When I first came to Malaysia I walked around for about a month with my mouth open in surprise. I come from a very rural part of the US and the tallest buildings are silos and grain elevators. I stepped off the plane into a world of 15 story apartment buildings and those aren’t even the really tall ones. Many are 20 plus! Cranes dotted the landscape, lifting necessary materials to the top floors of buildings being constructed. In the past two years, two 20ish floor apartment buildings have gone up and two more business towers are breaking ground nearby. A new mall is set to open by the end of the year, the sixth in the city. Previously, I have only lived in one city large enough to have a mall.
Since I am a student of history I pondered what I saw and compared it to history. Then I drew an analogy. Here it is:
Late in the 1800’s, Britain ruled the world. The sun never set on the British Empire. Then Britain hit a plateau. It lost many of its colonies, including Malaysia. This isn’t to say Britain isn’t a powerful country today because it is. But no longer does it have in its former glory. The sun has set on the British Empire. Another eclipsed it, America.
Now as I gazed at the construction and rate of development that made my head spin, I wondered if history wasn’t repeating itself. America had enjoyed a good run as a “superpower” but had nothing to rival the things I was seeing. I thought America must be hitting its plateau and here was the one who would eclipse it, Asia (not Malaysia specifically). America was the Britain of the 1800’s and Asia was about to take over.
Now I still believe America has hit a plateau but I have backed off a bit on the meteoric rise of Asia. Why? Because the rate of growth that is happening here comes at a steep price.
I look out my office window onto a black, putrid river. Moments ago a boy came out of his house and flung a black sack of rubbish into the river. You can barely make out the bag’s shape as it floats on top of the black scum. This river flows directly into the ocean, maybe 200 meters from the new mall.
A thick haze hangs in the air and sometimes you can feel and taste the smoke from the fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, islands in Indonesia, where burning is creating much of the haze. Daily the papers are reporting the air pollution index rating (API) and advising if it is safe to let your children play outside. It is hardest on those who suffer from asthma.
I believe the growth rate in Asia will continue at the current rate for several more years, maybe 20+. However, I wonder if the sacrifice for this unparalleled growth rate is worth it. Malaysia has “Wawasan 2020” which means “Vision 2020” or to be a first-world (developed) country by the year 2020. Is it worth reaching developed nation status if the price means by 2050 the country hits a ceiling due to destruction wrought to reach “Wawasan 2020”?
The problem is that you can’t really tell a person who is excited about upgrading from a motorbike to a used car that things are going to change because sustainable growth is now the target. He is thinking about how to make is life better and give his children an advantage. He is doing the right thing.
Unfortunately, it is a global problem. This isn’t a post to bash Malaysian environmental standards. It has to be dealt with on a global level. I feel the problem is that we are too used to deal with things by saying, “Oh, that is in Malaysia, so it is a Malaysian problem.” But today these things affect everyone, worldwide. Unfortunately, one common denominator drives things globally, that is: Money. Profit. The bottom line.
As long as these things tend to drive policy, business decisions and our lives it looks like a bleak future. Asia may surpass the US and become the new superpower but what will be the state of the world by the time Asia assumes the throne? Wish I had an answer to that one.
I am not trying to preach doom and gloom because I don’t feel that. I just realize that for the first time in the history of the world we must make decisions based not only on the logic “Is it good for me?” but also, “Is it good for everyone else?” We are facing consequences if we fail to heed Jesus’ command to “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Hmmm, maybe I don’t have a detailed answer but that would be a good start!
I realize as I have written this some things have become clear for me. First, I am stunned by the rate of growth in Malaysia. Second, I think it comes at a staggering cost. Third, the shrinking, globalizing world only works when we “Love your neighbour as yourself”. Progress and development without love are hollow shells, whether in Malaysia or the USA or wherever you hang your hat.
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