THE UGLY MALAYSIANS - ARE WE AMONG THEM?

I have seen a woman removing some strawberries from a packet, and replacing them with fresher ones from another packet. She had to open two packets in order to make the swap.

Courtesy is not a way of life for many Malaysians. Have they not heard of the Golden Rule? "Do not do to others what you don't want others to do to you." (Screen shots from The Star.)

These bad habits of ugly Malaysians were on the front page of The Star for two straight days. A timely reminder for us to look at ourselves and ask if we are among the counted. It's easy to point fingers at others who annoy us with their lack of civic-consciousness. If no one is perfect, we are probably guilty of at least one or two bad habits, if not more.

Here are more shameful acts of Malaysians who give our country a bad name.

Vandalism - A phone kiosk with no phone but plenty of garbage, and stickers on any available space like trees, lamp-posts and bus stops. Wiring exposed on street lights.

Ugly sight. This entire drain is filled almost to the brim with thick sludge.  It was finally cleared after persistent complaints. Uncaring passers-by throw garbage into the drains. Irresponsible restaurants in the area empty their leftovers into the drains as well.

What I find annoying is the impatience of most Malaysian commuters. They rush into the lrt trains to get seats blocking passengers from getting out. So kiasu! (afraid of losing out).

Taxi drivers blatantly flout the sign on their taxis at tourist spots. Try asking for a receipt, and you will likely get the answer "Meter spoilt". I feel bad for all the foreigners who have been fleeced by unscrupulous taxi drivers who overcharge and do not use the meter.

Bus drivers who hog the road preventing taxis from leaving with their passengers. Meanwhile the meter is running as you sit and wait for the bus to move off before the taxi can move off.

Add Kelana Jaya LRT station to this list. None of the taxi drivers there use the meter. It's a conspiracy to exploit their passengers who often have no choice but to accept the charges. 

As you can see, my biggest grouse is with taxi drivers and commuters who lack basic civic-mindedness and simple courtesy. I have to deal with such people on a daily basis as I depend on public transport to get around.

Before we point an accusing finger at all these ugly Malaysians, perhaps we should examine ourselves first. It's time for an introspection. We can all strive to make our city, our country, a better place to live in. Let's not give visitors a chance to label us 'Ugly Malaysians".