Lately, whether by design, fate or plain coincidence, we have been seeing, reading or hearing about people or issues that involve the name Ibrahim.

THERE is something odd going on lately in Malaysia. For some seriously strange reasons, whether by design, fate or plain coincidence, Malaysians are seeing, reading or hearing about people or issues that involve the name Ibrahim. So let us go through the current hot list.

Anwar Ibrahim: He sure knows how to confuse us. We all thought he wanted to be Prime Minister. Then he said he would retire from politics and take up a teaching career if Pakatan Rakyat failed to capture Putrajaya in the general election.

Well, many of us, being the confused lot that we are, actually believe him, or at least believe in the many things that he has been saying, anyway.

Then, following the decision of the Kajang state assemblyman to vacate the seat, Anwar confused us further by saying he would not be contesting the seat. But he finally announced, after much charade, that he would be contesting after all.

Now, he says that even if he wins the seat, he does not aim to be the Mentri Besar of Selangor. Well, the whole world seems to think otherwise.

He has already confused us enough with his answers on why he is forcing a by-election in Kajang. Until now, no one, including his diehard supporters, can give us a convincing explanation.

Seriously, all of us should really ask him what it is he really wants. This man has to be the master of surprises. No one can beat him at that.

No one can remember him having a liking for football. Horses and jet ski, yes. Suddenly he has donned the colours of the Selangor football team.

If Penang plays against Selangor, we are not sure if he will be wearing anything, given that he is an MP from Penang, which is also a Pakatan-controlled state. That’s pretty confusing.

Well, for sure, he has really given us a few good lessons in politics!

Khalid Ibrahim: This is one sorry Ibrahim. His hair has become more dishevelled lately. He murmurs to himself most of the time and he is doing this even more.

Who can blame him? He has to be careful who he talks to now with his party boss wanting to take over his job. His fellow ADUNs – who all claim they are in politics for the sake of the people – must be having a tough time deciding who they should stand behind now to further their political ambitions.

They have to decide which horse they should back – this mumbling corporate figure or the real political animal, Anwar Ibrahim, who has the magic of getting people to believe what he wants them to believe.

If it’s me, it’s me. If he says it isn’t him, all will nod in agreement, as if under a spell, and repeat that it isn’t him. It’s just a lookalike of me, a body double, a Siamese twin.

Poor Khalid. The only one he can trust is himself. He can only talk to himself.

We all hope he will just hang in there because he is actually a likeable bloke. What you see is what you get from this Ibrahim.

Zaid Ibrahim: Now, this one is tricky. We are just as confused because he has either joined or formed almost every political party in town. And we, being the terribly naïve Malaysians, thought that this sort of thing only happens to Sabahan politicians.

No one is quite sure why he is declaring his candidacy for the Kajang by-election. It can’t be his love for the satay there, for sure. We are not even sure if he knows his way around Kajang or if he even has friends there.

But this Ibrahim can be assured that he will get his 15 minutes of fame every night on prime time TV. Our advice is he should not attempt to sound too philosophical or intellectual during his campaign rounds in Kajang.

That’s because we are already confused. We are not sure if he is seeking the support of Barisan or Pakatan Rakyat supporters. We are not too sure there are enough fence sitters like him. But we are sure he will confuse us during the entire campaign period.

Ibrahim Ali: We can assume that he will be there. He and his gang of merry men never let us down when it comes to providing the comic relief. But he has been saying that he is actually the one who has been delivering the Malay votes for Umno and that without him, Umno would have been in serious trouble.

But the best line from him recently is that there are many troublemakers impersonating Perkasa members! Fuyoh!

Now, that’s interesting! And we, being the confused Malaysians, thought that Malaysian politicians have confused us sufficiently and endlessly but this is the ultimate confusion! Imitation Perkasa members, wow.

Haris Ibrahim: He has been unusually quiet since being initially denied entry into Australia last September. The outspoken activist and lawyer shows up everywhere. He is a permanent fixture in all protests and demonstra­tions. A specialist in this sort of things, we may say. We are not sure if he will add some colour and excitement in Kajang. But he’s definitely another Ibrahim that we can welcome to the Kajang polls, to confuse many of us further.

Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh: He may not be a household name in Malaysia but he would probably get a recognition from the Malaysia Book of Records for being involved in the most number of non-­government organisations. This Ibrahim is involved in every NGO – from Bersih to Gabungan Mansuh ISA to Pemantau to Independent Monitoring Election Commission.

He has served notice that he will be in Kajang in his capacity as chief of the Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections (Mafrel). Are there any hats he is not wearing? Hasn’t he been confused himself before?

We won’t be surprised if he will soon head a Gabungan Cinta Satay Kajang or Stick It Up for Kajang Voters movements.

Rahim Thamby Chik: Well, not quite Ibrahim but close enough. This veteran politician can’t stand the sight of Anwar Ibrahim. Or for that matter anything about Anwar Ibrahim. He is his sworn enemy. Well, Enemy Forever. Not BFF, for sure.

We are not sure whether he will turn up in Kajang with Ummi Hafilda, another sworn enemy of Anwar. She seems to have gone into political oblivion since her marriage to a Pakistani doctor. It seems to be like an extended honeymoon, perhaps to make up for lost time. But we hope to hear from her soon. Looks like she has discovered that there’s more to life than her obsession – Anwar Ibrahim. It’s never too late. All these players hate one another but they can’t stay away from one another either. Isn’t that confusing?

Ibrahim Ahmad Badawi: Brahim LSG Skychef Sdn Bhd, formerly known as MAS Catering, belongs to Datuk Ibrahim Haji Ahmad Badawi, the younger brother of Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. This company has been in the news lately.

Those of us who have been lucky enough to travel on business class on MAS will find the airline’s satay simply irresistible. Having lost the nasi lemak fight, we hope MAS will now redeem its image and go to Kajang for a satay war soon.

No one would have thought that there is such a thing as a “very naked” nasi lemak! Chef Wan Ismail took a picture of the very bare nasi lemak that was served in economy class on the route to Bangkok.

To the horror of this melodramatic chef, he claimed there were no nuts! Chef Wan may seem lembut (soft) at times but no one messes around with his food.

He was terribly pissed off. He whipped out his smart phone and took pictures of the nasi lemak missing the nuts. Err, sorry, I meant groundnuts.

And for Chef Wan, that’s a helluva of a telanjang (naked)! The essential ikan bilis or fried anchovies were not there either.

Well, following a full investigation, just short of a Royal Commission, it was finally revealed that the nuts had to be removed because they had gone stale. Blame the supplier who had gone on Chinese New Year break. Well, someone has to be the scapegoat in the great Malaysian tradition.

Poor Ibrahim, we never thought this would become an issue. This whole thing may seem a little nutty but the moral of the lesson here is, please don’t take economy class passengers for granted. We are not any ikan bilis, okay? We can strip anyone, Datuk or no Datuk, naked.

Well, things are going to get more interesting because the nomination and campaigning for Kajang have not even started yet!

And we still say the Election Commission should extend the campaigning period.

Middle Class Malaysia is a pretty confused group. But then, the country is confused anyway.

THE Malaysian middle class, especially those living in Petaling Jaya and Subang – easily the biggest suburbs of middle class residents in the country – prides itself as educated, active in social media, well-read and surely the bastion of democracy, human rights and all things fashionably liberal.

Well, it’s also a pretty confused group. But then, the country is confused anyway.

Point One: We hear the middle class grumbling, whining and complaining about foreign labour – and we do this insensitively in front of our foreign workers, especially the maids!

Aiyoh, how can the government allow so many foreigners to come in one? Why the government cannot be like Singapore where they only let in clever, skilled foreigners? Sorry, expatriates. Not cheap labourers.

In the same breath, the middle class also gets uptight because of the long wait for Indonesian maids! Eh, what’s wrong with the government ah? Cannot even get Indonesian maids. So incompetent one.

Point Two: So, we also hear Middle Class Malaysia agreeing that we must never, never rely on foreign maids. We must be resilient. We will clean up the house ourselves. We will train our kids to be independent. But we tell our kids: Ah Boy ah, why you go and clean the plates? Leave the plates on the table lah. We got a maid what. Let Kak do the cleaning lah. Go, go away from the kitchen. Duh!

