Why Malaysia?

What better date than Merdeka Day to answer the question this Australian living and working in Malaysia is asked more than any other? Happy independence day to my Malaysian friends and friends of Malaysia!

The answer to this question is as sincere as it is clichéd. It was a quirk of fate that saw my life and career first intersect with Malaysia more than a decade ago. Circuitously via Paris, I was part of the team that set up the Southeast Asia desk in the Economics Department of the OECD, with Malaysia our first subject. Life at the OECD was intense and humbling as our new and diverse team sought to quickly learn enough about Malaysia to have something insightful to report. Three visits and many conversations with Malaysians of all walks of life sparked my interest, and after my sojourn in Paris ended, I couldn’t help but want to continue my Malaysian journey.

Part of the appeal was a genuine curiosity and a growing investment in wanting to shape policy somewhere other than Australia. I had contributed (and would continue to contribute) many years to Australian public policy and felt Malaysia offered more stimulating challenges. The OECD experience had impressed upon me that Malaysia’s capable policymakers didn’t need a blueprint designed in the West, for the West, but people who could combine best practice elsewhere with a nuanced understanding of what could actually fit the Malaysian context. I knew I could never replicate the lived experiences of born and raised Malaysians, but through time, effort, and immersion could come to offer a dispassionate yet increasingly sophisticated and empathic perspective on policies to improve Malaysians’ lives.

The bigger aspect though is that life in Malaysia from my personal vantage point is excellent. One has to start with the food, which is without compare in its richness of flavour and diversity. After past visits to Malaysia, I remember returning to Australia with an insatiable longing for roti telur bawang and roti pisang; which for some reason still hasn’t caught on as staples like nasi lemak have greatly improved in Australia. I would try (with mixed success) to make rendang, ayam percik, and onde onde at home, learning to appreciate the culinary foundations of Malaysian culture. I’m fortunate to now be able to leave the cooking to local experts and to have tastebuds that enjoy (almost) everything Malaysia has to offer. And better still, to experience sharing food with Malaysians in the many settings in which it is essential culture.

Then there are the people, who have always treated me with kindness and respect. There is a warmth and generosity that so many Malaysians share that transcends Malaysia’s great demographic diversity. Most Malaysians are humble, positive, and more savvy and enterprising than some regrettable stereotypes would have you believe. It’s a privilege to learn from and collaborate with many great Malaysians on a daily basis.

And while life in a big tropical city like KL is a mixed blessing, it’s mostly better than advertised. The trains could be less crowded and more reliable, but there’s more of them here than back in Canberra. There could be better footpaths and more green spaces, but then there’s an unspoken community spirit among the throngs of early morning exercisers in KL’s scarce parks. It can get a tad hot and hazy, but then I’ve replaced my winter wardrobe with a colourful assortment of batiks and shed my pollen allergies. And there’s a vibrancy and cultural richness to KL that more neatly arranged cities simply lack.

All in all moving to Malaysia was an obvious and natural choice. I wasn’t sent or posted here by anyone nor did I feel pushed out of Canberra (which is a great place to live and visit). I am happy, humbled, and privileged to be here and pay that back in kind wherever I can. I’m blessed with a role in which I can constructively contribute to research and advocacy in the hope of making better lives for all Malaysians; and in which I can work alongside, mentor and learn from, and inspire and be inspired by, Malaysians equally passionate about this mission.

Selamat Hari Merdeka ke-69 and I hope to celebrate many more in the years to come!