In tribute to the first ever post under our brand new category of Malaysia Boleh!... what better way to kick it off with a WIRED feature article on our very own Malaysia.

Tittled  " The World Record-Breaking Capital " the article shines the spotlight and at center stage, is our dear Malaysia Boleh! attitude.

Some quotes from the article: 

To Western eyes, the country seems like a nation of attention-hungry circus freaks. But in Malaysia, the desire to build the largest tea bag or gather the most twins at a single location is a form of national pride.

my favourite one of them all … 

An excellent nationwide highway system was constructed and is now filled with Protons, Malaysian-made cars driven by people who can’t afford Japanese or German vehicles. 

ahh, how the mighty have fallen… 

The Malaysia boleh! slogan took off. Advertising agencies used it to promote products; fans chanted the phrase at the Commonwealth Games and other sporting events. And along the way to courting national pride, the call to excellence somehow got translated into setting the record for creating the highest stack of cans in 15 minutes.

SO!

As a Malaysian where do I stand? 

The way I see it the article does indeed highlight some of the flaws of our Boleh! attitude. Being poised for Boleh! in various integral aspects has somehow been replaced to seeing our Boleh! utilized in a capacity that is far lesser that it deserves.

What has become of the much acclaimed Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC)?
Where is our latest shining star the BioValley (lately reduced in magnanimity to BioPolis)?
More recently, what happened to our so called ‘Scenic Bridge’?

Somehow along the way from a distinct possiblity we have been reduced to a state of ‘could-have-been’. 

The single spark of light in this comedy of error is that to some certain degree we as Malaysian have come  to forge a more closer bond due to our Boleh! spirit.

However there is a myriad of other possibilites that we can just reach out and grab … if only we re-align our Boleh! attitude to more productive avenues instead of making giants pizzas’ and such.