DURING the recent Hari Raya holidays, I found myself eating out quite a bit, not at fancy restaurants, but places where locals would eat, since the roads in the city were quite empty.

At some of these places, it dawned on me that hygiene was not the highest priority to the proprietor. In fact, some of these places should not even exist, and yet, there were enough people frequenting them to keep the business running.

Recently, many people, including myself, were outraged by a video showing workers at a restaurant in an affluent part of the city using dirty water to wash dishes. Online commentators were demanding immediate action by the authorities, and rightfully, action was taken.

A few days later, a trio of restaurants were served summonses for unhygienic practices. It is as if someone just woke up and realised that unhygienic public eateries exist.

This has been the Malaysian mindset for some time now… act only after an incident has taken place.

Eateries definitely come under the watchful eye of public health authorities, and as much as we have demanded that certain restaurants be closed and licences revoked, what about the officials who are employed and paid using taxpayers’ money to ensure that these places are safe for the public?

Don’t they deserve a slap on the wrist? Despite Kuala Lumpur City Hall recently saying that weekly checks are carried out, I am quite sure that almost all the “food stalls” that I frequented over the holidays would not pass the hygiene test.

The action taken by the authorities after the video of the misdeed had gone viral was reactive, when it should have been preventive. Simply put, it was too little, too late.

The same can be said of public transportation, especially intercity buses. The recent bus accident on the Karak highway joins the list of many other lives lost in similar incidents.

I am sure the Karak bus crash evokes unpleasant memories, especially for those who have lost their loved ones in similar incidents.

When something like this happens, there is a hue and cry raised, but as time passes, we forget, until the next incident. The term “hangat-hangat tahi ayam” comes to mind here. Loosely translated, it means not doing something wholeheartedly or continuously.

The authorities make promises to revamp flawed systems, but over time, they just get swept under the rug, only for the issues to be raised again when more lives are lost. In the meantime, buses continue to hurtle along the highways, even though there are speed limits pasted on the back of these vehicles.

The problem is not that Malaysians don’t know how to follow the law, but it is more like we disregard the law because we know at the back of our minds, the possibility of being caught is minimal.

When Khairy Jamaluddin’s apology over the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal was carried by the media, Lim Kit Siang rightfully asked: “Sorry, or sorry you got caught?”

As long as we think that we won’t get caught, we will have no regard for the law. How is it that Malaysians are instantaneously transformed into law-abiding people by just crossing the Causeway into Singapore? The fear of getting caught.

As long as we Malaysians do not learn to self-regulate and be co-responsible for the development of Malaysia 2.0, it is going to be a very long journey towards change.

And, just take a look at the Japanese football fans at the World Cup in Russia, cleaning the stadium after the game. Dear Dr Mahathir Mohamad, we not only need yen credit, but please, bring back the “yen mentality” in order for us to succeed as a nation. – June 25, 2018.

* Dr Clarence Devadass is a Catholic priest and director of the Catholic Research Centre in Kuala Lumpur. Moral education is an issue close to his heart. He focuses on paving resourceful ways to promote virtues for living in a multireligious society, for a significant life together.

* 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.