ANOTHER National Day is upon us, and one will not fault Malaysians if we do not feel like celebrating.
The country’s 64th National Day comes under the cloud of a killer pandemic that is taking Malaysian lives by the hundreds every day; an economic crisis that is seeing starvation and hardships not experienced in peacetime; and, a political spectacle that has seen the swearing-in of three prime ministers in as many years – four, if you count pre-14th general elections.
To compound this, many Malaysians are questioning their stake in their country – or if they have any.
Many of our young countrymen are seeking their fortunes in other lands, encouraged and supported by their families who, as post-Merdeka babies themselves, have experienced a different side of their country than their forefathers.
Nationhood, economic development, setting up essential infrastructures such as health, security and education, and finding a place on the world stage were the main focus of our independence fighters.
Today’s challenges, illustrated brilliantly by the “new” cabinet line-up, include finding competent people to pull us out of an unprecedented health and economic crisis; eradicating corruption; and, reuniting a nation divided by race and religion.
Meanwhile, our fellow Malaysians in Sabah and Sarawak are struggling with an identity crisis – having similar rights and privileges as their Malayan brethren yet not enjoying equal access to those rights and privileges.
This is largely the fault of the federal leadership that controls funding to control East Malaysia.
Numerous statistics from the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and our own Statistics Department indicate that an estimated two million Malaysians live abroad, with the annual exodus rate at an estimated 2% of the population.
Why would some of our countrymen seek a life abroad when we are a rich country abundant in talent, resources and potential?
Perhaps what is lacking is opportunity, or a sense of belonging. Perhaps what is lacking is good leadership.
Being independent is meant for one to be able to choose his own destiny, but such is the minutiae of politics that democracy does not necessarily mean rule by majority. We experienced this last year when a mandate given at the ballot box was seized by cunning and guile.
The role of the constitutional monarchy was profound as the king was put in a position to become kingmaker.
The stabilising factor of the royal institution, however, was also evident as the quarrels of the past year have been put to a truce, with new Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (PM9) abiding by the royal decree to work with political foes.
Perhaps this is the silver lining in the long-drawn-out dirty game of thrones that has distracted from the challenges at hand.
PM9 preaches family and unity, and this will be amplified in this year’s National Day observance.
Perhaps he is taking a leaf from his forefathers in Umno, Datuk Sir Onn Jaafar and Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman in acknowledging that Malaysia is a sum of its parts and must embrace its diversity – be it in terms of ethnicity or political affiliation.
These two former leaders, however, paid the price for encouraging inclusivity. Whether our current leader will suffer a similar fate remains to be seen. He, however, has the benefit as well as the disadvantage of the eyes of the nation on him 24-7.
And perhaps where there is a dearth of political leadership, he can take courage from the support and impatience of the people to do what is right for the country.
But herein one may argue that this has been our problem all along – the dependence on personalities and individuals to chart our path.
We as a people should carve our own destiny. And the turmoil that has been forced upon us by both man and nature is a perfect opportunity to rise to the occasion.
Our frontliners in battling the pandemic and regular Malaysians looking out for those hardest hit economically are examples of the best versions of ourselves.
We are at our finest when we are at our most resilient, and we have proven time and again through foreign invasion, insurgencies, racial riots, financial crisis and kleptocracy that we can, and do, endure.
Selamat Hari Merdeka! – The Vibes, August 31, 2021
Terence Fernandez is editor-in-chief of PETRA News, which owns The Vibes and its Bahasa Malaysia sister portal Getaran
