THE lifestyle in the Borneo states, in particular, Sarawak has been highlighted as offering the ideal lifestyle so yearned by many Malaysians.

In particular, the openness and c’est la vie attitudes of the various communities have towards each other. From multiple races joining in singing Christmas carols to dining together in coffee shops (despite the presence of pork dishes), Sarawakians living in harmony unperturbed by zealots and bigots has been much trumpeted, especially on social media.

Now, the Hornbill state has another accolade to crow over. Kuching was recently named 11^th cleanest city on the planet! For Malaysians used to living in crowded, congested and dirty city environments in the Peninsular, this must have come as quite a shock.

IQAir, which operates AirVisual, a real-time air quality information platform, had at the beginning of the year ranked Kuching as the world’s 11th cleanest city with 18 air quality index (AQI) points. The city outranked Kuala Lumpur which was placed at 84th with an AQI of 88 points.

This is in addition to the ‘ASEAN Clean Tourist City Standard Award - National Level 2024-26’ award which further cements its reputation as a very pleasant city to live in.

The recent announcement was shared on Meanwhile in Malaysia’s Facebook platform which generated quite a few comments. Here are several examples:

Many visitors confirmed the city’s cleanliness and vowed to visit again.

Some locals shared what they observe as typical Sarawakian traits that have helped Kuching gain this status.

Meanwhile another took the opportunity to plug an upcoming music festival. The netizen claims the long-running event offers better value than some of the famed music fests in Europe such as Glastonbury.

One netizen summed up the mood perfectly.

All these point not only to Kuching being a great place to visit but also highlights what many Malaysians yearn for.

With plenty of ‘wah-so-clean’-type comments attached to the post, the pertinent question is why Peninsular Malaysians do NOT practice greater diligence in this area. Whether it is keeping their own backyards clean or demanding better from municipal authorities, why is the bar set so low?

Same goes for air quality. Little can be done in overcrowded city centres, much less when the haze rolls around from neighbouring countries. But why don’t citizens demand that there be greater enforcement and stricter fines for anti-social acts such as open burning?

Our Sarawakian brethren have pointed the way and underlined that a higher standard of living is indeed achievable. Whether it is creating a cleaner living environment or one that is NOT choking on ‘3R’ (race, royalty and religion) sentiments, it is not just possible but also preferable. - April 29, 2024 

https://focusmalaysia.my/netizens-react-to-kuching-being-named-11th-cleanest-city-on-the-planet-provide-template-to-follow-for-all-malaysians/