It has been two years since I left my adored country to seek fortune Down Under. A year ago, my family decided to settle down here. Throughout the two years since I have been away, I have followed the social, economic and politic backdrops in Malaysia via both the mainstream and alternative electronic media.

Strangely, I have been keeping close tab on what is happening back home much more than when I was physically present in Malaysia. It hurts not being close to what is going on as the love for Malaysia has not transformed in any ways though like many of my friends (there are now seven of us - six IT consultants and one accountant -- who have settled in Australia), we had to leave. There were several reasons that contributed to our decision to leave Malaysia.

On the economic front, we were getting exasperated with the high living costs - the rise of prices in petrol, toll, parking, and fast-moving consumer goods - which had resulted in creating inconveniences to our daily lives.

More importantly, there were no worthwhile measures taken to address the affliction. While prices increase, the quantity and quality of goods were eroded. We envisaged (from past experiences) that the government would not do much to solve the people's livelihood. We just did not like to be constricted in such manner. We decided that we wanted to create another lifestyle in a more structured society, where the government would be more willing to help.

Socially, there were prevailing emotional distresses that we had to endure. For example, rude drivers, traffic hold-ups (drivers who shaped their own rules), escalating crime rate (witnessed several snatch thieves in action and the grieved of the victims but police are no where to be seen) and general discontentment among friends about living in Malaysia.

I was also appalled by the mindsets of government departments such as the Ministry of Education, Inland Revenue, and Dewan Bandar Raya when I had to run numerous errands. The government servants were rude, unconscientious and irresponsible. The systems in place in most of the country's organisations left a lot to be desired.

Any rational individual would start to ask whether Malaysia is a place worth living. The government has no sense of urgency to address the contorted public order and peace. We honestly felt unsafe to venture out of our homes even though the ‘mamak' stalls were in close proximity.

Politically, Malaysia has never able to isolate persistent racial issues. The government and its component parties were often practising double-faced roles of subduing and fanning racial sentiment. Intellectuals like us could see the schema behind. We knew very well that those in politics would be prepared to sacrifice the well-being of ordinary folks for their greed, while carrying a different message on their lips. These people needed to safeguard their political livelihoods as they are nobody without power.

Two years have passed. It hurts to watch from here when people continue to stand up against an unjust system but were frustrated by the tough and insensitive stance adopted by the government and its ruthless police force. Look at what has transpired in the Perak debacle. Forgive my ignorant in politics but personally I am sad to see how the authority handled the situation. We just cannot use the approach during the 1987 Operasi Lalang to suppress and oppress the people of today.

We are living in the 21st Century and too many things have changed. The government is just too conceited to admit and fail to discover a different strategy to tackle current political issues. Just look at the sweeping action and arrogant speeches delivered by the police force (OCPD from Brickfields), an extension of the government.

How can we teach our children humbleness and politeness if the politicians practise a different school of thought. With the latest in Malaysia's political scene, we have no qualms that we made the right decision two years ago even though the choice was difficult and agonising.

Many fellow Malaysians have no alternative but to brush aside all the inconveniences. Many braves ones have embarked to fight against the prolong issues and unfairness. I salute all these brave, ordinary folks and wish that they have copious of energies to carry them through. Two years ago, it had come to a juncture where I could no longer sweep all these tribulations under the rug and the eventuality was, to go away.

However, everyone has their own temperaments and beliefs. We would love to do something such as creating awareness for the betterment of Malaysia if we can find the platform and opportunity.

Having lived in Australia for two years, it puzzled me why the systems here can be so efficiently coordinated and ran. The councils and government are very much in control. Most importantly, their feedback and replies are prompt and updated. Filing tax returns here is convenient and fast that I got my refund within 14 days consistently for the past two years.

Here, we could be paying more taxes but I get some back via the structured family assistance allowance, free medical benefit and very reasonable school fee, etc. Lately, we even obtained stimulus payout from the tax office due to the effect of economic downturn. These measures have received great appreciation from the people.

The obvious question here is why can't Malaysia adopt some of the successful systems implement in Australia. One need not be superhuman to get things going except dedication and consistently, which Malaysia is lacking.

I can see that the Penang State government is starting to perk up the government delivery systems that are conspicuously missing in the Malaysian governance structure. Many of the systems in Malaysia are more about form than substance. One of the most important components that are noticeably missing is the integration among different government bodies. Conversely, this is so successful incorporated Down Under, which has curtailed loopholes and acted as a check and balance mechanism for the local government.

Ordinary Malaysians would like to be treated uniformly. If there is any trace of the adverse happening, that would slice open the disparity gap. What the government should be doing in my modest opinion is to build a mechanism to encourage the mediocre group to catch up and this should be attained not by protection or spoon-feeding.

The government should have a far-sighted view and not worry about temporary setback. Just like us, we were ‘compelled' to learn things in a hard way after we arrived in a new place. Initially it was hard but eventually we triumphed. Frankly, things are not so hard but politicians like to think in a complex manner.

It is time for the Malaysian government to take stock and revert to basics, or else we could expect a change of guard in four years time though it is probably too late now.