Hi! I’m Nick.

the government has used an unrealistically low poverty line income to decide who comprise the poor. Should there be a readjustment of the poverty line to a more realistic figure, it is likely that several hundred thousand Chinese households (as well as a larger number of Bumiputera and Indian households) will fall into the “poverty” category.

I have always wondered for years whether the remarks made that Malaysian-Chinese are well to do, even if they are poor they aren't as poor (as the other Malaysian-races). With some limited first hand on the field knowledge with the extremely desperate and poor Malaysians of all races, it hits me hard and makes me wonder whether or not I've seen the absolute worst. Because, heartbreakingly I've seen slump residents with very poor living conditions, diseased and earning very low. If that isn't low, what is? Thoughts raced through my head.

Thus, when people make a remark that Malaysian-Malays and Indians are poorer than their Chinese counterparts - I seriously beg to differ, hogwash.

The disparity is widening across the board. With the middle-class increasing substantially: colleges are booming, private schools are filling, and computer stores are importing rapidly to meet the demand of a tech-savvy generation - all of which are well aware of how to make money and with the means to source for new knowledge. We can scour the internet and dig into our nationwide libraries to find studies made and opinions of subject leaders from around the world. We are gifted to have the means to visit a free library.

An person in poverty needs to worry about the next meal, the next payday, just everyday survival. Gaining knowledge is a matter of living it at a limited potential. If the middle-income group can feverishly complain about our education system and seek knowledge elsewhere (internet, books, tutors, overseas, etc.), what about the poor who can't afford this 'luxury'? Are we so selfish to cast a blind veil and forsake them? It's not like our country is high on the social mobility list.

Poverty is economic slavery. No one gains from it, and it knows no prejudice - every Malaysian can succumb to it - much like corruption. We need to realistically up the people in poverty to the lower-income group or higher. Are we civic conscious enough as a nation to do just that? or is our life fueled by the constant daily-routine of job progression?

In the subject of poverty and economy, I'm no expert. So it's great to see people like Dr Lim to write insightful articles such as the quote above; that works to solve Malaysian fundamentals.

Finland's schools score consistently at the top of world rankings, yet the pupils have the fewest number of class hours in the developed world.

In the develop world, Finland has always been churning out new creative and innovative ideas constantly every year. With great education and values, it is no wonder Finland has one of the highest income per capita figures in the world.

There is no segregation in it's education system, everyone goes through the same experience - something only some of the private schools have in Malaysia - if you can afford it - and even then the school day can be long. Everyone needs to learn how to manage their weaknesses and to build upon their strengths, ensuring that anyone can contribute to the nation's economy and have a good way of life once they reach adulthood.

Unity in Malaysia requires a major paradigm shift in education, but we are bogged down too much by conservative policies (and people). Perhaps, after all, we are Asia - "Do as I say. For you will one day be a sheep in my nation"

While the recovery has begun, we must act now to position Malaysia for the future. And this is the choice we now face: To rise out of the “middle-income” trap that will be a precarious position for any nation in the new global economy; or to stick to what we know, and what is comfortable, by hoping the world will adapt to us.

Please dig deep into our fundamental flaws as a nation at all levels of;

1. Education - improve people's understanding of living skills, civic ethics, and the creative thought.
2. City planning - reduce fragmentation of urban designated zones to allow commerce to better deploy infrastructure.
3. Corruption of public funds - and for the death of Teoh Beng Hock.
4. Public transportation - vehicle safety and reliability of schedules. Enforce cabs to utilize meters.

We have our problems, but Malaysians certainly have alot to live for.

I watched this video a little over 2 weeks ago and I was fascinated by Mr. Rosling's presentation to when exactly will Asia (specifically China and India) dominate the world economically and be on-par with the current economic powerhouses (USA, Europe, Japan).

Should you want to know more after this video, you can check out Han's Rosling's gapminder.org and his twitter: twitter.com/hansro

I checked out the countries of South East Asia on gapminder.org. Such a big economic loss we (Malaysians) endurered in 1997, and how Singapore grew drastically to reach the upper echelon of developed countries of the world during the 90's.