Driving back from the school run this morning, circa 7.45am, I tuned into what  is either a Malaysian or Singaporean radio station. As one pop song ended, a series of adverts began in English. This one caught my attention:

Voice: So your kid has a drugs problem? What do you do? Administer punishment? (SOUND OF SOMEONE BEING SEVERELY BEATEN UP)

Voice: Or maybe you try to educate them, reason with them? (FEMALE VOICE EXPLAINING WHAT IS IN THE RECREATIONAL DRUG)

Voice: Or maybe you can show true love by sending your child to a (FIRM’S NAME) drug treatment centre. Run by professionals, totally discreet, we can help you and your child …. etc.

I wish I knew if this had been a Singapore advert – there, it is the death penalty for anyone caught bringing in drugs. Given that fact, I am guessing this is a Malaysian company. However, I thought it very sad that this should need to be be aired in the middle of a light music show, just at the time of day when youngsters are being ferried to school. Looking around JB, you do not get the impression at all that there is a drugs issue (although I’m sure they are ubiquitous), certainly not like in some cities in parts of the UK. I also wondered if ‘totally discreet’ meant no police involvement at all.

Having a chat with an ex-India colleague, we concluded that, overall, the impression we get of Malaysians is very positive. Here follows a number of generalisations, just a summing up of our musings.

We get the impression the Chinese Malaysians provide the financial powerhouse of the economy. If you go to the supermarket, usually the floor manager is Chinese and the cashiers / shelf stockers are native Malaysians. The guy who supplies your bottled gas, the Internet provider, the apartment manager, the car leasehold manager: they are all Chinese. These people are very acute business-wise and do not miss a chance to make more money. Please don’t think I am being critical: these are just our observations.

Malaysians seem to be a very friendly people. They smile at you a lot, whether it is a chance encounter at the supermarket, helping you, acknowledging your thanks and attempts to speak their language. They drive more sedately than Europeans, are pretty laid back about which lane to stay in and are forgiving of each other’s meanderings. They seem to take life at a more leisurely pace all round. As a European, you will be stared at – hey, you’re a different colour! – but it will be in a friendly and inquisitive manner: you will never feel uncomfortable. Our daughter is blonde, so you can imagine how often people stop to look!

I haven’t come across many Indian Malaysians to date. The security guards at our flats are Tamils and they are pretty dour most of the time. But then I think I would be too if I had to do their job! There are one or two ladies wearing saris drifting around occasionally, but I am not sure if they are visitors or residents.

Seri Alam (our suburb) is kept spotlessly clean and tidy. The roads are lined with palm trees and gangs of men are out and about every day removing fallen branches, cutting the verges and sweeping roads. There is virtually no litter and houses are well maintained in the main. You are left with the feeling that there is a real sense of pride in the community. The contrast with India is irrefutably stark. One’s over-riding impression of Malaysia, despite its political ups and downs, ( of which more anon), is of a country on the move, intent on improving its infrastructure, welcoming foreigners and unafraid to embrace new ideas. This is not a country that is going to be left behind in its pursuit of healthcare, education and business.

Some developing countries want to be classed as world players, but never will be because they openly despise what the rest of the world has to offer and are riddled with endemic corruption, not just at the level of governments and companies, but in virtually every aspect of life, the potential is openly there and tolerated in every transaction. Trouble is, the rest of us know perfectly well we are despised and finish by taking a pragmatic decision not to care. You start off trying so hard to  understand, to learn and to help, but you end up throwing in the towel because you realise no-one is interested in improving – they are all too busy making a quick buck. I have seen dedicated people make real, life-enhancing changes to communities: the minute they leave (for whatever reason) the momentum is irredeemably lost and, within a week or tow, all the old ways are back.

Malaysia is going places, however. It is something tangible you can see and feel everywhere.