It amuses me that amid the relative chaos that affected Petaling Jaya Selatan not too long ago, and the stark reality that something needs to be done about poverty in Malaysia, one Syed Ahmad Abdul Hadi Syed Hussin Alattas finds it in himself to "appeal to the kindness and generosity Malaysians are famed for" to the tune of RM600,000 for yet another chest-thumping and ridiculous Malaysia boleh' expedition!

Mr Syed Ahmad plans to fly solo across 12 countries and three continents, being the first Malaysian to do so, on his aircraft nicknamed Putrajaya Malaysia (emphasis on 'first Malaysian' not the first person to do so, which would be another story altogether).

How much more money do we need to waste on childish nationalistic fantasies before certain segments of society wake up and face the problems affecting Malaysia? How many more 'world records' do we need to create before another Petaling Jaya Selatan incident blows up into the collective faces of Malaysian society?

Instead of forking out more than half a million ringgit for activities that are as interesting and rewarding as one's attempt at reinventing the wheel, the Malaysian public should instead use it for more beneficial projects; equipping all schools with computers instead of just a select few 'model' schools, upgrading and improving the facilities of rural schools, providing grants for students in Malaysian universities to pursue beneficial research, etc. The possibilities are endless.

An educated and knowledgeable society will bring true national pride, not the fulfillment of one man's dream and the ego-boosting of certain politicians at the expense of the rest of society.

By carrying on this way, we will always be what we always were; a third-world nation.