In a few days Malaysians will celebrate National Day. While there are those who will be excited, there are also those who will be ambivalent; and many may simply be cynical and indifferent.
Have we lost the reason for everyone to celebrate?
A few weeks ago I was in Singapore. You know their National Day is near when you see the distinct red and white colours of the Singapore national flag draped below the windows of the HDB flats even weeks before the day.
On the day itself, I watched the parade on television in a city hotel. I saw something I hadn't seen for a long time.
As the Singapore national anthem played, a middle-aged Singaporean stood up in the cafe and sang along with the live telecast of the event unravelling at the special floating platform where the country's leaders, dignitaries and ordinary Singaporeans had gathered. She was a picture of patriotism, oblivious to stares from strangers, and only sat down after the last note of the anthem was played.
I admired her apparent pride in her nation.
I wonder how many would spontaneously stand up and sing the Negaraku in a public place? I haven't seen anything of the sort since my youth when most Malaysians felt a thrill in celebrating their new nation. I have no doubt many still do.
I recall in the cinemas how the country's national anthem was played and the audience stood up as a mark of respect.
Still I believe many Malaysians believe in their country's future. I recall the first prime minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, an honoured guest at the school assembly of his alma mater, tell an impressionable, young and wide-eyed audience that "you are all the future leaders of the nation." Sadly no Malaysian leader has been able to inspire the rakyat as the Tunku, known affectionately as Bapa Malaysia, did at the time, albeit he died disillusioned seeing his “child” crippled during the Mahathir era.
Today have Malaysians lost their national fervour?
That unquestioning trust in the words of their leaders? The spontaneity in celebrating their national day? And perhaps more sadly, the crucial loss of a sense of belonging and pride in nation? Has indifference become the new trend that people have to be cajoled to show their enthusiasm even in displaying the national flag?
As we consider the state of the nation, besides the economic success, I wonder if real progress has slipped through our fingers? In our haste, that critics say is our unbridled and unashamed “gold rush” mentality, have our real national interests been overtaken by our selfish ambitions resulting in everyone watching out for their interests and not those of others, and least of all the nation's? It is not a problem peculiar to the country but to which it seems susceptible.
Or have we become inordinately legalistic in our reaction to materialism that we have lost our compassion, and the religious authorities will punish a Muslim woman in what many consider an inappropriate manner because she enjoyed a few forbidden drinks with friends?
Have we suffered a lost generation of opportunities to meld the diverse peoples together as one that every citizen feels fairly and adequately treated in their homeland and will approach their national day with greater ownership and gusto?
When citizens by virtue of their class, race, religion or background feel no need to fight for their share like a pack of predators after a kill, because no one will forcefully and unfairly grab the lion's share, then there is hope for a nation, especially in a multi-dimensional country like Malaysia.
Have we lost our innocence that with more money we also have more crime and feel more unsafe that we have also lost our faith in the public institutions that exist to protect and serve us? And when those who are supposed to set the example and encourage us to be one nation become so divisive as never before is there real reason to celebrate?
There is much that politics has to answer.
I believe there is a time when politicking will do more harm than good. When it taints the National Day with partisanship and prejudice and obfuscates national interests, even presumptuously confusing personal ambitions with national goals, it results in confusion, polarisation and distrust. Some will think the historic day has nothing to do with them. Others audaciously and arrogantly, presume the day belongs to them. But in truth, a national day belongs to everyone.
It will help, it is even crucial that all political parties drop their differences on National Day and stand alongside each other to honour the meaning of nationhood and remember what Merdeka stood for, and why a new nation Malaysia was formed. Perhaps those who decide policy need to re-consider if Merdeka is synonymous with Malaysia Day and synchronise these two auspicious but distinct events, to give every Malaysian a common day to celebrate their proud history.
Our forefathers set us free not to be slaves to anything or anyone again — ever. Our concern for order should not curtail our freedom. For true progress is not simply measured in cold economic statistics or new mega shopping malls, but in the quality of life of all of its citizens, in the laws and public institutions that protect them and their democratic space.
It includes the intangible aspects that determine the cohesiveness of a nation. It is like the X-factor that decides if someone will be remarkable or mediocre, even flawed. It is the spirit of unity, that makes us feel an integral part of one another as a people, as a nation, despite our many, and sometimes seemingly irreconcilable differences.
Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia are separated by sea. But when I visited Kuching for the first time during the Rainforest World Music Festival in 2007 I was impressed with its cohesive society. Is there something we can learn from those we merged with but have yet to fully appreciate?
Is the failure to capitalise on our strengths instead of focusing on our differences produced only a nation in name but a house divided in reality? Is nationhood simply a “marriage of convenience” when most Malaysians still don't know much about each other after all those years? And still don't trust one another because of those with selfish interests?
