In defence of Petrof's A tale of two countries retold and to response to Fortep's Singapore not a fine country to follow, let me say if people believe that Malaysians are any less materialistic, then they are far from being realistic.

The truth is that Malaysians have been protected from harsher realities of modern development and perhaps then appear to be less materialistic. By avoiding the harsh realities of world competition, Malaysians have paid the price in terms of depreciated currency, uncompetitive companies, less developed skilled force, etc.

The truth is that avoiding economic development does not lessen our other development like social ills and political freedom It probably adds to it. Malaysian statistics of such ills and problems are not probably hidden in worst ways than in Singapore.

To give you an idea how badly off we are, look at the US/European rural-urban income divide. In general, rural income in the same country is about 1/3 that of the urban ones. That means that if Malaysia was just a poor rural area under Singapore, it does not even measure up. In other words, if the Malaysian government never existed, we are probably better off at least materially.

All the other points pointed by Fortep is just wishful thinking if he believes that Malaysians have more voice individually or that socially we have less ills. It is more likely that we are worse off.

I quote Bill Clinton in his final days in office: "Economics may not solve all ills but if people have better jobs and income, then everything else become easier to deal with"