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Saturday, April 23, 2011

Can We Trust?

"A smile could change a life," Healing by Sami Yusuf.

A conversation with Puan S after lunch at her house somewhere in Sydney, Australia inspired this post.

A pretty obvious thing about Australia and Australians in Sydney is that people here have very high levels of trust. Not only do they trust their friends (because you're supposed to be able to trust your friends), they trust their customers and even complete strangers.

Again, let's look at the obvious first. Most of their houses don't have actual fences around their property. Even those that do have fences make it just way too easy for any burglar to climb over them. So they are obviously not worried about any burglar-ing going on. Even their doors and windows aren't fitted with any grilles. Compare this to the houses in our country. Different, no?

Now on to my experiences. At a local park (there are a lot of parks here in Sydney), friends come to have a game of soccer. They leave everything on the park bench and go play. No need for a friend to stay back and look after their bags. Phones can even be left on the park benches for all to see, but at the end of the game, they'll still be there. Now I ask you, how often does that happen in Malaysia?

How about their customers? Here are two examples. One of the buttons on one of my friends' (Afifi) phone was defective. He did not do anything to cause this (at least, not that he knew of). It just didn't work, for some reason. At this point, he had had this phone for about one and a half months. And it was an i-phone. So he took the phone to the local Apple Centre in hopes of it getting fixed. When he showed the phone to one of the staff members there, the phone was replaced with a new one right away, no questions asked, no fee paid. Needless to say, he left the store all smiles.

Second example, given by Puan S. Her daughter's phone (Blackberry, if I'm not mistaken) fell out of her pocket while at the beach. The phone fell into the water. So they brought the phone to the local centre and explained what had happened. The phone was replaced with a new one, free of charge.

Can I get a "wow" for both of the situations above? Imagine them happening in Malaysia. Imagine.

We're an Islamic country. This is a Westernized country. Why does it seem the other way round in this aspect?

I refrain from condemning the situation in our country. I just need you, the readers, to stop and think for a while. Is this the situation in our country? If not, then can this be the situation in our country?

Happy thinking! May peace be upon you.

Cheers!

57 comments:

Perempuan Gila said...

bw :)

anak pak man said...

bw?

ハミザ・ハスナン said...

wow.... gila best...
apa2 pun..
hujan mas di negeri orabg, hujan batu negeri sendiri kan...

tapi wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.. =)

ハミザ・ハスナン said...

*orang

typo disitu

sue perbs.. said...

yeap.. kat M'sia, tngh solat kat surau pun my handbeg boleh hilang... arghh.. sabar je la

Bukan Pesimis said...

wow,
I wish I could go there and experience it myself..

what a good country they have..

OhAnith said...

wow.. seriously ? ganti yang baru ? woww !

nd said...

absolutely true bro,
i think Malaysian kind of desperate kot.
no offense.

miera azzudin said...

bestnya..kalau la berkalu kat malaysia macam tu kan best...
dapat hanphone baru selalu coz handphone miera slalu rosak...huhu

Nabila Azureen Azis said...

salam.

this happens too in uk. newspapers are simply provided anywhre (on the streets, railway station etc), and it's free for evryone so that people would be able to catch up the updates. but surprisingly, after reading, they'll put it back, as if they're just borrowing it. yepp, to them, they define it as borrowing. because they know there're lots of ppl out thre who need to read. they think about the others upon doing things and this should be practiced in malaysia. the sense of humanity. i suppose :)

Azira Y said...

most malaysians can't be trusted. nak tinggal barang kejap tepi padang pun takuttt ok.

so ada tak cara nak didik orang kita jadi jujur?

