Tomorrow the 16th of September is Malaysia day. To commemorate this day, I started doing some research for things that we as Malaysians can be proud of. Sure there are things we aren’t great in.. like having one of the worst taxis in the world. But for every bad there has to be some good and this is what I wanted to find.
When people ask what we’re proud of in Malaysia we often say our food or culture but I didn’t want to add that into this list. Why? Because it’s too subjective. The list I wanted to build was a list of things that we are best or biggest in… and that is a FACT. Saying we have the best food in the world can be argued by someone else if that someone thinks the food in Japan or somewhere else is better.
To make this list, my one criteria had to be that it was supported either by a survey/study/article or numbers. So you can confidently tell people… Malaysia has the best <insert fact here>… and you can’t argue against a fact. I have linked all the backings to each fact there to the relative articles.
Here is what Malaysia is the best or the biggest at.
1) The World’s Best Women’s Squash Player
Datuk Nicole David has been for years the number one women’s squash player in the world.
2) The World’s Best Badminton Player
Datuk Lee Chong Wei too is currently the number 1 Men’s Badminton Player in the world.
3) Best Luxury Shoe Brand in the World
Okay this one is a little more arguable. But in this lost of the Top 10 Luxury Brands in the world, Jimmy Choo comes out on top.
4) Largest airline in SouthEast Asia
Air Asia is the Largest Airline in SouthEast Asia carrying 42.6 million passengers last year.
5) Tallest Building in SouthEast Asia
The Petronas Twin Towers is no longer the tallest building in Asia but is still the tallest building in SouthEast Asia at 452m tall.
6) Best Places to retire
Malaysia is listed as one of the Best Places to Retire in the world.
7) Largest Cave Chamber in the world
The Largest Underground Chamber in the world is in Sarawak.
8) Largest Flower in the world
The largest flower in the world, Rafflesia is in Sabah, Malaysia.
9) One of the best dive sites in the world
Malaysia is home to one of the best dive sites in the world in Sipadan.
10) 6 of the 8 Largest Internet Companies in SouthEast Asia are based in Malaysia
6 of the 8 Largest Internet Companies in SouthEast Asia are headquartered in Malaysia.
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So the next time you want a reason to be proud of the country we live in, look at this list.
Happy Malaysia Day Everyone!
Timothy Tiah – Co-Founder of Colony, Kuala Lumpur Co-Working Space