I've been out of the country on vacation. It was interesting to visit a Muslim country, given my mindset about the whole religion scene. Malaysia does have a Muslim majority, and there were comments about the police hassling women for their mode of dress or lack of a scarf. I did note a lot of women in the workforce, including as police, security guards, staffing information booths, etc. They seem pretty free to do anything, so long as they are "appropriately dressed". The country as a whole has a lot of progressive policies. There is an impressive public transport system, the roads are well-maintained, and there's a huge emphasis on clean energy production. That being said, recycling has yet to be a big issue. Sigh. But hey, the food is great, and there's fantastic wildlife!
Malaysia is a big country. I was working in the south close to Singapore. What I remember, weather was nice, streets were clean and overall people was happy. After hours, I was out mostly with peers (locals) and we would go out having fun at a nice restaurant where locals go (not the typical turist place) so I think it's fair to say that I got to see the real deal. I was actually pretty impressed.