Happy 50th Birthday Malaysia! Here's to another fifty years of lies, cover-ups, conspiracies, and injustice. Sounds too harsh? Well, too bad. Because after fifty years of being an independent nation, it's about time we start calling a spade for what it really is, a spade. And not a beautiful gold encrusted, diamond-lined spoon. Please do not get me wrong, because I am thankful that I was born in this country and that I'm somewhat proud to be a part of Malaysia. However, just because on the surface everything looks like its fine, we're supposed to close both eyes to the other injustices and lies that are being thrown our way. We talk about racial unity and harmony in this country, but that is just on the surface. When the truth is, underneath the surface, most of us are guilty of being racist idiots. We have been raised in a country that has been slowly instilling a sense of superiority in its people. How else would you explain the purpose of the Bumiputra Policy? Why can't we all rise in our positions and achievements through meritocracy? It can be done, we have proof of it in the past. P.Ramlee was a smashing success and he did not have any policies backing him up. Dr. Mahathir tried very hard to take the Malays out of the mentality that everything will be spoon fed to them. Many people have succeeded without any policies, why can't this happen again? Ideally, perhaps the Bumiputra policy had noble intentions, but it is human nature that when they know they're entitled to something, they will milk it out to the very last drop. With the Bumiputra policy, comes the sense of belonging and superiority over other races. Is this what Malaysia is? Is this what Tunku Abdul Rahman wanted when he fought for our independence?
People in this country are always making excuses for their own inadequacies. This is further fueled by the policy that will always have their backs however hard they might fall. There are still people today who insist on harping on the fact that we were colonized by the Brits. They talk about this as though it was an entirely bad thing that the Brits conquered us once upon a time. The key words here ladies and gentlemen, are ONCE UPON A TIME! For crying out loud, get over it already. Yes we were colonized, but think about it, had we NOT been colonized, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be where we are today. I'm sure we would be far more backwards than some other third world countries. People have to start thinking objectively and accept the FACT that there is always two sides to the coin. We must always try to put ourselves in the shoes of the other party and see how it's like. We must be open-minded and listen to the argument of the other side before making judgments and decisions. But not many Malaysians are capable of doing this. They seem to think that they have sole-ownership over this land and that makes them better than anyone else. Who says that the Malays own Malaysia? Where in history was it written that the Chinese own Malaysia, or that the Indians own this land? We all come from all over the world and it so happened that our ancestors chanced upon this place and tried to make a living here. Look around us, we're living in a world that belongs to each and every one of us. No one race can claim ownership over a certain piece of land. Yes you may claim a sense of belonging, a sense of identity, a sense of pride, but not to the extent of claiming ownership and then making it difficult for the other races in the land to live and prosper. Whether you choose to accept it or not, that is exactly what this country is doing to the Chinese and the Indians. They can get straight As in their SPMs and yet end up wasting two years of their lives doing STPM. Where on earth is the justice in that? All this decisions and policies are born out of a sick sense of superiority that one race triumphs over another.
If we want to talk about celebrating fifty years of independence, instead of having international fireworks displays, instead of having meaningless countdowns all over KL, instead of having parades in the mornings of merdeka, why can't we restucture our social values and instill a sense of togetherness in our kids and adults alike? Why can't we kill the Bumiputra policy and make people work for what they want? Why can't we teach our children not to discriminate based on colour and religion? Why can't we open up our eyes and realize that the world IS big enough for all of us? All it takes is for us to take a step down from our high horses and realize that we are all a part of this earth and that there is nothing wrong in living together in peace. It's not that difficult, doesn't take rocket science to understand it.
So with that in mind, happy merdeka indeed Malaysia. It frightens me to think where we will be in another fifty years. Will we ever learn? Or will we continue to do things the way we've always been doing them and face the threat of moral and social deterioration. But that's ok right? As long as we have skyscrapers to mark our success. As long as we continue to churn out local cars by the truckloads even if the quality is bad, because we'll always have that 300% tax on foreign cars anyway. So as long as we keep focusing on the surface, we will never have to bother with what's underneath.
The truth is out there... it's just a matter of wanting to see it or not.
Happy Birthday Malaysia...