Azariah Kamis said...

waa..bestnya kt negara org kan??
tp awat la Malaysia xcmtu..klaw la mlaysia pon cmtu kan bestt
:)

anak pak man said...

hamizah,
sakit oh kena hujan batu.. tapi kita ada kuasa ka nak tukarkan hujan batu tu into something good?

sueperbs,
that is true.. think about it, adakah boleh diubah?

syafiqah,
why can't we be a "good country" like them? padahal kita negara Islam.. think about it..

anith,
yup, serious..

nabilah daud,
desperate? i don't think we're that poor.. or are we?

miera,
try rereading your comment.. now think about your comment.. now think about why Malaysians can't trust each other..

nabila azureen,
waalaikumsalam.. really? interesting..
we're an Islamic country,ren't we supposed to have humanity too?

jazica,
you tell me.. :)

Syaby said...

wow. just wowww lah. dierang bagi tak if kite mintak i-phone for free? haha. bila malaysian nak jadi mcm ni eh ? nak tinggal selipar jamban kat surau pun, lesap juga. haisht

NisaQ mY said...

wah...senang betol dpt i-fon baru.well, I think malaysia is not that 'SAFE' in terms of trustworthy anyway -_-"

Girl. said...

one main reason could be because Malaysian take granted on things.

macam yang kat supermarket, kan orang bagi free samples..padahal tadi dah dapat, then pegi balik cakap x dpt lagi.

things like that lah. some people are selfish, they don't think of how others would benefit from their action, rather, they would think how things would benefit them.

the huge difference of the 1st world country and the 3rd world country. the attitude.

Nazrul Ashraff said...

it's craaaaazy..geleng2 kepala kejap.. klo kat malaysia, memang sah2 la tak dapat baru kan.. agaknya , tak dilayan!

and tinggalkan beg macam tu je? wow! wow! wow!

amazing!

Nabila Azureen Azis said...

obviously, that humanity do exist. take a glimpse back, malaysia allied itself to so many countries. malaysia is even well-recognized in OIC and even during any country's worst disaster.

that truly shows OFF our 'humanity'. what's the point of showing off when the people in the country itself doesnt show what it seems to look like? we're Islamic country, and we SUPPOSE to have humanity. at the end of the day; it's all about education =)

Nad Izza said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nad Izza said...

Salam'alaykum wbt.

Impressed. =)

I think it depends on the culture. Here in Malaysia, people just cant trust one another completely because tend to take things for granted. That's the UGLY TRUTH. But, at a place where i'm studying right now in Malaysia, we do have that kind of culture. Especially for people who want to make any kind of business, they can simply put it on a bench or at the cafe, without the need for someone to stay there to take care of it, and whoever want to purchase the items, just take and pay, put the money in an open box. The items or even the money will not be stole. Maybe we need to initiate it, but it is so hard to get support from the whole community because as i said, there's always people who're opportunists. So, that's why... Wallahua'lam

Unknown said...

seronoknyaaaaaaaaaaaa ! >.<
payahla nak jumpa mcm tu kat Malaysia =="

@sunbaenim_ said...

Ok . pasni phone rosak pi antar kt sane la lol :))

Nia Ilemor said...

With the increasing crime rate, stuff stolen, cheating here and there, I guess ppl just get cautious, more than they should perhaps. And that kinda affect whom you choose to believe.

dayanaazhar:) said...

kat malaysia, henfon tak leh hantar message, pi baiki kat kedai cina,dah kena charge like around 30 ringgit. and kat sana, terus dpt henfon baru? That's totally awesome. Even, leaving our belongings seems safe there, and it won't happen here. Letak kerepek kat bangku pun hilang apetah lagi henfon, bagpack semua

Anin said...

its hard to imagine yet to wish for it to happen.

