A Prayer On Merdeka Day

It's all over the place. On bill boards, banners, on the air waves on TV and radio, in newspapers. Everywhere.

"PERPADUAN TERAS KEJAYAAN'' That's Malay for "Unity is the core for success". You can't be more right than that. And that's the theme chosen by the government for this year's Merdeka celebrations. Rightly so.

Perpaduan teras kejayaan. Yes but we see racial cards being played at a frightening pitch. Almost everything – from what we wear on our heads, to proposals and ideas on places of worship, places of higher leaning and places for the dead are exploited and played up along racial lines.

Perpaduan teras kejayaan. Yes but we see sentiments being fanned. We are told our race is under threat. Our supremacy being challenged. And we might be wiped out even by the "other" race.

Perpaduan teras kejayaan. Yes but we hear of people accusing other people of selling out their own race.

Perpaduan teras kejayaan. Yes but we see the tenets of Rukun Negara tarnished.

Perpaduan teras kejayaan. Yes but we the ugliness that cut short the now well known forum organized by the Bar Council.

Perpaduan teras kejayaan. Yes but we hear of threatening words asking fellow Malaysians to leave Malaysia, the very country they were born in.

Perpaduan teras kejayaan. Yes but the derogatory words and disparaging remarks against may of us, still ring in our ears.

All that are the "sins' committed by politicians including ministers. We know why they doing it. They know we know. But that's not stopping them. Not even election results which showed multi racial lines do work.

Perpaduan teras kejayaan? Then we see, in Beijing, a Malaysian called Lee Chong Wei embracing another Malaysian called Misbun Sidek. That tells it all. It goes beyond sports. That's what Malaysia is all about. It's not a lost cause, there's hope.

And I know as much as you do that many Malaysians, politicians and ministers included who believe in that. Perpaduan teras kejayaan.Yes.

Happy 51st Merdeka Malaysia.

MOHSIN ABDULLAH
MySinchew
2008.08.28