British Expat, keyboard warriors save the day
YOURSAY ‘If the government is under pressure, it's because of social media.’
Swipenter: The divide-and-rule legacy left behind by the British colonialists and perfected by the Umno-BN politicians has left us paralysed as a nation unable to move forward because of the deep distrust we have for each other.
The stiff upper lips were never serious about developing democracy, unlike in their own country. I would even say that democracy and colonialism is mutually exclusive.
Instead they passed many draconian laws to perpetuate their grip on their colonies. They were more interested in their colonies for its natural resources to feed their economy back home.
Now these ex-colonialists can be smug with their high and mighty attitude about "Malaysia is worst because it is inhabited by bad politicians and even worse people". They will never acknowledge the mess they left behind for the "natives" to sort out.
We ourselves must also shoulder the blame for the mess we are in but we should also acknowledge some positive contributions made by our colonial masters.
Here we have an outdated white man's delusion and self-imposed grandeur that they are god's chosen lot to save the barbarians from self-inflicted hell also known as white man's burden. How they believe that they would only create for the good of humanity but can never destroy. How delusional!
I once had to work with a typical British expat. He told me proudly that the wonderful roads we have in Bolehland were built by them.
I told him that these wonderful roads were built by us after we gained independence in 1957 and not by the British colonialists. Pretty much brought his high and mighty attitude down to earth thereafter.
Rojak: Although this piece by ‘British Expat’ hardly helps us tackle Malaysia's problems, the writing and the responses to it are instructive.
The writer forgets that countries are like parents: we may criticise our own but we don't like it if others join in. Similarly, people have emotional bonds to their countries that trigger defence mechanisms when they feel attacked.
Some responses to the piece reveal this emotionalism. For example, Britain's policy in Northern Ireland in the 1970s gets brought up despite having no relevance to the article.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad is a master of this technique: instead of dealing with what someone says, he hits back by criticising their country/religion/political affiliation.
If we are to progress we need to respect people's patriotism but also focus on their ideas, not on where they are from.
LifeFlier: Sometimes we have to thank the devil's advocate, such as this long-winded Briton. Half-truth is definitely entertaining but sometimes it's also useful, provided you know which half you want.
Thinking Citizen_1403620863: Many expatriates live in a world of their own, so how on earth do they know how the local people live and struggle? The UK is no better and at least we do not need to send in the military like they did to shoot their own citizens in Northern Ireland.
Malaysia may not be perfect but neither is the UK as well.
Leonie: "Anwar Ibrahim is in jail," said ‘British Expat’. That is the key sentence of why we are in this mess. The person(s) who put him there (for a non-heinous 'crime') but refused to recommend his pardon, are the ones responsible, not the majority 53 percent.
Isn't your motive, in writing this piece, to mitigate the huge impact The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and New York Times (NYT) articles have made all over the world, especially in Malaysia, by misinforming Malaysians “that these two papers are not trusted in the US”?
Eyespye: Sir, I will spare you the ad hominem. The sort of venality you complain about abound everywhere and the UK is no different.
For a sample of your nation's armchair warriors, look no further than the comments section of the BBC and The Guardian - ‘know-it-alls’ aren't a uniquely Malaysian scourge.
And politicians? Are you kidding me? Watch Question Time week in and week out and you will see the British public voicing their own lack of trust for politicians.
Our problem is that we lack credible technocrats, independent institutions and a strong civic consciousness.
The last of the three is changing, but you'll excuse me if I think the Malaysian public is doing pretty damn good: we may not have our Thomas Paine yet but then we didn’t have almost a millennia to get our institutions in order, we still struggle with notions of nationhood.
But 50 odd years on, we are stumbling out of our own feudal mindsets. I say we're doing pretty damn good.
Anonymous #906723: Throughout British Expat’s article, not a word was mentioned on the reason for the doom - Umno. Either you didn't stay here long enough or you are just another paid writer.
Playfair: ‘British Expat’, now that you are leaving us, it is a pity that you will miss the opportunity of getting the views of our Umno brothers. They are the legacy that your ancestors left us in 1957 through Merdeka. I won't say that we will miss you. Wassalam.
The Analyser: As the author stated, Malaysians can become overnight experts in everything. In this case their expertise is ostrichism, i.e. burying your head in the sand and ignoring reality.
It’s truly amazing how one open-minded man can see within two years what Malaysians haven't been able to see for generations, or don't want to see.
However, I would like to correct the author in one regard. Malaysian drivers do not resort to using the emergency lane because they are late. They resort to that tactic to demonstrate how superior they are to everyone else on the road.
It’s their insecurities at play, not their impatience. Were they impatient, they would take off from the traffic lights a good deal more promptly than they do.
Anonymous 747961436787616: It's funny how ‘British Expat’ bashes ‘keyboard warriors’. This person needs to read up on the elections of 2008, where it was said ‘keyboard warriors’ helped in producing the devastating results BN suffered for the first time since independence in 1957.
Also, at least Malaysians are actually involved in politics, even if it is merely via social media activism. The problem that's currently faced in the west is the lack of political involvement, especially by Gen X and Y.
So please, sir/madam, do your homework. Social media has united Malaysia and if we haven't already crashed and burnt, it's because of social media. If this much corruption is exposed, it's because of social media.
If the government is under pressure, it's because of social media. If protesters are mobilised, it's because of social media.
So please, step down from your high horse and see how much the so-called ‘keyboard warriors’ you condemn have helped save Malaysia.
Fair Play: How ironic. Most of the comments actually reflected what this ‘British Expat’ said, if indeed he is a genuine one.
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