As a Malaysian versus As a Backpacker

As a backpacker myself, I had heard too many complaints about Malaysia from my fellow backpackers.  So if I ever been asked again on the road about the backpacker scene in Malaysia, I would tell them off by giving the comments I got from the rest of the fellow backpackers.

The truth is my fellow backpackers, somehow it is ok for Singapore to be 1st world, but it is not so fun for Kuala Lumpur to be a big city.  It is ok for Angkor Wat to charge USD40, but it is not ok for another site here to charge USD10.  We fellow backpackers only want cheap and nice.  I am sorry, the fact is the fact!

The point is, Malaysia is not a country where people comes a few days and comment I know Malaysia.  For all I traveled, I never been in a country with such diversity of races, foods, cultures, religions, directly transcend by its multi-cultural, multi-races and multi-religions society.  For anyone who could even come closed in understanding the meaning of "multi-cultural, multi-races and multi-religions society", well, as I said, I have not seen another country in this world can even come close in that meaning as us, Malaysian.

So, let me tell you my fellow backpackers.  Malaysia is more than for you to like, it is for everyone of Malaysian to appreciate.  Let me count the 3 major blessing we have as a Malaysian,

1. Where can you go in the world to find a country allow an educational system by the choices of the people?  We have public school system, we hace Chinese school system, we have Tamil school, we have religion school here in this country. We are all taught in multi-lingua.

2. Where can you go in the world to find a country which allows freedom in newspaper publishing in different languages?  We have newspaper in Malay, Chinese, Hindi, English...We even imported Japanese, Korean...

3. Where can you go in the world to find a country which their cabinet is formed by more than 3 races.  We have minister who is Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Iban, Bajau, I can't even name them all as I sorry to say I don't know all.

Oh yes, we are not as transperant and as democratic in many aspects as we want to be.  But for the least, there are many in this country know that and still in the process fighting for it.

As a backpacker, being traveled to all the continents except Europe, even though I always  introduce my own country as friendly, excellent and authentic food, nice weather.  I have always tell any of my friends or fellow backpackers that Malaysia is not a favourable country for backpacking. We just don't transcend authenthicities like Thailand, Indonesia or Phillippines.  However, it is a nice country to live and I will not leave it for any where else.

Dataran Merdeka - KL, Jan 2011.

Yes, we might not be cheap, we are not the nicest, we are not the most unique culturally, we are not 1st world.  But, we, Malaysian know one very special thing in this country, we do not form to have that strong sense of anything because we are uniquely able to tolerate and accept every single aspect of other culture, other rave, other religion.  That is the whole point.