HERE are a slew of reasons why Malaysia is a profound country to be called home — no volcanoes, no earthquakes (maybe some window rattling), no typhoons (intermittent electrical thunderstorm and occasional floods), cosmopolitan food all day long, friendly people and service, comparatively low cost of living, gorgeous beaches and some of the world’s greatest eco-tourism spots.

Of course, home is not home if there is no downside — the periodical socio-political upheaval ranging from party crises to claims of unfair economic and governance distribution, worrying crime and even worrying traffic fatalities, unresolved corruption cases, and trenchant road bullies.

The downside can’t be all bad if 200,000-odd Malaysians who had renounced their citizenships wish to return home to retire.

On top of that, 33,000 foreigners are clamouring to become Malaysian citizens. Then there are the 16,812 eyeing permanent residency, especially folks looking to fit into the Malaysia My Second Home programme.

The last two figures were revealed by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein yesterday in the house as he explained how the authorities are targeting six months to approve the applications to meet the “People First, Performance Now” mantra of the action-driven Najib administration.

On the middle ground, democracy is throttling soundly, as much as the naysayers claim of its sputtering. Like it or not, unlikely political victories are startlingly registered, critical court cases are decided evenly, and anyone wanting to make a living can do so easily and anyone wanting to make a name for themselves likewise. And there’s still world champion Datuk Nicol David making Malaysians beam with pride.

If one side claims the authorities are discouraging free speech and association, that isn’t a setback, it’s a call to arms and the prospect of a good fight.

If that one side is still claiming that they are being prevented from exercising their civil rights, that’s not yet a travesty, just plain old whining, thinking everything should be easy street.

The point is, if Malaysians are resourceful and smart enough, they can vanquish adversity, whether it is fighting poverty, provoking indifferent local governments to act or neutralising greedy property developers from continuing with that vulnerable high-rise condominium project.

The old cliché “nothing comes easy” fits the human condition that Malaysians need to embrace urgently, especially the good part of the 27 million adult populace who can no longer take for granted that this country is exclusively theirs for the taking.

Just think of soon-to-be freshly-minted Malaysians who would take up in a wink the places of the whiny ones who complain more and act less.

The foreigners are already everywhere you look and visit — the malls, construction sites, restaurants, hypermarkets, plantations, retailers.

Some of the foreigners who want to settle down here are escaping the slums and ghettos of their crippled countries while some are actually retreating from the madness of their hyper-driven megalopolis.

To them and soon, to the 50,000 new Malaysians, Malaysia will always be a haven, a sanctuary of worldly pleasures, golden socio-economic opportunities and a state where life is valuable and accountable.

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/20091021173055/Article/index_html

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