Malaysia in the 21st century is confident in its economic achievements and aspires to be a leader amongst Asian nations. Since achieving independence in 1957, it has enjoyed substantial success in reducing the rate of poverty, which stood at 3.7 percent in 2007, accelerating growth, which was an impressive 6.5 in 2010, and maintaining a democratic political system. Malaysia ranks among nations today as an upper-middle-income country, and hopes to achieve developed-nation status by 2020. But Malaysia also suffers from a widening gap between the rich and poor, lagging standards in education, crime and corruption, and polarization between the country’s major ethnic groups.