# Malaysia Day asks more of Malaysians > Erna Mahyuni’s Malaysia Day reflection asks Malaysians to stop only wanting a better country, and start becoming one. - Title: Malaysia Day asks more of Malaysians · Malay Mail | Shortify - Summary: Erna Mahyuni’s Malaysia Day reflection asks Malaysians to stop only wanting a better country, and start becoming one. A better Malaysia is not only something… - Keywords: malaysia day, malaysia, erna mahyuni, malay mail, racism, xenophobia, foreign workers, pandemic aid, petaling jaya, kuala lumpur, equality, transparency - Source: Malay Mail — https://malaymail.com/news/opinion/2026/09/16/malaysia-day-we-must-be-the-malaysians-we-wish-we-were/235355 - Author: Erna Mahyuni - Published: 2026-09-16T08:54:20+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: malaysia day, malaysia, erna mahyuni, malay mail, racism, xenophobia, foreign workers, pandemic aid, petaling jaya, kuala lumpur, equality, transparency ## Praise is not enough Foreign visitors often gush about Malaysia, and those outside views can help Malaysians see what they take for granted. > praising it to the skies ## Criticism counts too A visitor who felt deep racism in Malaysia also deserves to be heard. Love for the country cannot mean ignoring who gets hurt here. > Her views matter too. ## Overseas dreams faded Moving abroad no longer looks like an easy escape. Many countries have closed doors, and others greet outsiders with suspicion. > not lands of milk and honey ## The mirror is uncomfortable Malaysians bristle at racism abroad, yet foreign workers and migrants in Malaysia often face cruelty. The same fear can live at home. > so horrid to foreign workers and migrants here ## The pandemic revealed us During Covid, Malaysians fed people, shared vaccine tips, and used the internet to find those calling for help. Survival became collective work. > All we had was each other ## Malaysia is many places After 63 years, Malaysia is still too often flattened into one state or one people. The country is larger than that narrow story. > Malaysia is more than one state or one people ## Home can shift The writer left Sabah young, lived in London and Manila, then spent more of life in West Malaysia. Petaling Jaya became home. > I have become a Petaling Jaya person now ## Housing feels absurd Old homes in Petaling Jaya can look abandoned and still list for millions. Even finding a new nest can feel financially impossible. > RM2 million, apparently. ## KL has changed Kuala Lumpur now looks cleaner and brighter than when the writer first arrived. Even KL Tower can seem small beside newer towers. > dazzling and clean ## Leaving would still hurt Malaysia can make the writer unhappy, but distance would bring its own misery. Comfort, memory, and loved ones remain close here. > a phone call or train ride away ## People deserve better The Malaysia imagined here has transparency, fair politics, equality, and prosperity, not fear campaigns or lives priced below machines. > We deserve better ## Become the wish Malaysia Day is a call to act like citizens of the country people want, generous, brave, peaceful, and still willing to dream. > Let us always dare to dream of a better Malaysia. ## Key takeaway A better Malaysia is not only something citizens deserve. It is something Malaysians have to practise in how they treat each other.