Quality and meritocracy is DEAD in Malaysia.

When someone buys a new house and throws a house-warming party, the most interesting subject for discussion would always be ' how much does it cost?'. : . : . .guests and visitors would focus their attention onto the amount of renovations and furnishings done, rather than the ambience of living. . . . . They would also care more about the sorts of finishings and glamour than the usability of the space available. . . . . Which is why, construction companies always are quick enough to recommend the materials that cost the highest(not necessarly the best quality, though). . . . . . . . . . . Connoisseurs nowadays won't care too much about the nutritional value and taste of food they consume, they concern more towards the price of dishes. . . . . Which is why, restaurateurs always know exactly what price tags to slap onto their menus, in order to attract diners. . . . . . . . . . Government leaders also care about appointing whoever is closest-related to hold top positions, than to find someone appropriately qualified. . . . . Which is why, anything proposed or executed from the ranks of a government department would end up short of the word 'quality'. . . . . . . . . . Doting parents too, prefer to pay more attention to a child they love most over a child who is of better quality. . . . . . . . . .which is why, many previous rich families cannot sustain their fortunes more than three generations. . . . . . . . . . Relatives who have the opportunities to taste my wife's cooking and baking, always suggested her to turn her hobby into a business( and earn money, lots of it). . . . . . . . . . I said: ' no way', because my wife uses quality ingredients that costs a lot more than 'normal' ones, she could end up losing money.'. . . . Because, in order to maximise profits, a businessman buys the 'cheapest' raw materials, employs the 'cheapest' labour, essentially producing the 'lowest quality' end product. . . . . No businessman would ever want to treat his business as a hobby or a piece of art. . . . . . . . . . . According to my wife, even though she insists on buying raw materials of the best quality, she finds that even the regular brands she used to purchase are degrading compared to two years ago, some brands don't even make it to the shelves here anymore. . . . . As my wife puts it, most Malaysian people generally don't have interest(or time) in quality cooking or baking, and since materials of good quality don't sell fast enough, they would eventually vanish from supermarket shelves. . . . . . . . . . The same lies in human labour, when businessmen engage cheap foreign labour work for here, local people with quality workmanship will find that market demand for them getting slim, they have to venture away, leaving behind a Malaysia sustained by 'cheap' foreign labour. . . . . Anyone can see that, potholes appear on new tarred roads at a rate many times faster than 30 years ago, new houses and buildings sink or get cracks more frequently than old ones, these are all products of nepotism, cronyism. . . . . . . . . . Since everyone survives by way of connections and relations, it means the Malaysian public would only need to focus on 'networking' and maintaining relations, then 'meritocracy' and 'workmanship' won't have a seat in this country. . . . . Eventually, we would not have any. Malaysia would also be heading towards death. . . . .