Point Three: Middle Class Malaysia is aghast at the seemingly corrupt practices in the country. There is fear that corruption has become entrenched. It’s so sickening. How can the politicians be so corrupt? We must stop corruption. But in the same breath, we tell our kids. Eh, Ah Boy, can you ask your driving instructor whether can pay coffee money to pass the driving test ah? Got package ah? Better settle lah, so no need to sit for many driving tests. It’s costly, you know?

And we say we are against graft.

Point Four: Middle Class Malaysia must be one of the biggest accomplices in intellectual theft. We have zero respect for intellectual property. It’s not even our SOP to educate our children to stop buying pirated movies.

Ah Boy, please do not buy original DVD or CD, okay? Just buy from the pasar malam, you only watch once. Don’t waste money buying original on Amazon, okay? You hear me?

Ma, no need to buy DVD any more lah. Can just download for free one. No need to pay one!

That’s my boy, clever. Please teach Ma how to do, okay?

So, the entire family has become pretty good at this crime. After all, we are the only nation to have pirated DVDs that include a clip at the beginning to warn viewers about buying pirated DVDs!

Point Five: Still on fighting corruption. At every political ceramah, the crowd gets into a frenzy when the speakers expose corruption involving leaders and their wives, or their second or third wives. But we have also become pretty sophisticated in choosing who to condemn despite the mantra, “wrong is wrong and right is right”.

Aiyah, Ah Boy, these politicians only makan a bit only what. All the politicians makan one. They makan more and bigger. So if our favourite politicians makan, it’s okay lah. We must still support them, Ah Boy. Come, come, don’t ask any more. Do your homework. You don’t understand politics.

Point Six: We hate corrupt traffic cops. If anyone stops us, we know the road blocks are probably not sanctioned. It seems to be more frequent when the festivals approach.

We all hate cops who want to “settle” an offence instead of just issuing a summons. And yet many of us are guilty of offering bribes to dirty cops despite our sworn war against corruption.

Ah Boy, you mad ah? You never kau tim (settle in Cantonese) with the policeman ah? You think you are very rich ah? You actual­ly ask for a summons? You seow (crazy in Hokkien) ah?

And this is the best part: Middle Class Malaysians will wait and delay paying until the police offers a discount for unpaid summonses! No extra penalty, no compounded interest but a reward – a discount! Only in Malaysia!

Point Seven: Middle Class Malaysia is very particular about what schools their kids go to. It must be the best one. It must have school kids who come from good, well-off families. Cannot afford to have their kids mingling with poor schoolmates. But the problem is not everyone stays in the neighbourhood where the good schools are located. So we instil this value very early in our kids, that we must cheat to get ahead in life!

Ah Boy, don’t worry. Even if we do not stay near the school, we use my friend’s address lah. I also changed my credit card and phone bills already, got proof! Sure, you can get into that school. Don’t tell people, okay?

In short, cheating is okay. Only politicians cannot cheat.

Point Eight: Middle Class Malaysia parents cannot imagine that their kids have been selected for National Service. Horrors of horrors! It’s for other kids! Even if their own kids are excited with the new adventure, their parents cannot imagine their kids being packed off to a camp. What happens if they die eating horrible food? What happens if they get bullied?

OMG, mixing with kids of other races? What happens if they fall in love with someone from another race? And in the same breath, they will tell their kids: Ah Boy ah, why can’t this country be more multi­racial? Why must we always talk about race, race and race? I am so sick.

Malaysians don’t sit down and eat together any more. Not like during my time! What? You got selected for National Service? Why are you so sway (bad luck in Hokkien) one? Go and find a way to get out lah. Don’t go!

Point Nine: Middle Class Malaysia gets very angry at the increasing price of sugar and cannot imagine how rice is traded in this country. But they get really mad when their teh tarik is still so sweet despite asking for kurang manis! What’s wrong with this mamak fella? Want me to die ah, with so much sugar?

And then we continue the whining with the government increasing the price of sugar.

Rice? Don’t eat rice lah. Better stop eating. Too much carbo. You want to get diabetes? Better stop eating rice if you want to stay slim. Take my advice, don’t be so stubborn. Stop nasi lemak, stop nasi kandar, stop chicken rice. Hear me.

And in the same breath, we complain about the price of rice, which we all think should be cheaper. Ah Boy, I tell you, I don’t know what’s wrong with this government. Why is the price of rice so expensive? If we don’t eat rice, what do we eat?