.miradila. said...

i watched flashmobs from other countries( i couldn't remember if it was from aussie) that a lot of women just put their handbags kat tepi mana-mana to dance and after that kutip balik their handbags and no one seems to lost their handbags..

samada dierg(women) tu berani or orang kat sana 'TAHU' dan 'SEDAR DIRI' yang dia bawak handbags ke TAK!!

jibangyeon said...

just crossed my mind. (:

me said...

hey..just a malaysian blog passer-by...

it's not just about the feeling of 'trust' itself. trust doesn't come by just like that. they trust each other because the situation allows them to do so. but in malaysia, even an australian who usually trust strangers dare not to TRUST others in malaysia too.

why so?? it's our thinking or mentality that is lagging malaysia. VANDALISME, all over, public bus, bus stop, toilet( noone cares about it's hygiene). LITTERING? rubbish in longkang n along the streets, rubbish not thrown into the bins PROVIDED but all around it. spitting!! the cashiers in 7-11 or other shops giving the poyo expressions n not saying tq or smile to u. n so much more!

we have religions, but all these simplest courtesy, we do not practice! the people who are well educated, attending tertiary education, could still be spitting on the street. this is because of the lack in basic hygiene, respect n being considerate to others. we can make a difference, simply by STARTING FROM OURSELVES. n influence the people around, together we can make a difference! :DDD

Unknown said...

its so AWESOME! n its weird msia hav d othr way around.
*i wish dat mlysian could b like d austalian
*no offense

takky said...

service & management malaysia is poor...
to many question if something happen...
talk too much but no action...
why we cannot be like other country...
like japan...
even their country become victim for nature disaster...
but they take quick action...
example the main road at japan highway seriously damage because of the earth quake but they just take 6 day to repair it...
it really awesome right....

but malaysia???
(sigh)

farhanum halimin said...

w0w !!!

Anonymous said...

how about their law there? they must be really strict, no? compared to our own country. hukuman ringan. pendatang bebas keluar masuk. so it's kinda difficult to build the trust here. it's just my opinion. anyhow, thanks for sharing. all the best there! tc :)

Anonymous said...

It goes back to ourselves.Nilai-nilai murni diamalkan secara massive kat sane. Our values? Get on the road and you can't avoid cursing the other road users.
What you shared is the minority here and we have as the majority here is the minority there.
Btw,aku dh nak abes dh wei...sminggu je lg nk abes prktikum ni then 1 exam paper n off to total holiday b4 posting.

hannahsahimi said...

in Egypt, even if you leave your bag right in front of you, there's a chance of loosing something inside the bag, be it money or handphone. and Egypt is a country with full of muslims!
i personally think that this 'trust' thingy varies according to the country. negara senang vs negara susah.

kayah said...

Malaysia is developing too fast malaysians are having trouble catching up.

Whether we like it or not, sebenanya kan.. negara kite mmg maju. dari segi fizikalnya mmg maju. The technology and the building and all that. But the people? sedih.

Tamadun kalau kite belajar kat sekolah kan pembangunan lahiriah dan rohaniah. Tapi kite? belum cukup bertamadun lagi.

Kalau naik bas pun masih berebut.
Tepi2 jalan pun boleh meludah.
Cashier kat kedai x reti senyum.
Buang sampah sana sini.
Coach pompuan pun masih lagi laki masuk.
Peraturan jalan raya pun x reti ikut.

That's not bertamadun. Sadly, that's the fact.

I've been to a few developed countries and I have been in situations like that. And yes, they're western countries.

But we'll catch up soon InsyaAllah :) it's just a matter of time.

Malaysia masih baru. jgn risau. lame2 ok la tu. But how?

EDUCATION!!!

So, Encik Anwaq, hang jadi cikgu elok2 na.. :D

nurfarah wahidah said...

Wow!

That's all.

I'm impressed. :)

Anonymous said...

One word: Wow!

haha. I'm speechless :)

Maryam Kamal said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Maryam Kamal said...

heading to a good country, why don't we try to be a good people, first of all?

by the way, nice point cikgu :)

and if i'm not mistaken, this post is the most awesome post that i've ever read from this Whatever You Say I Am.

point taken. tengs for sharing.

er. Puan S. Is she a Malaysian, but stay in somewhere at Sydney?

Adil Almi said...

