead of using race and religion to split the country. Reformist government ex-minister Zaid tried and failed.

His failure is not an indictment of his ability but the failure of Abdullah to back him and the refusal of the politicians in government to do that which is good for the country.

In a First world country, we observe how sporting the politicians are once election results are known. The losers live to fight another day. They don't burn office files and make life difficult for the incoming government. They don't bury their opponents. They all love their country and uphold the traditions of democracy and want the best people for the job regardless of their political leanings.

That is the difference between First and Third world politics. Malaysia still has a long, long way to catch up and it will not catch up as long as the political culture does not change into a more democratic system and cronyism continues to be the route to riches for those in politics.

It is a joke when honest and patriotic Malaysians are persecuted to incapacitate them politically when the real traitors to the country continue to exert their political influence and plunder the country's wealth through their spurious activities.

While Abdullah is hard at work salvaging his battered and lost reputation, it is disappointing that the wider community has not been consulted on his reforms. In a First world country, public consultation and a reasonable period of comment is fundamental in the policy-making process and this is a practice that is adopted for even minor matters that affect the community.

When Malaysia's police is professional and neutral, when its judiciary is independent, when the media is free to publish according to conscience, when all Malaysians are free to choose their religion, when political parties all get equal opportunity to get their message across to the public through the media, when there are proper checks and balances among the executive, legislature and judiciary, when politics is not subject to the whims of the government's use of the ISA, when discrimination on race, sex, religion, disability or some other factor is banned, when the rule of law is supreme, when nationhood results in a government for all and by all, and so on, then perhaps the country is ready to join the First world club.

But honestly why would it?

Even those who live in First world societies are facing unprecedented financial and social pressures.

Societies are caught in the roller coaster of consumeristic and materialistic cultures that see boom and bust every ten years or so and families are disoriented. First or Third world it does not matter as long as the people are properly catered for.

The sadness of it all is that Malaysia is a rich country that can afford to give its people a better deal - better schools, economic opportunities, more hospitals, etc, but many entrusted with those duties are not at their desks working on their jobs but out busy making money for themselves and corruption and kick backs siphon off money that could have been used for worthy projects.

One thing is certain today.

You can't leave the welfare and destiny of your country to politicians. You must get involved in ensuring your society and community do not become victims of their folly and corrupt ways.

There are few who care for the welfare of their country and the public themselves are no better than the politicians. Given the chance, many of us may behave like politicians. But fortunately given the chance, many of us would not. Many Malaysians find corruption an anathema to all that is good. We need societal transformation as much as a change in our political culture and it is in making sure the good, decent and capable politicians get into power.

When Malaysians know how to queue up properly to take a bus and will not push others out of the way to get ahead, then it is sign that they themselves have learned to look after someone else's interest and not just their own and the country will certainly see societal change. But this societal change will not occur with a government that does not give priority to such matters because they are preoccupied with material gain for themselves.

You can have a First world economy with a Third world mentality and that is what we have seen in the US today with the 'greed is good' fraudsters and financial crooks. We often think of Third world leaders as corrupt, conniving and criminal but we have seen that First world countries have their fair share of such people.

But then, where First and Third world differ glaringly is those in the First world will be held to account. There is a world of difference in the aftermath where the corrupt will be punished. The knives are already out and few who committed crimes in the financial meltdown will escape. In a Third world country, the corrupt and criminals usually get away, even with murder!

So if Malaysia wants to be called a First world country, it should concentrate on bringing down the corrupt who are destroying the country. They must put into power those who truly love their country and care for the people.

They may not be perfect but they will learn from their mistakes as we observe is happening in Penang. And if there is a radical change in governance, there is no reason why national wealth will not be able to propel the country ahead economically when national wealth is now being siphoned off into the pockets of the corrupt.

Malaysia under a good, decent and capable government can achieve First world status in five years because it has the financial resources and people to make it happen but sadly right now it does not have the right people in government.

Thus, corruption and waste suck the country's wealth into the pockets of the political warlords. Even if it is not technically a First world country, the quality of life will be superior even to some First world countries when cultural and geographical differences are taken into account. But the obstacles are still corruption and cronyism and incompetence.

Frankly Malaysia should have been a developed First world country like Singapore by now if only false pride, corruption and incompetence had not been allowed to fester. And we know who to point the finger at don't we?