Saturday, September 01, 2007
Merdeka yesterday but what about tomorrow?
Malaysia celebrated 50 years of independence yesterday with pomp and ceremony. The glitze aside, are we truly a country that all Malaysians can be proud of? I think the question many right thinking Malaysians are likely to ask themselve or express privately amongst friends is "why did we waste countless opportunities in the last 50 years and fail to be a true Asian powerhouse?" After 50 years, the judiciary, which is suipposed to be the cornerstone of any civilized nation is still operating under a heavy shadow of gloom, brought about by questions of its independence. The education system which has forced many talented Malaysians to the brigher shores of Singapore is still leaking talent overseas due to perceived racial discrimination and preferential treatments, consistent of long-term government policies.
Racial polarisation has deepened - the recent SMS fiasco alleging racial riots in Johor got a lot of people riled up. There were no such thing but just a few simple keys into a mobile phone, was all it took to shatter, once again, the weak illusion that UMNO has created, that all is well on the racial unity front. It is poetic that this incident happens on the eve of Merdeka. But will this symbolism dawn upon UMNO, the decision makers? I don't have that confidence that things will change anytime soon.
I am happy and thankful to see Malaysia celebrate its 50th Merdeka anniversary and may there be many many more such occasions. I love this country and I want Malaysia to succeed. But past formulas which has brought great benefits to UMNO cannot be repeated for the future. It is bound to fail miserably. Already, its control on the news agenda is already severely undermined by the new media. Its nasty bark in recent times should be a reminder to UMNO that the new media is likely to set the news agenda in the future and not the other way around, however hard it tries to demonise the new media. UMNO must make changes on all fronts - political, economical and social - in order to remain relevant in the long-term. IF a 61-year-old political party thinks the world owes it a living, then the realities of the flat world will soon overpower it and render UMNO irrelevant. ¶ 5:52 PM
Racial polarisation has deepened - the recent SMS fiasco alleging racial riots in Johor got a lot of people riled up. There were no such thing but just a few simple keys into a mobile phone, was all it took to shatter, once again, the weak illusion that UMNO has created, that all is well on the racial unity front. It is poetic that this incident happens on the eve of Merdeka. But will this symbolism dawn upon UMNO, the decision makers? I don't have that confidence that things will change anytime soon.
I am happy and thankful to see Malaysia celebrate its 50th Merdeka anniversary and may there be many many more such occasions. I love this country and I want Malaysia to succeed. But past formulas which has brought great benefits to UMNO cannot be repeated for the future. It is bound to fail miserably. Already, its control on the news agenda is already severely undermined by the new media. Its nasty bark in recent times should be a reminder to UMNO that the new media is likely to set the news agenda in the future and not the other way around, however hard it tries to demonise the new media. UMNO must make changes on all fronts - political, economical and social - in order to remain relevant in the long-term. IF a 61-year-old political party thinks the world owes it a living, then the realities of the flat world will soon overpower it and render UMNO irrelevant. ¶ 5:52 PM
