THREE Singaporeans, a German and a Malaysian are at a dinner party. I wish I could say this is the opening line of a joke, but in fact, it was a situation I found myself in several years ago, and I had ended up being part of the joke.

As my dinner companions began discussing the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal, other distinguishing features of our country came to the fore.

From Najib Razak’s seemingly political immortality, race-based policies and the ever-weakening Ringgit, there were times it seemed to be a “let’s see what else is wrong with Malaysia” contest.

Did I feel slighted at times by the potshots levelled at my country? Yes, I did, as every patriotic Malaysian would be. But was there truth in their views and assessment of the government and the state of our country? Unfortunately, the answer is also a clear “Yes”.

Malaysians are some of the most patriotic people I’ve ever met, but after spending some years abroad, I realised that the greatness of our country is, sadly, rarely acknowledged by anyone but ourselves.

I realised that most of the world viewed Malaysia as being very little more than a third-world country with a mediocre education system, an economy burdened by incessant leakages, and a government riddled with corruption.

By association, Malaysians are often viewed as either supporters of a failing government, or desperate dissenters with little to offer the rest of the world.

We all know Malaysians who are brilliant and have accomplished much on the global scale, but the harsh fact is that this world has very little patience or interest in considering exceptions.

Last week, we applauded the placing of our country’s pioneer university, Universiti Malaya (UM), at the 87th spot in the QS World University rankings for 2019.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) came in at 184th, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) ranked 202nd and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) – my beloved alma mater – reached 207th.

While we have every right to be pleased with the achievement, the reality is that 87th place is very little cause to celebrate when one has to compete on a global scale with peers from the other 86 universities ranked above us.

While international rankings have their limitations, denying their clout is akin to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) once declaring that we will come up with our own corruption index in objection to an unflattering international ranking.

The truth is that our local university qualifications have given most Malaysians very little to leverage on when competing with their peers from recognisable, high-performing universities.

Malaysians, being the resourceful people we are, have had to make up for this shortfall in recognition by working harder and better than others, and often with great success.

But I wonder how much more we could achieve if we can start out at a level playing field.

Apart from a lacklustre reputation in education, Malaysia has also become synonymous with corruption, especially since the 1MDB controversy came to light more than three years ago.

Not only were we the object of the world’s pity and shock at the inscrutability of our government leaders, the failure to keep our former government accountable for its actions has adversely affected the integrity of our public offices and institutions.

When we moved to Australia several years back, I was informed by the Department of Transport that the Malaysian driving licence, like those of most of the other developing and third-world countries, was not recognised. Singapore’s, on the other hand, was.

This meant that as a Malaysian driver, I had to sit for the local theory and practical examination in order to be able to drive. My Singaporean friends merely had to apply for an immediate transfer, bypassing the fees and paperwork that I had to go through.

Which citizens make better drivers is not the point or purpose of this ruling. Countries excluded from the list are those where the integrity of their licensing process is in question, or where the understanding of the English language is lower than what is practically necessary for a driver in Australia.

For Malaysia to be placed in either category was a sobering slap of reality indicating there is a great disconnect between what we believe Malaysia is and should be, and how the world views us.

Just like how I believe our country’s “kopi lesen” reputation has possibly preceded us, Malaysians venturing out into the world have always borne the burdens of the past government’s tainted leadership.

As we move ahead, working together with a new government elected by the people, my hope is that the truth about our nation and her talented, passionate and resilient people can break the misconceptions of the past.

And perhaps one day, when a German, a Singaporean and a Malaysian get together again to share a meal, Malaysia and her people will no longer be ridiculed, but will take the place of pride and honour which we have long deserved. – June 11, 2018.

* Julia Yeow has been in journalism for two decades and counts it as her first love, despite enjoying brief stints as a lecturer, clown and salad maker. She is a strong believer in social justice, and holds that there is sometimes more truth in the greys, than the blacks and whites.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.