Boy, you hear me or not? Going out again at this time? Don’t eat rice at the mamak shop okay? Rice is no good for you. Just eat chapatti­, okay?

Point Ten: And finally … there are still some good things to say about Middle Class Malaysia, and most Malaysians for that matter. We are super polite people. Most of us don’t call people names unless you are a politician or intellectually weak and unable to argue in a debate, especially on social media.

We also don’t call each other by name because we simply do not address people by name. We never call each other Mr or Miss or Madam. Everyone older than us is automatically an uncle or aunty, even though we are not related.

For some strange reasons, we call many people Boss! Hello, Boss, can get me a burger ah? Sure, Boss, satu burger special!

Or everyone is a brother. Eh, Brother, bagi satu kopi. No problem, Brudder!

We all seem to be so family. I love Middle Class Malaysia! This is home! This is the Land of the Confused!

Our politicians should spare us the blushes and sign up for media engagement courses.

WE are indeed still in a silly season. From gaffes over the price of kangkung to comparing a politician to the likes of Winston Churchill. From idolising this same politician as godsent and world-class material to producing a distasteful Chinese New Year video, it simply means our politicians are lousy at media engagement.

Even the Prime Minister has suggested that Cabinet members should take media engagement courses, pointing out the importance of giving out “clear and proper explanations” on government policies. We assume that includes himself.

Here are 11 points that politicians should accept before they even bother signing up for such a course.

Point No 1: The world has changed. No one has a monopoly on the distribution of news. The last thing politicians, especially those in government, should do is to dictate terms on how news should be skewed and written to benefit them. Only one politician still has the privilege of doing that – Kim Jong-un. Well, he has total control over everything, everyone and every piece of kimchi in Pyongyang.

Point No 2: Learn to laugh at yourselves. Humour seems to be lacking in our politicians. They confine themselves too much in a straitjacket. They are too sensitive to criticism and are easily upset. That’s being thin-skinned, which is strange because all politicians are supposed to be thick-skinned. The only exception, again, is if you are the Dear Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which is anything but democratic.

Humour is also possibly scarce in Taliban country. How can they possibly smile and laugh when they are stuck in caves most of the time with only camels as their companions?

Just take a leaf from London Mayor Boris Johnson, who sportingly joked and laughed at himself when he was stuck dangling in mid-air while riding a zip wire as part of the 2012 Olympics celebrations. He has also cleverly used his many guffaws to endear himself to the voters.

The Chinese New Year video by the MCA Youth taking a dig at that superbly ridiculous “Love Is In The Air” election video by the Bukit Bintang MCA is refreshing. Learn to laugh at yourself.

Point No 3: Chicken is simply food to people. Chickens are not used for political purposes. Older Chinese may insist on slaughtering chickens in temples to prove their innocence but to most of us, a lie detector would do a better job. Besides, what have these innocent chickens done to politicians that they have to be sacrificed in this manner? You can slap my back for laughing at silly video jokes but why must you offer me RM1,200 to slap someone on her face? Now, that could be slapstick comedy! Pakatan politician Teresa Kok can be likened to a fighting cock and her video may be full of cock and bull. But it’s best we leave the animals out of the fight. Just leave that to the real political animals.

Point No 4: Can we cut the charade of addressing every Tan Sri, Puan Sri, Datuk Seri, Datin Seri, Datuk-Datuk, Datin-Datin …? This whole salutation takes up too much time. Can we just get straight to the point? Most journalists find such salutations a complete waste of time. The only ones excited are these titled people. Surely, not the ordinary people. The time will be better used explaining what needs to be said by our leaders. We are no longer feudal although we respect the traditions.

Point No 5: Never talk down to the people. The rakyat are not stupid. Don’t lecture us and don’t expect Malaysians, especially the taxpayers, to be thankful, grateful and blindly loyal to politicians for just doing what they are voted in to do. Politicians are supposed to serve the people and not the other way around. So if that point is made clear, our leaders will be able to communicate more effectively with the people. It’s that simple, really.

Point No 6: Stop paying a bomb to spin doctors calling themselves media consultants. It’s really a con job. How would these guys know the political behaviour of Malaysians when they don’t even know their way around town? Except maybe Bangsar? So, forget about giving fat contracts to these expatriate self-declared experts with their fanciful graphs and power point presentations.

