Tall buildings & corruption, side by side

What's up with the Malaysian construction industry? Can someone tell me how a place as new as MMU Cyberjaya can look as old as it does? Why is it that builders insist on building the same way people built shit back in the day? Just a bunch of homemade bricks and concrete, covered up by a bunch of plaster. Not many power ports or phone ports, and no need to conceal anything - be it power cables, pipes, whatever. No hot water at all the taps. What is this, the 11th century? The fabled people of Atlantis even had hot and cold running water. And even though Malaysians see the advantage of central air conditioning in offices and bigger buildings, they refuse to use it in residential housing, and even retail construction to some extent. Why the bloodclot do you wanna spend like 5 times as much electricity to cool the same area? And why are you people okay with vastly differing temperature and humidity levels throughout the house, along with insects and shit? Advantages - cheaper on electricity, guarantees fresh air cycling throughout the whole house, ultimate cleanliness, comfortable temperature and humidity throughout the house, protection from dengue-carrying mosquitoes, lizards and other shit and a lot more. Disadvantages - none, not even cost. Central AC can be integrated for a minimal cost at the time of building.

I think the problem lies in the way Malaysian people, and to an extent Asian people (minus Japan and nowadays Singapore) don't "demand." They're okay if a company pushes them around. They're okay if things aren't done on time, or the way they want. In situations where North Americans would be filing lawsuits, Malaysians gladly accept whatever's coming their way. The whole concept follows to just being okay with whatever is happening. If their's a lizard on the wall inside your house, just kill it. There's no need to think of a better, more permanent solution to prevent it from being there in the first place. The clothes that you hung out to dry aren't dry yet because of the humidity? No problem - just leave them out longer. There's no need for a dryer. As cool as KL looks with its impressive skyline, massive Petronas twin towers and immaculate highways, the idea of progress hasn't yet reached the people.

Don't get me wrong, I love Malaysia and I love lots of things about their culture too. But you're wondering why they have the world's tallest twin towers with hardcore police brutality and prostitution a kilometer away, you need to look deep. The Malaysians have infrastructure nailed, no question there. Social development still has a ways to go.