LAST Wednesday, I clicked to watch a video with the heading “TRUMP’S REACTION: As MALAYSIA Becomes the World’s #1 Luxury Travel Destination!!” posted by Weird Globe, a YouTube channel on unusual customs, traditions, and ways of life from different countries.
I stopped watching just after two minutes of the almost 17-minute video as I could no longer stomach the blatantly fake news and untruths.
For my own record, I wrote a short comment “Why was so much effort taken to produce obviously fake news?” to address and close the matter.
Later, the same video was forwarded to me by relatives, friends and also my classmates of 58 years ago in Form Five, with many having migrated to all over the world but still with deep feelings for Malaysia and are looking forward to yet another reunion in Klang come August.
Among the messages accompanying the video were “This should be interesting to you”, “Is this true or fake?”, and “Has Malaysia established a specialised luxury security division within their police force, with officers who undergo training in Switzerland and Israel?”
And so I forced myself to watch the entire length of the video, which was narrated using a computer generated voice, but mispronounced St. Regis as Street Regis. This American hotel chain’s Malaysian property is located at Kuala Lumpur Sentral and opened in 2016.
Weird Globe is based in Washington, D.C. on the east coast of the US, and is 4,326km by road to Washington state on the west coast. I would imagine many Americans watching this video would swallow it hook, line and sinker, and so would some Malaysian undergraduates.
It would be a waste of everyone’s time for me to point out the misinformation and fabrication, as almost every statement in the video is inaccurate or not true.
It would suffice just to address the heading, which is already preposterous and a dead giveaway on its lack of credibility. Why would Trump seeking to win the Nov 5 election last year or in office since Jan 25, 2025 be bothered with Malaysia?
His nominee for Defence Secretary, Peter Hegseth, could not name a single Asean country when asked by Senator Tammy Duckworth during the confirmation hearing.
Tammy, a Thai-American, was a Black Hawk pilot and lost both her legs after her helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in 2004. She served as a Congresswoman after being elected in 2012 and 2014. In 2016 and 2022, she was elected as senator and is now in her second term.
It is well known that countries that welcomed immigrants have become the most successful and the United States is the best example. It has received more immigrants than any other, and indeed it is the greatest nation on earth, but for both the right and also the wrong reasons.
Since the end of the Second World War, it has been involved in countless interferences by overthrowing legally constituted governments through subversion or violence, and calling the Iraq Invasion as Iraq War, under the pretext of destroying weapons of mass destruction.
It continues to be warmongering, as the US military maintains around 750 bases in at least 80 countries worldwide. In East Asia, it operates 313 military-based sites primarily to contain China.
In contrast, China has only one military base outside the country for anti-piracy operations at the east coast of Africa in Djibouti, a small country of 23,200 sq km with less than 1.8 million population, and also hosts military bases for the United States, France, Saudi Arabia and Japan.
Yesterday, I googled “YS Chan trainer” and was amazed with the AI Overview. I then informed my family that AI-generated summaries are more credible and better than preparing ordinary resumes or curriculum vitaes (CVs) that often include unsubstantiated claims or aspirations.
Indeed, we should make full use of artificial intelligence (AI) and the best answers are obtained by asking intelligent questions. One good example is a video forwarded to me by Desmond Lim with the heading “AI Compared Best Countries in Southeast Asia to live in. Only ONE Stood Out.”
It is a six-minute video and Malaysian viewers will swell with pride, particularly those living in Kuala Lumpur. It is more credible than tourism promotional videos that paint rosy pictures or overexaggerate, as AI results are based on online data that are more factual and truthful. – May 5, 2025
YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image: Pexels/Anna Shvets
