By YS Chan
The majority of Malaysians have completed secondary school. Those who could afford to study further went on to obtain a diploma or degree in one of the many public or private colleges or universities. But how many are truly educated? It does not mean the learned are educated; likewise the religious may not be holy.
The hallmark of an educated person is the courtesy they show others, something that is grossly lacking among many members of our society. The most glaring example is how we behave on our roads. Apart from inconsiderate motorists, millions of traffic summonses are issued every month throughout the country, with Kuala Lumpur City Hall alone accounting for one million.
A large number of vehicles are driven by those without driving licences, estimated at 1.2 million actually. Victims injured by unlicensed drivers do not receive compensation from insurance companies, as the compulsory third party cover is invalid.
Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi recently told Parliament that there were 12,089,747 motorcycles registered with the Road Transport Department as of last year. It would also be interesting if he had provided an estimate as to the number of motorcyclists riding without crash helmets as required by law.
Meanwhile, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rohani Abdul Karim told Parliament that 532,158 illegitimate children were registered with the National Registration Department between 2005 and 2015. Why were more than half a million young mothers so unaware about their own bodies?
If this is not enough, 3.5 million Malaysian adults were diagnosed with diabetes in 2015, the fourth highest number of diabetics in Asia, while 17 other countries have far greater populations than ours. Malaysians are fond of proclaiming how delicious local food is without realising that the excess oil, fat, salt, sugar, spice, colouring, preservatives and artificial flavouring has rendered most of our food unhealthy. Can anyone name a popular Malaysian dish that is healthy? Over-consumption of sweet food and drinks, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle has made Malaysia the fattest country in South East Asia, according to the World Health Organisation.
Despite the alarm bells ringing loud and clear, it has fallen on deaf ears. Our politicians are too busy trying to prove they care for the rakyat when in actual fact, many are only interested in power and popularity.
What we have at present, is a recipe for disaster – selfish political leaders, a failed education system, scores of illegitimate children, and millions of citizens afflicted with non-communicable diseases like diabetes.
In an uneducated society, few seem to care, even if it involves life and death issues.
YS Chan is an FMT reader.
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