Wednesday, August 30, 2006
A true Merdeka!
In a few moments, it will be the 31st of August and this date in 1957 was the day when the British formally relinquished control of Malaya in 1957. It has been 49 years since our nation's leaders stood up and made a sacred promise to work with a patchwork of communities - Malay, Chinese, Indian, Eurasians, Indigenous people - and in due time, help forge this polyglot of people into a great independent nation. 49 years later, despite the best efforts of our founding fathers, Malaysia is still a nascent work in progress - neither great nor independent. Let me clarify the latter; what I mean by independence has nothing to do with physical independence from an external colonial power. Independence in this context has all to do with the opening up of the mind on issues that really, mould a progressive, modern, confident nation state that can compete in the economic realities of the 21st century.
In this arena, we are far away from Merdeka than what the historical date states otherwise. Flying the flag automatically, unthinkingly, may be appreciated gleefully by some politicians but the end result will just amplify the feeling that nothing has really changed if the goal to change Malaysia into a confident, capable country for the 21st century remains manacled. The challenges that will face this nation will get even more tenuous; issues which will not be solved by the act of a million flags fluttering from cars, apartment blocks, government offices and private offices.
Really, there is no need for me to outline the challenges; anyone who picks up a newspaper or surfs the Internet can discern the increasingly difficult task this nation is going to confront in the coming years. The external environment has changed so drastically from the golden age of the Asian Tigers in the 1990s. Investors have ample choices to park their money in and the heat is already impacting the administration. In the last few months, I have noticed a rash of foreign articles commenting on Malaysia's increasingly strident step into Islamicization, the focal point being the Lina Joy apostacy case - other contentious issues explored include the Hindu temple demolitions by overzealous minor government officials as well as the decades-old affirmation policy and whether it's pertinent in the new economic environment. The discomfort of knowing that such widely read articles will further dent Malaysia's attractiveness as an investment destination must have reached the highest level of government. The normally steady and pragmatic Minister for International Trade Datuk Paduka Rafidah Aziz must be regretting her choice of words when she recently spewed that foreign investors can go look elsewhere if they cannot set aside a 30 percent equity to the Bumiputeras in some ventures. And elsewhere they will look, not to mention more fodder for the foreign media to write about.
And so, Merdeka beckons but in our minds, we may as well be decades towards reaching true Merdeka. The polyglot of people of this potentially great nation are still living separate and parallel lives, with barely any interaction between them. This is not truly Merdeka is it? I think not. But I will still light a candle in my heart, praying for a progressive, modern and confident nation state to rise. ¶ 4:53 PM
In this arena, we are far away from Merdeka than what the historical date states otherwise. Flying the flag automatically, unthinkingly, may be appreciated gleefully by some politicians but the end result will just amplify the feeling that nothing has really changed if the goal to change Malaysia into a confident, capable country for the 21st century remains manacled. The challenges that will face this nation will get even more tenuous; issues which will not be solved by the act of a million flags fluttering from cars, apartment blocks, government offices and private offices.
Really, there is no need for me to outline the challenges; anyone who picks up a newspaper or surfs the Internet can discern the increasingly difficult task this nation is going to confront in the coming years. The external environment has changed so drastically from the golden age of the Asian Tigers in the 1990s. Investors have ample choices to park their money in and the heat is already impacting the administration. In the last few months, I have noticed a rash of foreign articles commenting on Malaysia's increasingly strident step into Islamicization, the focal point being the Lina Joy apostacy case - other contentious issues explored include the Hindu temple demolitions by overzealous minor government officials as well as the decades-old affirmation policy and whether it's pertinent in the new economic environment. The discomfort of knowing that such widely read articles will further dent Malaysia's attractiveness as an investment destination must have reached the highest level of government. The normally steady and pragmatic Minister for International Trade Datuk Paduka Rafidah Aziz must be regretting her choice of words when she recently spewed that foreign investors can go look elsewhere if they cannot set aside a 30 percent equity to the Bumiputeras in some ventures. And elsewhere they will look, not to mention more fodder for the foreign media to write about.
And so, Merdeka beckons but in our minds, we may as well be decades towards reaching true Merdeka. The polyglot of people of this potentially great nation are still living separate and parallel lives, with barely any interaction between them. This is not truly Merdeka is it? I think not. But I will still light a candle in my heart, praying for a progressive, modern and confident nation state to rise. ¶ 4:53 PM
