Malaysia should feel sad about what most tourist sites say about us

I was reading wikitravel to get some ideas on where to bring some guest from the UK coming next week and I read under the Stay Safe portion the following :-

Stay safe

Never bring any recreational drugs into Malaysia, even if you are only there for transit. Possession and/or trafficking of even minute amounts can lead to a mandatory death sentence.

Crime levels are on the rise in Malaysia, especially in Johor, so common sense precautions should be observed. Pickpockets and snatch-and-run thieves ply their trade in Kuala Lumpur and large cities as well as in housing areas, and the security of cheaper accommodations may have room for improvement. Be particularly careful when it comes to snatch-and-run thieves as some of them are known to drag victims along the road with their motorcycle until they release their grip on their possessions. As a general precaution, always carry your bags on the side not facing the road and walk against the flow of traffic.

Vehicles will not stop at pedestrian/zebra crossings. Seeing that this will not change, the problem is overcome by building pedestrian bridges and installing pedestrian traffic lights.

Drunk driving is a serious offence and breathalyser tests by the police are common.

Police in Malaysia are known for asking for and accepting bribes on traffic stops. This is accepted among locals, and a fair amount of traffic violations will be ignored for a fee (usually between 50-200RM depending on severity). Do not be alarmed if you are asked for money, but if possible let your host do the talking. It is best practice to pay the officer what they want and not ask any questions, as a disgruntled officer can create issues for you and your host. Note that this is generally restricted to traffic stops, and you should not offer bribes in other situations, especially with government officials or customs agents.

Travel documents and valuables are best deposited in a hotel safe or carried safely with you, as there is a potential of theft from hotel rooms while guests are away.

Women travelling alone should be wary of opening their room doors to strangers. In such situations, common sense judgement should prevail.

Many if not most taxis will refuse to use the meter, although you are far more likely to get a metered taxi by flagging one at a street than a taxi stand. While understandable — official rates are often years behind inflation — you have to bargain, as the initial asking price may be grossly inflated. If using a taxi late at night, it is best to use the dial-a-taxi service as there have been incidents where taxis flagged down during those hours being fake/unregistered. The unregistered taxi driver might then rob or assault their victims with the help of assailants.

Do not accept drinks from strangers in any pub or club as there is a risk they might be spiked. Gambling is illegal and tourists are often scammed at illegal gambling joints.

Credit card fraud can be a problem, so use plastic only at large, reputable retailers, and do not let your card out of sight.

Public demonstrations are almost unheard of in Malaysia – should any occur, they may be treated with heavy-handed tactics, so avoid them at all costs. Especially if you are not Malaysian citizen or permanent resident as you could even get in trouble with your own country, if it has good relations with Malaysia.

Be aware on markets. Especially in Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur products sold are most likely to be fakes.

The first line is the only actual good thing I found. We are hard when it comes to drugs, that is something we are proud of, the rest puts us to shame. Our rising crime rate, I would say its to be expected with the rising cost of things in Malaysia, but the other paragraphs are down right scary. Wikitravel has it the nail straight on the head when it comes to the Malaysian Royal Police Force. The only thing its famous for, the world around is accepting bribes. People are encouraged to just pay the cops else they will be harassed. This pales in comparisons with the Singapore sections which says

Corruption is also punishable by caning so under no circumstances should you try to offer a bribe or gratuity to a police officer; they will be more than happy to arrest you for that.

And yet our everybody in our Federal Government has failed to address this basic problem, probably because they are as corrupt as the cops. Face the facts, if the people who run the Government are on the take, surely the Police will be as well.

And lets talk about the Malaysian Taxis. Sigh, lets not. It will just end up being another sad post on the state of our nation.

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