Old VS New

This is amazing.

Take a country that actually has people living below the poverty line and yet, at the same time, harbours fantasic space-walk delusions of grandeur . Define poverty line? Fine. That'll be below RM $1000 per household, per month. Which works out to USD $266 for the international audience, SGD $445 for S'poreans.

The Malaysians HAVE come a long way, there is no denying that. But their lofty aspirations have always seems a tad inappropriate. I remember the last time I was in Kuala Lumpur, their federal capitol. There was this spanking new building for their telecoms HQ. It was incredibly shaped like 2 twisting filaments reaching for the skies. As my friend obliging drove around the building, I took in the subtle twists that made it seem as if the building was turning around to watch ME. And then as we rounded a corner, we came face to face with a slum quarter.

Old pre WWII shophouses that were desperately in need of a razing. Walls all a-tilt, grubby kids with despondant elderly grandparents in tow, it looked like the only thing that could sanitize the place was a firebomb.

The spanking, sparkling new living side by side with the old, decaying underworld. That sort of sums up malaysia quite aptly, for me at least. Hopefully with the "new" PM in place, things won't be as skewed. Already PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi seems more moderate and more grounded than the (in)famous Dr Mahathir.


But only time will tell, eh?