MALAYSIA Reaching for the Skies

MALAYSIA Reaching for the Skies

Written by

OSAMA AHMAD

Published on

August 13, 2022

My experience in Malaysia was what I can call an indelible imprint on my mind. It would be tough for me to forget it. The people there so friendly, the air so clean, the transport so exhilarating, the malls so majestic and the place so lavish! What else do we desire? So this write-up is just an account of what left me practically spell bound!

Being a student of first year engineering course, I know it’s more of a dream to go to a foreign land, more so when the food and housing are being taken care of and the only job one is left with is to explore, explore and explore still more! That was what I was up to when I was on my recent training programme to Malaysia. May 23 saw me emerging out of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia and the first glimpses of the world around left me nothing but awestruck. It was only after a considerable time that I realised I was in a metro. This, because unlike the sky-rocketing noise levels in most of the metros I have been to, Kuala Lumpur seemed to be so calm and quite. There was everything around. The buses. The cabs, the two wheelers and thousands of cars but the marked difference I could sense was the quietude that was well established in the city. Outside the airport, I got conscious about the noise my trolley made while moving on the tiled floor! The serenity of the place had taken me by surprise and I couldn’t help myself from appreciating this largely. On my way to the place I had been booked to stay, I could see beauty all around. Wide roads of six to 12 lanes with lots of greeneries adorning the side of the roads and the dividing lanes, maintained by some of the best gardeners. Yes, this is the typical Malaysia!

On the bus, a few people who were permanent residents of the country murmured among themselves.  Later, when I talked to the residents of Malaysian origin, I came to know that speaking softly is nurtured in the child by the parents there from too young an age. No wonder, the results are just too good to impress anyone, especially foreigners. Staying in a colony instead of a hotel gave me chances of interacting with people and befriending a few of them to a good enough extent.

I gradually learnt the customs that prevail there. I was fortunate to have a highly educated Malaysian citizen mentoring us. He himself had been around the world to far off places. So he insisted on us to learn the traditions that have kept the country tightly bonded in its arms, and hence preventing them to follow the footsteps of the degraded Western society. I could sense self-confidence in every individual there and that because they know that they do no wrong. They toil hard to live a respectable life. They have kept or at least tried their best to keep away from the evil ways. This has taken Malaysia a long way in making it self-dependent. When people got to know of me being an Indian citizen, a few of them said that India is too influenced by the whites and their ways. If at all Malaysia looks up to some countries in matters of learning the ways to prosper, it’s their neighbouring nations like Japan and China which have almost beaten the heck out the western monopoly.

Malaysia does things differently. They have set up their own industries of cars which are offering a stiff competition to the foreign manufacturers over there. Two-wheelers are a rare sight and is also considered unsafe taking into account the speed at which the vehicles ply on the roads. To further encourage people to use these Malaysia-made cars, the policies are so made that they offer lots of benefits for the payment of the amount while buying one. So people can easily afford one of these large ranges of cars that Malaysia makes for its people. While the rich afford a Rolls-Royce or a BMW, the middle class is more than contented with the country made cars which are no less in comfort and beauty.

Banking in Malaysia is one of the most impressive initiatives considering the fact that interest is forbidden in Islam. Although a large number of banks like the CIMB group and Maybank simultaneously operate in the country, Bank Islam is by far the first choice for Malaysian Muslims. On inquiring about how it manages to earn profit year after year, I got to know of a whole lot of financial policies which have till date successfully helped Bank Islam to keep the transaction of interest at bay. Working for the spread of its popularity, some very efficient economists and experts boldly proclaim that they soon look forward to expand their network to other countries where Muslims are in majority.

Food in Malaysia is too good. Relishing some of the tastiest non vegetarian food, all I can say is that if one has a sense of appreciation for mouth licking barbeques and desserts, Malaysia is one of the best places one can give a try. Being close to the equator (hence having lots of palm and coconut tress), palm oil is widely used for cooking in Malaysia which gives the food a delicious essence. And while singing praises of the food, I cannot rather should not forget to mention the strong clauses of cleanliness that is followed in the restaurants there. Even the roadside vendors need to stick to a certain set of rules failing which the concerned department (which is quite active all round the year!) imposes a heavy fine usually accompanied by the closure of the shop for a definite interval. Since a majority of the people in Malaysia are Muslims, the condition of food being halal (that which is permitted under Islamic laws) is strictly enforced. A beautifully calligraphed seal with the words “HALAL” can be seen on all restaurants serving Halal food apart from Non-Alcoholic drink cans and edibles (to my surprise, even the toothpaste I bought had that seal).

So for a practising Muslim, Malaysia can be all about fun with little worries of transgressing the boundaries set by Islam. The dress code is yet another factor that adds feathers to the Malaysian cap. Muslim men in Malaysia are discouraged from wearing shorts that do not reach the knees. Women usually stick to modest clothing accompanied by a scarf to cover all their hair. Scientific advancements and modernity has failed to shake the determination of these people who share the view that what is forbidden in religion can never be compromised for anything. No matter, you are in one of the biggest shopping malls or inside the PETRONAS twin towers, you won’t fail to see a signboard saying “surau” meaning prayer hall written somewhere around.

Education has been ascribed its due importance in Malaysia. Elementary education till high school is free for all children and has to be ensured by their parents, failing which they are liable to punishment under government norms. Getting admission to universities however is rather tough. Those who pursue medicine and teaching profession have to serve the country while undergoing a compulsory posting anywhere within the country, by the government. This helps to ensure that the rural areas can break the jinx of poverty and malnutrition changing their lives quickly for the better. Vaccinations and inoculation programmes are run quite often and the service penetrates deep into the rural areas.

Last but not the least in being praiseworthy is the effective enforcement of strict rules in Malaysia. Be it hefty fines for throwing trash on the roadside or getting ticketed for parking at the wrong spot, the evil-doers have only faint chances of getting along safely. This fear in the minds of no matter, the prince or the paupers along with infusion of good moral habits has taken the country a long way to a state where every person can clearly feel that Malaysia is indeed reaching for the skies!