I used to believe this as well - don't get me wrong, I'd love to stay in Malaysia and help. At one point, I wanted to get into politics, get into policy making, change the status quo. Now I write and perform songs about the state of our country is in and hope the message sinks in.

But personal circumstances man. If I stay, I can't marry my significant other without sacrificing religious freedom. I can't express myself and thoughts about this country in a non-inflammatory way without risk of a jail term. There are people who actually think our country is doing great and if I stay and fight, I risk going to jail and becoming a source of mockery for these people. At least if I leave I'll potentially gain a wider audience to sing to, and be able to spread my message still.

Perhaps I'm being selfish by leaving. But in my experience, people don't really care for change, and staying will not help unless the majority (in this case, bumiputeras, sorry) stand up and do something. I'll always be a second class citizen, my words and actions will always mean nothing thanks to systemic discrimination inherent in the system.