Cover image via BBC
Over the past five decades, Malaysia has seen some glorious days, with a great number of reports and coverage by prestigious foreign media on our successes in striving to be a first world nation
In the span of almost 60 years since independence, we have managed to carve a name for ourselves as a fast-growing, stable and diverse nation, known for the warmth of its people.
Successes for the country that came in the form of mostly great Malaysians, achieving internationally acclaimed awards, idyllic tourist spots and the friendly democratic ties we share with the world's super powers, have been greatly praised by international media.
Image via The Star
However, recent times have proven that media reports on the happenings in Malaysia are starting to reflect the brewing political turmoil in the country, with many questioning local political leaders on the growing instability and scandals here
What started as a slow uprising against the longest ruling party of Malaysia, Barisan Nasional (BN), has grown into a multitude of protests against the leader of its party, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is currently embroiled in a multi-million dollar corruption scandal among many other issues.
From the terrifying murder of Mongolian national, [Altantuya Shaariiibuu](http://says.com/my/news/will-there-ever-be-justice-and-closure-for-altantuya), to the most recent [RM2.6 billion](http://says.com/my/news/rm2-6-billion-of-1mdb-fund-pumped-into-pm-najib-s-personal-accounts) "donation" from a Saudi national, PM Najib Razak has been tangled in a series of unresolved scandals.
Image via The Malaysian Insider
While foreign media have reported on Malaysia's stringent laws on freedom of speech and press in the past, it is our political and corruption scandals that are making headlines globally now
The current situation is such that, a simple Google search on Malaysian news would give you an array of [articles](http://says.com/my/news/understanding-bn-s-new-national-security-council-bill-2015-and-how-it-affects-malaysians) on all the [undemocratic](http://says.com/my/news/malaysia-historic-low-ranking-on-world-press-freedom-index-2014) issues the nation is facing now.
A [report](http://says.com/my/news/rm2-6-billion-of-1mdb-fund-pumped-into-pm-najib-s-personal-accounts) published by one of America's oldest English dailies, the [Wall Street Journal](http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10130211234592774869404581083700187014570), in July 2015, revealed that PM Najib Razak has allegedly been involved in the mismanagement of the debt-ridden state fund 1MDB which has led to an amount of RM2.6 billion ending up in his personal account.
Image via Channel News Asia
With the whole world scrutinising our shaky situation brought on by criminal activities that are crippling the nation's stability, political analysts spoke about how the government is struggling to contain the damage of these issues
"The foreign media could say whatever they wanted then, but the impact on domestic politics was not that great, the people were more or less behind the government… and if the head of government is credible, he does not have to depend on his ministers or his ambassadors to defend him," said veteran journalist A Kadir Jasin.
Meanwhile, Dennis Ignatius, a Malaysian diplomat that has served for almost 36 years worldwide, warned that the growing negative press on Malaysia's troubles will destroy and taint our reputation as a moderate, progressive nation
Dennis reminded that no matter how an ambassador tries to "spin the truth" to save the country's reputation, reports by trusted newspapers such as the Bloomberg or Financial Times will continue to greatly influence the people's opinions
Bloomberg's photo summary of all the people that are allegedly involved in the 1MDB scandal
Image via Bloomberg
