It’s 50 years of achieving independence tomorrow, we are still thinking like our fore-fathers. Wait a minute, we are worst than our fore-fathers. At least when they wanted to achieve independence, they managed to see beyond race and religious lines. They saw each human as their equal after the same thing. They knew that they had to work together to achieve a better life for themselves, they knew that had to work together to ensure a better future for their children and grandchildren.
But today? We have taken ten steps backwards. What are my allegations based on, you may ask? Simple really. I am experiencing it in my daily life. I see people so stuck in their ways, mixing from people from the same background as theirs, afraid of venturing out and broadening their horizons and learning new things different people have to offer. We no longer see people as another equal human being, but instead we are being segregated along racial lines.
And what’s with all the racial taunting we see everyday? How did this ever come about? Why is there a great need for one race to prove that they are better than the other races, even though their rights are well provided for in the constitution? Why do we still see the our elected wakil rakyat waving their keris and talking about Ketuanan Melayu? And why has the Parliamentary debates become so farcical? Why aren’t they instead debating more pertinent matters like why are many Malaysians out there are so disenchanted with the country? Why are they feeling like the grass is greener in another country? And it’s also very ironic that instead of making Malaysia a place for the rakyat to truly call their home, we are trying so hard to attract foreigners to make Malaysia their second home?
Today, we no longer see the assimilation of races. We no longer see children mixing outside their race. And what is even more sickening, they can’t bear to see someone from amongst them being friendly to someone who’s not the same skin colour as them. They will have a brainwashing session trying to make that person change his ways, as if he has committed the biggest crime on earth. It’s a wonder that this kind of thinking still exist today!
It’s been 50 years. And yet we have yet to fully achieve greatness to substantiate our existence as a country. We are still lagging behind countries like Japan, who had to endure near total devastation from 2 atomic bombs, we are still lagging behind Singapore that is not blessed with natural resources that we have, we are lagging behind India and China that are slowly emerging as the next superpower and economic giant. And what about us? We have yet to be united under Bangsa Malaysia. We are still picking at each other’s race and what their race are entitled too. Mind boggling.
I don’t know. To me, Merdeka is nothing much to celebrate about. Yes, we may have achieved much, but in many ways we are still backwards. We should not be wasting our time championing a particular race, instead we should be championing the cause of Malaysia. I’m sure in the eyes of the world, we are a laughing stock. And yet, I don’t see anyone capable of changing things for us, Malaysians.