“Aku melihat Islam (di Eropah), tapi tidak melihat Muslim. Dan aku melihat Muslim (di Mesir/negara Arab) tetapi aku tidak melihat Islam”-Syeikh Mohammad Abduh, selepas dibawa berjalan-jalan di sekitar Eropah.

muhasabah diri balik..itulah sebabnya non-muslim tidak berminat utk memeluk islam andai mereka hanya melihat pada org muslim...kerana org muslim sekarang tidak memperlihatkan ajaran islam dalam kehidupan seharian...(^_^)

btw well said anak pakman..hehe

Anonymous said...

last time i came here, they're only few cmments. now its a wow ;)

PinKy MoMMa said...

refer to 1st comment..bw = blog walking ;)

salam kenal from sis ;)
eppy blogging..

Nim said...

at the end of the day it's all up to the ''mentilaty'' of the people itself.
if masyarakat mlaysia lebih diexposekan dgan things like this yg actually ''basic'' maybe masyarakat kita bolehlah jadi mcm dkat australia.and korang2 yang ckp ''beshh nyeww kalau dkt mlaysia mcm tuwww kann'' menjadi reality :)
tak gitu anuar hadi?

Cikgu AL said...

i couldn't agree more with this post. my friend who dropped her phone at the lecture hall did get back her phone. how cool is that?

mican said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nasyha said...

yup. exactly !..
totally different.still searching for the reason.
why it seems so different between here and in australia ?

happy discussion :)

Ibu Muda 30series said...

My husband's cousin experienced the same thing in Sydney. He left his wallet somewhere with lots of cash inside. Somebody found his wallet and return back to him without any amount less! amazing right? could it happen in malaysia? :)

♥ julie zulkilee ♥™ said...

Assalamualaikum.
wow. bestnye kalau kat malaysia pun mcm ni. tapi rasenye susah nak jadi realiti. sbb kat malaysia kalau lepa sikit, mst brg hilang. kat hostel kunci almari mcm nak bagai pun laptop boleh hilang. ape kan lagi kalau tinggal macam tu je :(

mican said...

we all know those things wont happen here.at least not in the near future.but maybe all of us can do something to reach that level.('maybe' and 'something' show that me myself still have no idea what to do with that.sad.)
but for now,if you love your belongings,then you know what you should do.even home is not that safe....:(

miss hyena said...

penah btolkan handfon 2 kali..still broken..hmm

(^_^) said...

melentur buluh biarlah dari rebungnya... mungkin kat malaysia buluh-bulh dah semuanyer, tu yang payah nak lentur..
semuanyer bermula dari hati kite sendiri...
kat Jepun pun macam tu jugak..
tiada konsep... "barang MU barang KU jua" hihihi

From Me to WE said...

BW too..

Indeed we can. We've to start it. If its not now, then when? If its not us, then who? :)

Spread d truth, kindness and beauty.

Anonymous said...

They have been doing these since nenek moyang.. that's what tun M. trying to make putrajaya with the houses has no gate..we need to practise within ourself, teach our kids the good manners..insyaallah the trust will come.. well, a fren of mine house in Adelaide has been robbed..same house like us with no fence too... baru je ckp dgn dia pasal rumah kt sini xyah susah2 nk kunci..dh kena rompak..kalau nk kt penyamun xde tu..ada even in your place ...cuma sikittt je la kot compare to msia.. I also experienced 'pecah rumah' when I was in US studied, so I just don't trust the western like u do.. :)

Ms Yunis said...

wowwww! the way they treat their customer is most i like ! phone will be replaced with the new one! i cant imagine if this situation happened in malaysia!


:D

i_shanaz said...

Berpijak dibumi yang nyata ;)

Aiman Azlan said...

There are no fences in most Canadian homes too. I was amazed when I first saw this.

awe said...

my bb was splashed by the sea water
dekat cotteslow beach, perth..
hantar warranty and still xdpt lagi pon bb tu
how come sydney terus replace the bb with a new one :(