#social problems

Every time Malaysia faces a social problem — whether it’s corruption, scams, road rage, littering, queue cutting, or people forwarding nonsense on WhatsApp — the national reaction is always the same.

Everyone looks around and asks the same question:

“Why is society like this?”

Then begins the traditional Malaysian blame festival.

Some blame the government.

Some blame politicians.

Some blame the education system.

Some blame social media.

Some blame foreign influence.

Some blame the previous government, the previous previous government, or possibly the British from 1957.

In other words, everyone blames everyone else.

But here comes the uncomfortable truth that many Malaysians prefer not to hear.

Most social problems do not magically appear out of thin air.

They come from people.

And those people are not aliens from another planet.

They are us.

Yes, the same people complaining loudly about corruption are sometimes the very same people quietly offering “coffee money” to settle a problem faster.

The same people who complain about irresponsible drivers are also the ones double parking, blocking traffic, and refusing to use their signal lights like it’s some kind of optional feature.

The same people who complain about fake news are happily forwarding suspicious WhatsApp messages with the enthusiasm of a breaking news journalist.

Apparently the problem is never personal behaviour.

It’s always “the system.”

But a system is not some mystical creature living inside a government building. A system is simply the collective behaviour of millions of people.

If millions of people behave badly, the system becomes messy.

It’s not rocket science.

Take corruption for example. Many Malaysians speak passionately about integrity and accountability — until they themselves need to cut a queue, skip a procedure, or solve a problem faster.

Suddenly morality becomes… flexible.

“Just this once.”

And of course everyone else is also doing “just this once.”

Multiply that mindset by millions of people and congratulations — you have built a culture.

The same logic applies to everyday social behaviour.

Why do people litter? Because someone else will clean it.

Why do people break traffic rules? Because enforcement is weak.

Why do people believe scams? Because they want easy money.

Why do people spread fake news? Because verifying information requires effort.

These are not complicated social mysteries.

They are simply small daily decisions made by millions of individuals.

But admitting this truth is uncomfortable.

It is much easier to point fingers at politicians, institutions, or society in general than to admit that social problems also reflect personal choices.

And before anyone gets offended, this is not about saying Malaysians are uniquely terrible people. Every country struggles with similar issues.

The difference lies in whether society is willing to look honestly at itself.

Real progress does not start with speeches.

It starts with something much less dramatic — personal responsibility.

Stop littering.

Stop bribing.

Stop spreading nonsense online.

Stop behaving like rules only apply to other people.

If enough individuals begin making better choices, the system improves naturally.

If everyone continues waiting for someone else to fix the problem, then nothing changes.

So the next time Malaysians complain about society, perhaps the better question is not “What is wrong with the country?”

The better question might be far more uncomfortable.

“What are we personally doing that contributes to the problem?”

Because the hard truth about social problems is this:

A country does not become better simply because people complain about it.

It becomes better when people behave better.

As you may have heard, anti-ICE protests have been taking place over the past few months in places like Minnesota, Washington, and now here in California.

And maybe you'll wonder why against ICE? Or even like, what is ice's job? I asked myself this too and this is what I found: ICE stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement . ICE's objective is to enforce the nation's immigration laws. In other words, if a person immigrated irregularly to the United States, ICE will want to detain this person and enforce the law in the correct way. Or well that's how it should be. Today's protests are a little more than just against ICE and its objective. If not, against how these immigration laws are causing harm to society by separating families, creating fear in immigrant communities, and even how in most cases unfair or impulsive practices have been used.

A separation of families can be seen in the case of Miguel Garcia Pazaran and Dulce Maria Trejo where they were forced to leave their 2-year-old daughter in the United States after being deported to Mexico by ICE.

Which can lead to a moral dilemma where it is not known if it was fair because the parents remained illegally in the U.S. or it was unfair because a child under 2 years old is not to blame for her parents' actions and is now exposed to psychological trauma from growing up as an orphan having a father and a mother who would like to be with her.

In addition, ice is also affecting American citizens of Mexican origin who are being questioned only because of their skin color, accent or appearance.

This is when the social problem affects more than just immigrants but also an entire ethnicity of Mexican people.

And finally there are the unfair impulsive practices that have been seen by ice agents. Actions such as murders and unnecessary use of violence.

This issue concerns me personally because my Mexican-American ethnicity makes me see both sides of the situation. Where I respect and want to understand the law of my country, recognizing that an illegal action has a consequence even if they have not committed violent crimes. But it is also very difficult to see the damage in people who are being separated from their families, who are suffering violence and who are good people only with an immigration fault. Without a doubt this is a big problem for which a 100% solution has not yet been found, but I also think it is important to analyze and have empathy for the people who are being affected today.