There’s a battalion of Malaysian ex-newsmen working as press secretaries, advisers and aides in Putrajaya. They know the job better.

Point No 7: Politicians get into trouble because they tell different things to different audiences. That’s what happens when their mouths are bigger than their brains. Everything and anything can now be captured as pictures, sound bites or video clips via the smartphone. Voters love to expose politicians and these videos have a way of going viral on social media.

Point No 8: Be clever. Using those instant one-man outfits disguised as non-governmental organisations to carry out your dirty tricks, and then disassociating from these political jesters, won’t work. The public hates it. The media hate it. Everyone can see through these devious schemes except the politicians who think we don’t. Does anyone actually join the Persatuan Mukabuku Malaysia?

Point No 9: Be straight to the voters. If you want to quit politics and land yourself a teaching job, just do as you have promised. If you want to contest a state seat, just say so, rather than deny a fact or give us runaround answers. And if you want to be a Mentri Besar, then just admit it. Surely, no godsent and world-class politician want to be just an ordinary state assemblyman who is expected to look at dengue-infested longkang (drains)?

Point No 10: Press freedom and freedom of expression mean accepting being criticised, belittled, ridiculed and scolded. All of us have seen how the biggest advocates of the freedom of expression show the same intolerant behaviour when they get into power. They clamp down and bully the media and critics. Of course, these brutes would not have done that without the blessing from their masters – the same politicians who get voted into power talking about accountability, freedom and justice.

Point No 11: Finally, the best and most important point of all. No amount of training, classes and advice could really help unless you think before you open your mouth to talk to the press and people. We all know that most politicians treat the microphone like some strange, desirable objects that they cannot let go of.

But keep it short and simple. Don’t sound like a philosopher when your degree is purchased online. Remember, our attention span is short. We need to run off to watch the football match on TV. When players don’t wallop each other, officials do it, at least in Malaysia.

THE celebrations of the Chinese New Year, now in its third day, have progressively undergone dramatic changes — much more than we Malaysians, especially those who are ethnically Chinese — realise.

And I am not just talking about traditions and the good old days but also the major socio-economic, geo-political and demographic changes which have a great impact on the lives of the Chinese in Malaysia.

Some of us may be caught in a time warp and think that things remain the same. But here are 10 paradoxes that are already so apparent as we usher in the Year of the Horse.

Paradox One: Today, many Malaysian Chinese families are seeking to trace their ancestral roots now that there are no more barriers to travelling back to China. Journeys back to the Chinese provinces where their ancestors originated, especially during the CNY season, have become something of a fad.

But here’s the shocker many Malaysians have encountered — their once impoverished Chinese relatives are now better off than the Malaysians!

If Malaysians once dreaded visiting these rural simpletons who lived in near collapsed houses where the toilets were located outside, the scenario has changed dramatically. Many have become wealthy and live in modern suburbs, and they certainly do not need their overseas relatives to give them any handouts.

Thanks to capitalism thriving, ironically in a Communist country, they are now telling their Malaysian family members not to bother visiting them during CNY. “We are going on holiday… err, not to Malaysia, Singapore or Thailand but to Europe. Thanks but it’s okay. Visit us another time. We will let you know when.”

Paradox Two: Our forefathers left their mainland Chinese wives, mostly in the southern provinces, in search of a better life in the Land of Honey — Malaya — in the 1920s or even earlier. Their wives remained faithful despite the distance. But the men would get married to the local Chinese women or nyonya in Malaya and have new families here. Now, the reverse is taking place in modern Malaysia — many Malaysian men now leave their wives behind in search of new Chinese wives-companions-girlfriends in China!

Paradox Three: Still on our forefathers. They would keep every single penny they could save, with the exception of the few spent on the occasional opium puffs, to be sent back to China. When they travelled back home, they would bring along plenty of gifts from Malaya for their near-starving Chinese family members. Well, the world has changed. China is now the world’s biggest factory. The country is producing everything you can imagine — or not imagine. So, it’s the other way around. Fast forward to 2014. We go to China now to do serious shopping and bring them back to Malaysia!

Paradox Four: My grandfather, Wong Ah Fook, landed in Langkawi. He remains a man of mystery to me because my father simply refuses to talk about him. My grandpa was born in the fruit planting county of Kochow or Gaozhou, in the southwestern Guangdong province of southern China.

