The Malaysian Insight

The story of a nation is seen through the lives of its people. The Malaysian Insight speaks to citizens who were born in 1957 and are as old as Malaya’s independence. Their stories offer a glimpse of what being Malaysian means to them.

NAMED by the doctor who delivered him to the world on the morning of August 31, 1957, Wang Merdeka is the same age as Malaysia.

In the 60 years since the country gained independence from the British, Wang has seen the country flourish and prosper. Yet, he has had to endure increasing hardship in recent years due to the high cost of living.

“Back then, RM3,000 a month sufficed to support a family of six.

“Why is RM8,000 a month insufficient now?” said Wang, who runs a restaurant in Batu Pahat, Johor.

He said life was increasingly hard due to the rising prices of goods.

“I can still conduct my business, but no matter how much you earn, you need to save it (for your old age).

“The cost of living is rising; we have to live in hardship. We cannot save much. We have to work until we are old,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Since 2001, the retirement age for civil servants has been extended thrice. The retirement age was first extended from 55 to 56 years, then to 58 in 2008, and 60 in 2012.

Wang, who has two children, has only one wish, which is for a resolution to the problem of rising living cost, which would help end poverty in Malaysia.

Mohd Merdeka does not only share Wang’s name and age, he also shares his aspirations for all Malaysians.

The history teacher wants to see the country progress, especially on the east coast.

“For the past 60 years, Malaysia has experienced rapid development, but not in the states on the east coast.

“Hopefully, a few mega projects will be developed to get the economy going in these states.

“We have to put in more effort to develop the east coast,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

He also hopes that the cost of living will be reduced, and that the ringgit will appreciate in value.

“The value of our currency is low; maybe the government could put in more effort to strengthen our currency,” he said.

Currently, he said, Malaysians did not only have to work well into their old age, many had also to take on two jobs to survive.

“If we want to lead an easy life, we need to work hard. To earn more for the sake of our children, we have to work even harder” he said. – September 9, 2017.