The hot topic among Malaysians regardless of race, age and gender throughout the country second day in running is still Psy and his global hit “Oppa Gangnam Style”, especially the reported cost of RM3 million to bring the South Korean superstar to Penang to ensure a turnout crowd of 60,000 people for the Chinese New Year Open House of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Let all Malaysians have a great day and enjoy themselves with Psy and “Oppa Gangnam Style” in Penang on the second day of Chinese New Year on Feb. 11.
In fact, why only aim at 60,000 people and not go for 100,000 people or even 250,000 people from Penang, all over Malaysia and the neighbouring countries to make the sensational event with Psy really historic and memorable?
It will be really historic if Psy’s premier appearance in Malaysia can also inspire Malaysians to emulate South Korea to pull the country from its bootstraps to undertake a genuine national transformation in governance, politics, economics, education and nation-building to enable Malaysia to take a quantum leap in all aspects of national life in the second Merdeka of Malaysia.
Let Psy’s visit to Malaysia mark the beginning of a national debate and soul-searching as to how South Korea, from a country poorer and more backward than Malaysia more than 50 years ago when we achieved Merdeka, succeeded in catapulting itself into an economic power-house which is now much wealthier than Malaysia, with a per capita income two to three times higher than Malaysia, and more advanced than Malaysia in all fields of human endeavour.
The following 18-year series of Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) provides key to this answer:
Transparency International Corruption Perception Index
| Year | Malaysia | South Korea | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Score | Rank | Score | |
| 1995 | 23 | 5.28 | 27 | 4.29 |
| 1996 | 26 | 5.32 | 27 | 5.02 |
| 1997 | 32 | 5.01 | 34 | 4.29 |
| 1998 | 29 | 5.3 | 43 | 4.2 |
| 1999 | 32 | 5.1 | 50 | 3.8 |
| 2000 | 36 | 4.8 | 48 | 4.0 |
| 2001 | 36 | 5.0 | 42 | 4.2 |
| 2002 | 33 | 4.9 | 40 | 4.5 |
| 2003 | 37 | 5.2 | 50 | 4.3 |
| 2004 | 39 | 5.0 | 47 | 4.5 |
| 2005 | 39 | 5.1 | 40 | 5.0 |
| 2006 | 44 | 5.0 | 42 | 5.1 |
| 2007 | 43 | 5.1 | 43 | 5.1 |
| 2008 | 47 | 5.1 | 40 | 5.6 |
| 2009 | 56 | 4.5 | 39 | 5.5 |
| 2010 | 56 | 4.4 | 39 | 5.4 |
| 2011 | 60 | 4.3 | 42 | 5.4 |
| 2012 | 54 | 49/100 | 45 | 56/100 |
[From 1995 to 2011, the scale from 10(very clean) to 0(highly corrupt) was used, which is now replaced to a scale 0 – 100 from 2012]
The 18-year annual TI CPI series 1995-2012 show: