The Ten Things Malaysians Cannot Live Without!

 

There are things that Malaysians may not put on a tourism poster but remove them from our lives and there would be an immediate national complaint.

 

1. Air-conditioning

Malaysia is hot. We know this. Yet every year we behave as though the weather has personally betrayed us. Walk into an air-conditioned shopping centre and watch the transformation. Within seconds, everyone looks happier. The humble air-conditioner may be one of Malaysia’s modern necessities.

 

2. The plastic bag

We are trying to reduce them, and quite rightly. But Malaysians have spent decades perfecting the art of using one plastic bag to carry another plastic bag containing smaller plastic bags. Somewhere in almost every Malaysian kitchen there is a mysterious collection of bags that nobody remembers keeping. Throw them away and, six months later, you will need one. This is the law of Malaysian household physics.

 

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

 

3. The WhatsApp family group

No Malaysian family is complete without one. Good morning pictures. Religious reminders. Recipes. Health warnings. Fake news. Birthday wishes. Somebody forwarding something from somebody who knows somebody. And then there is the relative who sends a seven-minute video at 6.43am. Nobody asked for it. Everybody watches it.

 

4. The parcel arriving

Online shopping has changed us. There was a time when buying something meant getting into the car, finding parking, walking around a shop and actually speaking to another human being. Now we press a few buttons and wait. For a brief moment, even if we ordered something completely unnecessary, life feels wonderful.

 

5. The favourite parking space

Malaysians will drive around a car park for five minutes to find a parking space that is approximately six metres closer to the entrance. We know it makes little sense. We do it anyway. And when someone pulls into “our” space just before us? That person has committed an offence against the entire nation.

 

6. The five-minute rain

There are few things more Malaysian than leaving the house under a blazing sun and returning in what appears to be the aftermath of a tropical disaster. The rain arrives without invitation. Roads flood. Shoes become swimming pools. Motorcyclists disappear under ponchos. And someone inevitably says: “Good for the plants.” Ten minutes later the sun is back.

 

7. The discount

Tell a Malaysian something costs RM100 and nobody reacts. Tell them it is now RM79.90 and suddenly there is interest. Put the words SALE, PROMOTION or LAST DAY next to it and we become completely different people. We may not need the thing. But we certainly need it at 30 per cent off.

 

8. The familiar shopkeeper

There is something comforting about walking into a shop and hearing: “Usual one?” It means somebody remembers you.

 

In an increasingly digital world of QR codes, apps and automated messages, being recognised by another human being has become surprisingly valuable. The coffee may be ordinary. The relationship isn’t.

 

9. The ability to complain — together

This deserves recognition. Malaysians can turn almost anything into a group discussion.

Traffic? Discuss.

Prices? Discuss.

Weather? Discuss.

Parking? Discuss.

 

But underneath the complaining is something rather endearing. We like sharing experiences. A Malaysian rarely suffers an inconvenience silently when there are three other people nearby who can be invited into the conversation.

 

10. “Never mind, lah.”

Perhaps this is our most important national survival mechanism.

-Plans change.

-The restaurant is full.

-The rain starts.

-The car won’t start.

-Someone is late.

-Something doesn’t work.

 

Eventually comes the Malaysian response: “Never mind, lah.” It does not necessarily mean we are happy. It means we have decided that being angry is probably more exhausting than carrying on. And perhaps that is the real secret of Malaysia. We have learned to live with contradiction. We complain about the heat but complain when it rains. We complain about traffic but still drive everywhere. We complain about prices but hunt for the next promotion. We complain about WhatsApp messages and then send them ourselves. We are an imperfect, slightly chaotic, occasionally exasperating country. But it is our chaos. And perhaps the things we hold dear are not the grand national symbols at all. They are the little everyday rituals that make an ordinary Tuesday in Malaysia feel unmistakably Malaysian. Even if that Tuesday involves sweating, traffic, a WhatsApp video from Auntie and a parcel that we did not need.

 

 

Reference:

The Ten Things Malaysians Secretly Cannot Live Without, The Daily Durian, Newswav,
30 August 2026

 

 

Can We Take-Off?

 

These aren’t comfortable truths but growth never comes from comfort. How do we turn protection into real empowerment? We need to shift from a permanent assistance model to a capability model. And that could look like:

 

1.      Make education the real engine of affirmative action.

 

Instead of focusing so heavily on shares, licenses, and contracts, pour resources into what actually changes lives like early childhood development, quality schools, STEM, language proficiency (both English and Bahasa Melayu), TVET, digital skills, and entrepreneurship. A child doesn’t choose where they’re born but the state can ensure that a tough start doesn’t become a lifelong sentence.

 

Source: https://id.wikipedia.org

 

2.      Introduce healthy competition not protection for Bumiputera business.

 

There’s nothing wrong with helping Bumiputera entrepreneurs build capacity. The problem is when political connections matter more than performance. Government procurement should reward innovation, quality, value, and job creation. A Malay entrepreneur who wins a contract because they’re better is a national asset. 

