theSun, Malaysia
August 12, 2010
Standing in the heart of London, I stood admiring the massive lion sculptures that sit guarding Nelson’s very tall column. Looking up to the top of the column where Nelson stands, I imagined all the great things that took place in this space steeped in history from political demonstrations, World Cup victory celebrations, New Year festivities and not forgetting what it commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar.
As I looked further towards the buildings surrounding Trafalgar Square, the sky was peppered with flags of different countries.
Britain, Canada, EU, South Africa perhaps, the Emirates, even Uganda…and “Could it be?” I thought, “No way” I said.
Perhaps my eyes were getting things mixed up and I got my flags mixed up.
It was prime land, not only does it scream rich, it’s deafeningly vuvuzela expensive.
You’ve got to wonder what the price tag on real estate would be so close to Buckingham Palace. Not only was it exclusive, it was posh and yes it was the Malaysian flag, perched high up against the London sky backdrop.
Standing at the crossroads, I waited as the red double-decker buses passed by and right there in the middle of London on prime land is the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board.
My heart just broke.
Do we really have that much money to spend?
Do we really need a tourism office right there in the centre of London when just last year, there wasn’t enough funds in the budget to investigate the rape accusations of the Penan women in Sarawak?
Or that there are so many living under the poverty line while things like bridges in poorer areas are inadequately maintained, killing school children when it collapsed.
Where are our priorities?
It seems to be that the idea of development means that we build big, we advertise large and we deck ourselves with great portrayals of monetary wealth to show the rest of the world that we are equals in the wealth game while we loose the very essence of what development really means.
Personally, development means a government that works for the people, a justice system that is truly blind, and a people who value each other as equals. Instead we move backwards every time Parliament is in session.
We spend too much dragging out cases that should not even be in court because a sin is mistaken as a crime while there is a foolish need to search for a pure, mighty race when we are all supposed to be one.
Instead of looking after our young, we amend marriage laws to allow teenagers to get married with the excuse of preventing teenage pregnancies, abortions and baby dumping. When the best solution would be to direct funds towards a better education system that includes sex education, and before I get any hate mail, it doesn’t mean advocating practises that go against religious beliefs. It’s about protecting our young not changing laws that advocate shot gun marriages and perhaps even a higher divorce rate in the future.
People are going to sin, that we cannot control. What we can do is to help them avoid committing a crime, committing murder.
Maybe the argument is that we need a tourism board in the heart of London to boost our economy especially since we have lost a huge chunk of our FDI, but surely the logic of putting your own oxygen mask on first before you help anyone else should be a reminder of how the people’s money is spent?
Take care of yourself before you can take care of others is taken too literally. There used to be a time when politicians fought for the country and not themselves. These days it seems the oxygen mask is only for themselves.
Natalie wonders what the subsidy bill looks like to set up house on prime real estate near Buckingham Palace.
Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
*NOTE: Tourism Malaysia has clarified that The Malaysia House at 57, Trafalgar Square (where Tourism Malaysia office stands today) is a gift by Her Majesty the Queen of England as the Head of Commonwealth to the Malaysian Government in 1957.
