Was the 1990s Malaysia’s best decade ever?

As today is Hari Merdeka, many people are reflecting on the history of Malaysia and how the country has grown in the past few decades.

Recently, Aerodyne Group VP Richard Ker made a post on Facebook discussing Malaysia’s accomplishments during the 90s. In this post, he mentions how it’s easy to forget how far we’ve come. He also said he felt like we were much more united back in those days, citing major historical events and national achievements made from that decade.

In the comments of this post, many people seem to agree on how good the 90s were for Malaysia, but is it actually true? It’s easy to cherry-pick things from any decade to argue that it was the best. As humans, we naturally do this.

This is called ‘rosy retrospection‘ and it’s where the idiom ‘rose-tinted glasses’ comes from. It happens because we tend to forget the bad and rough parts of the past and remember the great things that happened. The concept relates to a belief called ‘declinism’, which is the belief that society is tending towards a decline. More often than not, declinism is fueled by a cognitive bias like rosy retrospection.

One could easily counter the argument by saying that the past 10 years were the best for Malaysia, as we got 10 Olympic medals during this time, compared to the three medals earned in the 90s.

Arguments aside, it does feel good to review how much Malaysia has grown and what we achieved. To honour the 1990s, let’s take a look at some of Malaysia’s best accomplishments during that timespan.

1990s: Malaysia’s greatest successes

Badminton champions at the Thomas Cup (1992)

On May 16, 1992, the Malaysian badminton team brought the whole country together for our victory over Indonesia in the Thomas Cup. The final stage was actually held in Kuala Lumpur, in Stadium Negara.

Out of the eight teams that qualified for the final stage, China was the defending champion and the one to look out for. They won all three their games with a score of 5-0 for every one, however, Malaysia managed to beat them in the semi-finals 3-2, securing Malaysia’s place in the final round.

The final teams consisted of Indonesia, who beat South Korea in the semi-finals 5-0, and Malaysia. After a tense battle, Malaysia came out on top with a final score of 3-2, becoming the 1992 Thomas Cup champions.

Putrajaya and Cyberjaya launched (1995 and 1997)

In 1995, Putrajaya was established and became the administrative and judicial capital of Malaysia. The government was held at Kuala Lumpur before, but because of overcrowding and Kuala Lumpur being more of a financial city, Putrajaya became the new governmental seat.

Cyberjaya was established two years later in 1997, becoming Malaysia’s tech center. It strives to be the ‘Silicon Valley’ of Malaysia, holding many high-technology businesses like MNCs and data centres.

Getting on the summit of Mount Everest (1997)

On March 23rd 1997, Datuk M. Magendran and N. Mohanadas became the first Malaysians to climb and conquer Mount Everest. This was done at 11:55am and 12:10pm local time, respectively.

In 2000, both of these climbers were actually pictured on the national postage stamps.

Malaysia pushing technological innovations in identification (1998)

In 1998, Malaysia became the first country ever to issue biometric passports after a local company invented the technology.

A biometric passport is one that includes an electronic chip that hold information and characteristics about the person, such as a picture of their face and thumbprint. This technology was then added to the Malaysian identity card (IC), MyKad.

Becoming the first Asian country to hold the Commonwealth Games (1998)

The 1998 Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, making it the first time an Asian country has hosted. This was also the last Commonwealth Games of the 20th century. This was also the first time the games were held in a country where English was not the first language, which was a big step for diversity and inclusion.

Malaysia was placed 4th for winning 10 gold medals, 13 silver medals, and 12 bronze medals, getting 34 medals in total.

KLIA became the fastest airport ever built (1998)

On June 27th, 1998, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang was officially launched. It only took four and a half years to build, making it the fastest airport ever built. KLIA replaced Subang International Airport as the main airport for international flights into Kuala Lumpur.

It is Malaysia’s largest airport and the world’s 23rd-busiest airport by total passenger traffic. The international airport currently has a total of 3 runways. KLIA Terminal 1 with its satellite terminal along with KLIA2 for low-cost carriers offer a combined passenger capacity of 70 million per year. According to SkyTrax’s World’s Top 100 Airport List, KLIA is currently listed at #55, up from #63 last year.

The grand opening of the Petronas Twin Towers (1999)

Malaysia’s most iconic structure, the Petronas Twin Towers, was completed on March 1st, 1996 and officially opened on August 31st, 1999 (Malaysia’s independence day).

The towers were considered the tallest buildings in the world at 452m from 1998 to 2004, but still remain the tallest twin towers in the world.

Designed by architect César Pelli, the Petronas Towers are still an important part of Malaysian culture and are a must-see for first time visitors.

The upcoming Merdeka 118 which is currently under construction will soon become the new tallest building in Malaysia. Upon completion, it is expected to be the second-tallest building in the world at 518m.

F1 Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit (1999)

In 1999, the inaugural F1 Grand Prix was held at the Sepang International Circuit. This was the first Malaysian Grand Prix at a world championship level.

In the 56-lap race, Eddie Irvine won first place and Michael Schumacher won second, both driving Ferraris. The Malaysian Grand Prix would then continue until 2017, with Ferrari getting the most wins with seven victories.

Making a record-breaking trip around the world (1999)

In 1999, Dato’ Azhar Mansor became the first Malaysian to sail solo around the world, taking 190 days, 6 hours 57 minutes and 2 seconds. He also set a new world record via an East about route, never been attempted by anyone previously.

His ship was called Jalur Gemilang, sharing its name with Malaysia’s national flag. Dato’ Azhar is now managing Telaga Harbour Park, a marina in Langkawi.

Launching the first Malaysian satellite (2000)

In the year 2000, the TiungSat-1 satellite became Malaysia’s first operational satellite. It was built and developed by Malaysia’s Astronautic Technology and the UK’s Surrey Satellite Technology. On the 26th of September, it was launched on the Dnepr rocket in Kazakhstan.

There were more stories told about this era told in Richard Ker’s full post. You can read it on Facebook and view all the images illustrating Malaysia’s rise in the 90s.

[ SOURCE, IMAGE SOURCE ]