Quality of Life or Lifestyle?

I travel back to Kuala Lumpur from the US since 2007. The last 7 years I have seen amazing changes in the city’s skyline. As the city progresses, countless new developments come in rapid pace and endless flyovers and light transit system intertwine with existing ones.

Highrise condominiums and retail complexes are mushrooming like wild fire in the city. Although there are improvements in some areas but are they truly beneficial to the Chans, Ahmads and Gopals?

Quality of life is an opportunity for the inhabitants to enjoy the space that mother nature has bestowed us. Unfortunately, we have been robbed by unscrupulous developers and greedy authorities with multi-million projects and diminishing green lungs. Quality of life is finding solutions to ease mobility for the residents to move from one place to another at the shortest period of time. Although public transportation has improved in general, progress is still in snail pace. Quality of life means freedom to express ourselves, but unfortunately, we have to watch our back constantly.

We may have world class hotels, designer shops, and specialty cafes but does the existence of these world class amenities actually improved the way we live? Talking to small business owners and cab drivers, everyone is trying to keep their noses above water. No one is happy at the direction the country is going. No one is happy that the once rich country is in huge debt. No one is happy that the officials are pretending that everything is fine with the country.

As I sat and glanced outside the window of the taxi, I saw uncertainties just like the many new flyovers and rail transit tracks shooting up above ground, polluting the once beautiful skyline with noise and concrete dull cement. It is such an ugly sight. We are being outpaced by countries that were once trailing behind. Cost of living has overtook our purchasing power of goods. A recent trip to Cambodia was a reality check to the value of the country’s currency. The fact is a price of noodle soup is pricier than one in Kuala Lumpur is something that the country should be worried about.

Quality of life? I think not. These changes are merely a lifestyle that we have to get use to them. A lifestyle that is merely a window dressing for the rest of the world to see. I’m experiencing a lifestyle of unaffordable luxury which was once attainable to the middle income families. Pretty sad for a country on its road to achieve develop nation status in 2020.