As my father refuses to tell me anything about him, for a while I thought he was a discredited politician or maybe a crooked mandarin who sought refuge in Malaya.

But I was wrong. He was simply a peasant. I am not sure what he planted in Langkawi. It was also highly possible they told him he had landed in Penang. He may have gotten off on the wrong island. All islands looked alike in the 1920s.

Sometimes I wonder if there are Chinamen working in the canals in Kochow who look like me. Or whether there are any rich look-alikes who have made a fortune and are now living a life of luxury in the United States.

Paradox Five: We have all read about the all-important CNY reunion dinners. But do you want to know what has been happening? Well, more and more Malaysians are holding their CNY reunion dinners at restaurants. In the Klang Valley, most restaurants are fully booked with three dining sessions: 5pm, 7pm and 9pm. If you can’t finish your dinner, some restaurants insist you must pack up the food to make way for waiting diners.

I have also heard that the pot luck has become fashionable as busy modern families can no longer find the time to cook. To ensure that the CNY dinner does not erupt into a war, a compromise has been struck. Come to the patriarch’s home with your contribution. The old folks are just too tired to cook for a battalion of family members anyway.

Paradox Six: My father celebrates his 90th birthday this year. It’s amazing. He can enjoy his food — no diabetes, no hypertension, no cholesterol and he doesn’t exercise. My mother turns 84 this year. She eats everything too.

Like most elderly people, they talk about the old times when life was tough. The Japanese occupation is always a favourite topic.

They can’t understand why many family members refuse to eat rice and spend a fortune trying to lose weight when Africans are starving. For old Chinese parents, eating rice is good. So can you imagine not touching carbohydrates at a CNY dinner? Asking for trouble, man!

Paradox Seven: The days of wearing everything red — from bras to underwear — are slowly diminishing. Red is still the preferred colour but with the Red Devils losing practically every football match, that association is also quickly changing. Sure, Liverpool and Arsenal fans are also in red but that’s a different story.

Wearing dark colours seems more tolerable now compared to the past, when anyone in any colour remotely perceived as mourning, such as dark blue or even green, would earn the wrath of our parents. Sure kena lecture one! (“It’s sure to invite a lecture!”) Don’t even think of wanting to look like the late Apple boss Steve Jobs or our advertising guru Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing, who are always in their trademark black.

Paradox Eight: Okay, this one is a super sensitive subject. We are not talking about politics. We are talking about the increasing number of family members, especially women, who have refused to get married.

It’s a tense situation during CNY dinners. You can be sure some idiotic loudmouth (usually an insensitive daughter-in-law) will bring it up. Not sure if she wants to brag about getting pregnant again or just embarrass the hubby’s sisters.

But welcome to the modern Malaysian Chinese family — the population is shrinking fast. Plunging, to be more precise, and soon in danger of falling into the category of “dan lain-lain (others)” as more Nepalese, Myanmar, Indonesians, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Indians, Cambodians, Vietnamese, Iranians, Iraqis and Nigerians land in Malaysia.

Paradox Nine: After a week of pre-CNY yee sang, 10-course meals and more of the same food during CNY, most of us would much prefer going back to our more palatable Malaysian-style food, from mamak nasi kandar to Kajang satay. Yes, Kajang satay is great and does not need politicians to boost the business. More so those politicians who give us silly excuses on why this by-election has to be held. We do not need any convincing to eat other kinds of food during the festive season. Some politicians think they can take us for fools, believing they are world-class material just because they can talk about Winston Churchill and other world leaders who had humble beginnings!

Paradox Ten: And finally, what is it that the Malaysian Chinese want? The same as our forefathers who migrated here. They heard about how great Malaya was. We want Malaysia to remain great, so we can all be proud.

Malaya was thriving and a good place to make a living, and that was what our forefathers found. Likewise, we want the same in modern Malaysia.

And why did our forefathers leave China? Because they were sick of the corrupt nationalists and later the silly communists. They chose Malaya over other countries in huge numbers because of the moderation and openness here. That’s what we want too in modern Malaysia. Keep it moderate.

It’s not enough to be good. Let’s make Malaysia truly great! And we are sure we will be talking about this over CNY dinners because we truly love Malaysia.