Dirty, dusty and dangerous..

These 3"D"s which I think would aptly described how I feel about my own country.. when compared to Japan and Singapore, two of the cleanest and safest countries in Asia...

Dirty
In Japan, recycling is the norm.. separating household garbage into combustible, non-combustible, recyclable and paper refuse is mandatory that even a child knows and obeys. While in Singapore, all trash are thrown into the garbage chutes, as most stay in high-rising flats, and hauled away everyday by workers to remote landfills. It is almost inconceivable to even imagine having open-air garbage dumps in these two countries, yet in Malaysia, they are quite a common sight!!

With stray dogs and cats foraging for scraps and the poor rummaging for any sellable items, these unsightly open-air dumpsites are really just another testimony of how inefficiently this country is being managed.. These problems are easily solvable if the authority has the will to do it, which unfortunately they don't..

Dusty
Somehow my nose became a good indicator of dustiness.. :x While in Japan, my nose would only run if I catches a cold or the weather changes, but now, back in Malaysia, my nose is running practically everyday!! And staying in an old semi-wooden pre-World War II house is not helping either!

Another indication of dustiness is the fact that I need to do body scrub everyday too... :x The amount of dead skin and dirt scrubbed is unbelievable, and I don't think my skin started to "peel" or "shed" just because I am back.. And to think that I barely go out of the house at all!!!

Dangerous
With the government, MPs and ministers focusing on the politicking and background power maneuverings to grab/hold onto power, no one seems to care that the security and safety situation in the country is deteriorating FAST.. Not a day goes by, without news of a robbery here, a break-in there, he got mobbed, she got raped or they got conned.. I really long for the sense of security and safety that Japan and Singapore had offered me the past 15 years..

As if things aren't bad enough, the road accident rates are rising to ridiculous levels too.. Yet, it is not much of a surprise looking at the way people drives these days.. Because of the non-existence of public transport, every Tom, Dick and Sally has to drive to get to where they wanna go, regardless of whether they are FIT to drive or not.. bad judgment, poor estimation, slow reaction, cold indifference or just plain apathy to other road users.. these people shouldn't be allowed to drive at all as they are not just a menacing threat to others but they are also endangering themselves and their family.. yet what other alternatives can we offer them?

The country is slowly going to the dogs.. no doubt about it..