Nowadays, I have to go to office and I try to be early :')
Punctuality is something that Malaysia is missing. Malaysia has something called Malaysian timing. I won't say everybody but I would say it's quite normal for people in Malaysia to be late. If you're meeting up with friends, you can expect to add an additional 30 minutes to the time they may show up. If someone in Malaysia tells you they are on the way, they are sometimes still home. My tip would be to arrange the time to meet a bit earlier so they might show up at the "actual" time you want to meet up.
Honestly, I have felt that this part of Malaysia culture has influenced me a bit. I've lately ended up a bit late a few times for certain occasions but overall though I still show up early more than I show up late. When I was growing up, I had a sense of being on time or early thanks to my mom. My mom would always get me early to soccer games, school etc. I remember when I was young I asked my mom why are we going to that person's house so early for the party. I don't recall the exact thing she said but she said something about having extra time in case there's any emergencies like maybe forgetting something and being able to have the time to go back to the house and get it.
Personally for me punctuality is important. It shows that I respect people's time and vice versa. Despite this, I understand the Malaysian culture so when someone is late I just kind of accept it as it is. I will do my best to show up early and if I'm late because of traffic etc it is what it is but for important events I will show up early for sure. As for how others feel about punctuality, I think it really depends if they value it or not. Some people don't care and some do.
Do share your thoughts on this! I am on the way.