 

3.      Replace the tongkat with a launchpad.

 

A launchpad gives you a boost, education, financing, mentoring, market access but it’s designed to help you fly on your own. Every assistance programme should have a clear exit or graduation plan. The question shouldn’t just be "How much did we spend?" but "How many people became independent because of it? How many businesses thrived without government contracts? How many families escaped poverty for good?"

 

4.      Target help where it’s needed most.

 

While staying honest about history, a poor Malay family deserves help. So does a poor Chinese, Indian, Orang Asli, or family in Sabah and Sarawak. That doesn’t mean pretending historical inequalities never existed. It means getting smarter about identifying real disadvantage and directing support where it creates the biggest impact.

 

5.      Build a new generation of wealth creators not contract hunters.

 

We don’t need more companies dependent on government projects. We need Malaysian companies competing globally in semiconductors, AI, biotech, fintech, renewable energy, and professional services. We need entrepreneurs who create IP, export products, employ thousands, and win in international markets. That’s real economic power.

 

There’s also a psychological layer here that we can’t ignore. When assistance is given across generations, it’s human nature to start seeing it as an entitlement rather than a temporary boost. Changing that mindset requires changing the message.

 

So let’s imagine what we might call NEP 2.0, from protection to participation.

 

Its principles could be simple:

· Protect the vulnerable.

· Build capability.

· Encourage competition.

· Reward productivity.

· Create wealth.

· Graduate people from assistance to independence.

 

Let’s measure success honestly, not by how much preferential treatment remains after another decade, but by whether:

· A young Malay graduate can hold their own in the global economy.

· A Malay company can win contracts on merit alone.

· Malay professionals lead world-class institutions.

· Malay entrepreneurs create wealth that lifts all Malaysians.

 

That’s the transition we need from tongkat to take-off, from protection to capability, from entitlement to contribution. The greatest honour we can pay to our early nation-builders isn’t to preserve every tool they created in 1971. It’s to build a Malaysia where those tools are no longer needed because every Malaysian, regardless of background, has the education, skills, assets, and confidence to rise on their own strength, and lift the nation with them.

 

Reference:

From tongkat to take-off: Let’s talk about moving beyond dependency, K. T. Maran, Newswav, 12 Sept 2026

 

9 Misleading Finance KPIs

 

Source:

Post by Oana Labes on LinkedIn

Trust and Taxes

 

Of late, there have been a series of exposés in terms of financial scandals in our country plaguing some major government-linked investment corporations (GLICs) and institutions. That impacts trust and ultimately questions whether taxes should be paid. Whenever such scandals come to light, is anyone held responsible and whether there has been a breach of fiduciary duty to the public.

 

Theft of milk powder by poverty-stricken families has resulted in criminal prosecution and jail terms. Yet rarely do we see those accused of greater crimes being put behind bars, except for one ex-PM. We have also seen offences involving money laundering, Ponzi schemes and fraudulent scams being let off with a slap on the wrist through compound payments for settlement with the authorities. And the victims? They are made to bear the consequences in silence with a great injustice done to them. It is no wonder then that the perception given to society is that there is an alleged unequal standing before the enforcement of the law. Those from privileged backgrounds appear to get off scot-free, while those who have lesser means must receive whatever comes their way. Fiduciary duty is not an option.

 

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

 

GLICs and institutions are in effect acting as custodians of the people’s money, and hence, are bound by the fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the people. Unfortunately, we have seen a blatant disregard for the interest of the people. While in part it may be due to negligence, on a deeper level, there is a clear breach of fiduciary duties by decision-makers.

 

If remedial measures are not put into place urgently and efforts to recuperate losses are not expedited, the one that foots the bill for the foolishness and transgressions of some would be, once again, the people. As such, who in their right mind would entrust their savings to the very institutions meant to safeguard their deposits? The last thing we want is an erosion of confidence in other better-performing institutions such as the Employees Provident Fund or Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) as collateral damage from all this negative news flow.

 

Contrary to popular belief, there is no lack of good frameworks in place for our institutions. We have an abundance of laws and regulations to ensure compliance by the GLICs and institutions. Processes are often robust, with checks and balances in place. Whenever something blows up, there will be loud calls for reform or the need for stricter laws to plug the gap. The issue, in my humble view, is not the framework or the law. It is, in fact, weak enforcement. When enforcement is weak, the deterrent effect is not up to par. If the consequence of breaching the regulations is light compared with the potential windfall (illicit or not), then the end justifies the means, doesn’t it? Those who are responsible for the dereliction of duties by those appointed to act as custodians for the people should be made examples, if not, the misbehaviour will continue. Sad to say, many instances have shown that the risk-to-reward ratio appears skewed in favour of those who cross the line instead of those who are upright.

 

Those who are tasked with managing taxpayers’ money must be held to the highest standards due to the trust placed in them by the public. Appointments to these key roles must be based on merit and capability rather than political connections or affiliations.

