Is It True...Malaysians Are Rude??

Since news of Reader's Digest findings of Kuala Lumpur as the third rudest city in the world, much has been written to counter the claim, ranging from utter rubbish to four-letter words. Most writings defend Malaysians as being polite and courteous, and to quote one opinion: `What do these foreigners know about us?'

Indeed, one can find rude people everywhere.

My travels have taken me to quite a number of cities around the world and to rank a particular city or country as ruder or more courteous than another is nothing more than being obsessed with slipshod surveys, equivalent to the degree of the popularity of George W Bush among the American people. Take New York for example. Go shopping and see for yourselves. Some sales people will look you up and down and send you a clear message that the store is not meant to serve you. Even the way they say `Can I help you?' is hardly welcoming. They expect you to buy something the moment you step into the store.

In Hong Kong, they will look at you and insult you in Mandarin or whatever dialect it is that they speak if you ask too many questions. On Bond Street, London, some high-end shops remain locked until they have a good look at you. And if you drop a one-pound coin in the cab and start looking for it, the cab driver will say, `Looking for diamonds, eh?'

In Rome, taxi drivers will stop in the middle of the road and scream at each other with the passengers still in the car! And in Paris, if you ask the tram driver for directions in English, he will just ignore you. But if you speak in Bahasa Malaysia, he will answer you in English! If one is in Los Angeles and calls an airline operator for some information, better be ready for some surprises in her answers.

The fact remains that there are rude people all over the world, Malaysia included.

To say we are all polite and courteous is stretching our imagination a bit too far. Let's start with the motorists on our roads. How often does one encounter a motorist who just cuts in into a long queue without regards for those who have been there for a long time? And if someone reminds him of his rude behaviour, they would probably get a clenched fist or be shown the middle finger in response. There have even been cases of road bullies and killings over an accident and, of course, deaths due to reckless driving and disrespect for road safety and other peoples' well- being. Year after year, road-safety campaigns end up with more deaths and accidents for one simple reason: there are simply too many rude drivers on the road. Speed limits at the back of buses and trucks do not mean a thing, and in some places like Klang, schoolchildren have been run over by these trucks!
If one takes a look at public property such as public phones, toilets, parks, beaches and picnic spots, then one can see how rude Malaysians can be. There is hardly a public phone that is in order, or you really have to be desperate to use a public toilet. The beautiful beaches, like Port Dickson, are no longer beautiful. They are filled with garbage thrown all over the place.