Malaysian Time

Does “Malaysian Time” really exist?

Do Malaysians really have their own set of time?

I’m talking about Malaysian typical behavior of being late.

I don’t know how true this is, but Malaysians are well known for their lateness in everything.

As some say, Malaysian time is always 30 minutes later than the real time.

Isn’t it so?

I know that this doesn’t apply in every Malaysian because there are Malaysians who are very particular about punctuality and I think that that is something commendable.

I have met many people of course.

Wherever I go, this ‘sickness’ of Malaysian time exists.

It is annoying indeed to encounter such people who do not take time seriously, as though it is nothing for them.

They come late to class (not that I was never late though, but seldom, very seldom), they come late for meetings, discussion, games, and so on.

It is really irritating waiting for someone or people whom you have promised to meet at certain hour, and it turns out that the person comes 30 minutes later than they are supposed to meet. Isn’t that annoying enough?

Some people take time lightly. They don’t see the importance of being punctual and right on time.

Maybe, in my case, some of friends think that it is okay to be late. But, it is not okay.

It may not be some formal meeting (though they can also be late for formal meeting, mind you), but as we have already promised with people to meet at such hour, set the meeting at a particular time, we should keep to the promise.

We may not see the importance now, but as we have stepped into the real challenging world out there, you would not want to be seen as unprofessional just because you are horrible with your punctuality.

Being Muslim myself, it is so upsetting to know that it is my fellow Muslim friends who are well known for their unpunctuality. Although, again, it does not apply to each one of them, but that is always the case. Almost most of them that I know seldom keep to their promise when it comes to time. Breaking promise and letting someone down is not commendable in the religion, I believe.

I am writing this out of my realization of how important for, we, Malaysian to always be punctual in everything. I myself had sometimes been late for some occasions and meetings, even to class too. And it makes me realize that it should not be a habit.

We must then think of how serious this is. It will definitely be a bad impression on other people and we definitely would not want people to have such misconception about us Malaysian.

I think it is not difficult to be punctual and right on time.

All it takes is some discipline, and we all are going to be good.