 

Malaysia has an abundance of resources and natural advantages that make our regional peers green with envy. Sadly, the leakages in the system are too rampant. The systemic failures across organisations and institutions are too prevalent to be eradicated overnight. But that does not mean we should not start turning it around. Instead of introducing new taxes and removing subsidies that burden the people to increase government revenue, start plugging leakages at key GLICs and institutions. Once the people see the improvement, they would be more receptive and willing to play their part in contributing taxes to the country, provided they are being put to good use. Trust and taxes go hand in hand.

 

Reference:

Rebuilding institutional confidence, Ng Zhu Hann, The Star, 22 August 2026

 

 

Beautiful Mosaic or Shades of Marble?

 

As we roll to another Malaysia Day, it’s time we stop asking the usual "Are we united?" and start asking something a bit more honest. What kind of togetherness are we actually talking about? 

Are we like a mosaic—distinct, colourful pieces sitting side by side, making a pretty picture from a distance? Or are we more like a marble piece - different shades but fitted so tightly that the design will fail if we break it?

 

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org 

We co-exist, work together, buy nasi lemak from the same stall, visit each other’s open houses, and cheer for the same badminton players. That’s not nothing but peaceful co-existence. The kind of unity that holds a nation together when things get shaky. The government’s National Unity Policy gets this. It talks about "unity in diversity," leans on the Constitution and Rukun Negara, and aims to build a shared identity. The vision is there.

 

Does it actually feel real in our daily lives? We live next door, but do we really know each other? The thing about diversity is that it’s our superpower. Malay, Chinese, Indian, Orang Asli, Sabahan, Sarawakian, everyone has added something delicious, beautiful, or meaningful to this country. Our food, our festivals, our languages… it’s a richness few places can match.

Diversity can also become a soft spot when we stay in our own bubbles. We can be neighbours for decades without ever being neighbours. We can work in the same office and never form real friendships. We can show up at each other’s Hari Raya or Deepavali open houses without really understanding the history or meaning behind them. We can even nod along to "unity" in principle, while deep down, still thinking in "us vs. them." 

That’s the catch with a mosaic, all the pieces are there but they’re not holding on to each other. Unity doesn’t mean we all become the same. Unity isn’t uniformity, it’s more like: 

· Being united without being identical.

· Being diverse without being divided.

· Having our own identities without isolating ourselves. 

That’s where the marble metaphor hits home. A marble has patterns, but when placed together, they become something much stronger than any single tile piece on its own.

That’s the kind of Malaysia we should be aiming for. The Rukun Negara can’t just be something we recite. 

We already have the foundations—the Constitution, the Rukun Negara which are solid. The Unity Policy even calls them the core of our integration strategy. The aim is to promote Bahasa Melayu as a common language, deepen religious and cultural understanding, strengthen families, improve law enforcement, and empower leaders to be unity champions. 

You can’t have unity if people feel left out economically. Let’s be real, you can’t have genuine unity if a big chunk of the population feels like the system is rigged in favour of someone else.

We have to keep addressing historical disadvantages. The help should be transparent, targeted, and based on actual need not just race. A Malay kid from a poor family, a Chinese kid from a poor family, an Indian kid from a poor family, they all deserve a fair shot. No young Malaysian should grow up thinking: "My future depends on which community I was born into." No one should think that another community’s success is their loss. National prosperity is a shared asset, we sink or swim together.Our politicians need to stop playing with fire. 

Honestly, one of the biggest threats to our social fabric is how politics keeps exploiting our differences. Race and religion are legitimate parts of Malaysian life but they become toxic when leaders deliberately turn them into fear, especially during elections. Every election shouldn’t feel like a fight over whose community is under threat. 

We have bigger, more urgent questions: 

-Can we fix our education system?

-Can we fight corruption?

-Can we build affordable homes?

-Can we improve healthcare?

-Can we create better jobs?

-Can we compete in AI and tech?

-Can we reduce inequality?

-Can we protect our environment? 

These things affect everyone regardless of ethnicity. Instead of just asking people if they support unity, we could measure: 

-How many close friends they have from other communities.

-Whether they’re comfortable working under leaders from different backgrounds.

-Whether they’d be okay with their kids having close friends from other races.

-Whether they trust people of different religions.

-Whether they feel they’re treated equally under the law.

-Whether they’ve taken part in mixed-community activities.

-Whether they’d help another community during a crisis.

-How much hostility they see on social media.

-Whether they trust national institutions. 

That would turn "unity" from a vague aspiration into something we can actually track and improve. 

What Kind of Malaysia do we want to leave behind? We don’t have to choose between being a mosaic and being a marble tile. We can keep the beauty of the mosaic, all those vibrant, distinct pieces and still build the strength of a tile. The real test of unity isn’t whether we all speak the same language, eat the same food, or vote the same way. It’s more personal than that. When a Malaysian from another community succeeds, can we feel proud instead of threatened? The marble title is one and strong as opposed to a mosaic that is held together by fragile adhesive.

 

Reference:

Malaysia: Are we a beautiful mosaic, or a real fabric?, K. T. Maran, Newswav, 11 Sept 2026