TWM: Do we have what it takes?

Recently, I've come across the term "Third World Mentality" (TWM) (or Third World Management as opposed to TQM, Total Quality Management) quite a lot in the media and Internet. This leads me to think of what is TWM, how is it defined, how is it identified, and why do many Malaysians associate our country's management with it. The last question reflects much on how Malaysians perceive, know and think about how we are governed and how the country is run.

It's interesting and slightly disturbing that if you search for the term "third world mentality" in Google, 6 out of the top 10 search results returned relates TWM with Malaysia. Here's the link: http://www.google.com.my/search?hl=en&q=third+world+mentality&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

Now this is rather troubling and worrying. Isn't it? Is our criticism of and dissatisfaction with our government too harsh? Why do we see ourselves with such negativity? Isn't Malaysia worthy of our love and admiration? Isn't she beautiful? To know Malaysia, is to love Malaysia?

So, the main question I would like to pose here is, are we Malaysians too critical of our country's governance? Surely there are many countries out there, even developed ones, that practice or have some form of TWM in their governance.

What is TWM anyways? How is it defined? What are it's attributes? Why do we associate ourselves with it when we are considered a developing country rather than a third world country?

If we do come to some definition and conclusion on what is TWM and its criterias, perhaps we will learn to see our country in a better light and stop labelling it as having TWM.