.malaysia boleh.
is all of malaysia as corrupted as we think we are? i'd like to believe not. that we, as malaysians, in desperate attempt to seem flippant and nonchalant, always try to write off malaysia as "liddat lah!".. but its even in the tourist guide book thingos.. it says "careful when driving in malaysia, always have a 50ringgit note slipped surreptiously under the palm of your hand, just in case you meet an oh-so-friendly cop".. imagine that. we could be famous for that..
i can just see it now.. "come to malaysia! where the stuff is cheap, and the cops even cheaper!"
my godfather was relating a story the other night. he was driving up to somewhere (Penang, i think it was..), and in good ol' Malaysian fashion, got stopped alongside the highway, where the police seem to camp out these days. and, my godfather being an blue-eyed, yellow-haired America, is his usual polite self with the cops. and so, one cop strolls over, with a notepad in hand, obviously just to look as if he's writing something down. he leans to peer into the window, and says with a rather enigmatic grin "so how? you wan ticket or you wan to pay me 50?"... just like THAT! in plain simple man's english. right in your FACE.
haha.. so of course, my dear godfather did the Malaysian thing n shook the noble policeman's hand (of course with a fifty dollar note greasing the handshake).. you know what they say right? when in rome...?.. well, in this case it's When in Malaysia, Do as Malaysians' bribe..
but that's not all of it. to top it all off, the cop smiles at my godfather, gives a small salute to my godmother in the passenger seat (who, all this while, was watching much to her disbelief and amusement). and the cop says "okay, watch out along Kilometre 189.7, there's another camera there.. so careful ah!"....... *silent disbelief*
...... malaysia boleh.