A nation is not made by its history alone. The past reminds of achievements and also failures. Nevertheless, it provides a better road map for the future; it makes people avoid the pitfalls along the way as they plod on. And a nation is made in the present that paves the way into the future. It cannot progress on past laurels or simple slogans and hype or promises, sometimes false. It must change for the better. Change must be felt and be real and evident to bring the people closer together.
Without a good vision a nation flounders. To celebrate the past without a vision for the future is nothing more than sentimentalism. A good vision is not myopic or selfish but considerate, inclusive of the concerns and welfare of all those who help build the nation, even if they are not citizens. It is always accompanied by action — now — not later, because hope deferred makes the heart sick, and procrastination is the thief of time.
A National Day is for recalling the nation's past and all those who made it possible, not just those who led the cause but ordinary citizens who all contributed their blood, sweat and tears. It should not be wrongly exploited by any because a National Day is the day that belongs to the nation and all its peoples. Exploiting the special day for political gain is sacrilegious! It is a celebration of a historic moment in the past, and a time to inspire hope for better times in the future.
For this reason I believe not only the government but opposition politicians and others be given roles to play in its celebration. It is in inclusion not exclusion that national pride is forged. You can't have a national celebration unless there is representative leadership. No one who tries to better the country can be left out or worse, be called a traitor, for the villain is not the one who dissents but the one who pretends.
The day of celebration should also be a time for forgetting differences and uniting in a common celebration of acceptance. It is a time to remember what builds up not break down, what unifies not divide. It is a time to remind ourselves that whatever we do if it is not right, if it does not benefit the people, if it does not produce good, if it is not in the interest of the whole nation, it can't be good enough, it is a ploy, it must be avoided.
I agree with those who question if whipping a harmless woman helps the country's progressive image? Is punishment, in this instance, better than compassion? Is fear the way of faith rather than conviction? And when even government and other leaders are of two minds about its propriety, even from a religious purview? Is it all a big mistake in the haste to chastise and perhaps a misguided attempt at balancing the scales against the perceived materialism or worse a misplaced priority?
I share a personal anecdote. I know a Malay friend who drank heavily. But in recent years not a single drop of alcohol has touched his lips. And the reason? Conviction! Not the penal kind, but a change of heart and mind. No one coerced him, he simply believed it was better to stay off alcohol. It is a tough lesson for those who are dogmatic and fail to give people time to come to their senses.
I like the Malay custom of seeking forgiveness from one another after Ramadan. It is a good custom. "To err is human but to forgive is divine," as the saying goes, but it also makes one a better person. And what better time than to remember the National Day as a day of forgiveness, that the nation may come together in a reconciling, restoring and redemptive way? But forgiveness is a matter of the heart not just the lips. It requires humility, and God hates the proud!
If we bite and devour one another we will destroy one another.
We need to debate not hate. There is a time for healing, not hurting, and a national day is the time for national healing. Every citizen should feel a sense of ownership and do something positive to heal the rifts in their society and make their nation a better place. They can't simply rely on the politicians.
Indonesia celebrates its National Day by forgiving the misdeeds of some of its prisoners, often shortening their prison sentences. Would it not be nice if Malaysia can do better and release all prisoners of conscience, particularly those who are unnecessarily and unfairly held under the ISA who are no real threat to the nation?
The real enemy of the nation, of the people, of our times, must be seen as corruption, that pervasive evil that destroys all it touches, that destroys truth, justice, morality, spirituality, freedom and democracy, and ultimately the society we live in. If we respond to corruption as we do to the H1N1 flu threat, it would have been licked a long time ago.
The Midas touch, the flair for financial success, is not everything because we know its danger and saw its tragic end, even if in a fable. The global crisis is also a timely reminder that greed is a curse, and that materialism is a mirage and even real wealth can disappear in a puff of smoke. A nation is more than money which is important but not the most important.
The nation as it celebrates must come together and be committed in fighting their real common enemy, this double-headed demon of greed and corruption that enslaves and destroys everyone it touches and spawns the kinds of troubles that keep our media and law enforcers busy.
And our law enforcers themselves must stay out of trouble and be beyond reproach. Allegations of wrongdoing against corruption watchdog the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) undermines the campaign against the very thing it was formed to combat.
The corrupt will surely destroy the nation.
It is time for all citizens to act so that evil does not triumph. And every national day ought to be a reminder of this ongoing struggle until the goal is achieved. Then Merdeka will take on a fresh meaning. And the people shall look ahead to a new dawn, where freedom is real, not historic and theoretical, even elusive.
Without a strong commitment to tackle the root problem as a national theme and make the nation an upright nation, free from all forms of corruption, and to create a climate of inclusiveness in celebration and mission, another National Day misses the point, and becomes nothing more than another hyped and meaningless ritual.
MI28/08/09
