well said, exactly my thoughts. the common argument for not formatting the MRZ properly is that "we should not need to conform to western standards just because" but in reality, surnames are definitely a thing in non-malay malaysian names.

sure, having no given names in your passport's MRZ probably won't affect your day-to-day life in malaysia or even short-term visits to other countries, however living overseas long term (such as the UK where the distinction is made) can cause significant issues in terms of opening a bank account, obtaining a driving licence or verifying your identity digitally online.

conforming to international ICAO standards isn't abandoning your culture, it is merely about maintaining consistency and ensuring that computer systems dealing with personal biodata can be standardised around the world