Did Merdeka (Independence Day) really liberate us Malaysians?
"MERDEKA!". You can hear the voice of the people echo throughout Dataran Merdeka as the flag of a free, independent nation was hoisted on August 31st, 1957. Trumpets bellowed throughout that night. The high spirits of the new citizens of Malaysia was uncontainable. Everyone was beaming from ear to ear to finally be free from foreign governance. That is the whole idea of achieving independence. To be free.
However, have we really achieved freedom since that day? There is no doubt that we have since formed our own government. Does the freedom we all seek only lie with which government is ruling the nation?
Despite the national independence status, it can be observed from past events that Malaysians are still very much bound. It is disappointing to note that in recent years in particular, Malaysians seem to be growing more distant between themselves. Racist remarks, nitpicking and online attacks are not new in this country. These show that Malaysians are definitely not free from hatred and judgments.
One can also observe that there are groups of people who put their personal interest first before others and could not care less for the consequences. Are such Malaysians free from selfishness?
There are also people, so-called patriots, who demean and belittle others for not joining their ideology of peace and righteousness. Are these Malaysians free from ego?
We also have people from each race who stereotype other races; e.g. the Chinese people are cheats. The Malays are lazy. The Indians cannot do a job well-done. Are these Malaysians free from judgment?
I remember reading through a string of comments posted online pertaining to a government-related issue. Although the post had completely nothing to do with race, at least 70% of the comments on that post had races threatening and demeaning others. Is Malaysia then free from racism?
It is such an irony that we, Malaysians, are famous for being able to live harmoniously as a multi-racial and multi-cultural nation but we still find racist remarks almost everywhere we go.
It may not be a surprise to anyone if I note that there are still households who instill elements of racism into their children. One may deny that this is the case but racism is introduced and buds silently. A simple phrase such as, "Oh, we shouldn't get a Malay contractor to do the work. They always end up doing a lousy job!" is STEREOTYPE to put it at its mildest extent or more aptly described as RACIST.
Another famous example within a Chinese household would be: "You better not get too close to that 'ah neh neh' (Indian) or else you may marry an 'ah neh neh' husband". While one may think they are mere innocent statements, they are actually reinforcing a structure or a paradigm of negative thoughts in people's minds (especially so for children whose minds are like sponges). We still find people who are very much against interracial marriage despite growing up in a multi-racial community. The BIG question here is: WHY?
Love knows no caste, race or creed. Love is. When you see a young child dying out of hunger, do you think twice if s/he is Chinese, Malay or Indian before helping him/her out? When you go to the blood bank to donate blood, do you specify that you only want your blood donated to a particular race?
What Malaysia really needs at the moment is for every individual to self-reflect. Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." If change is what you want, begin by changing yourself. Let us remember that it is not the country that makes us, but we who make the country. We need to reflect about what true "freedom" means. Have we really been freed or are we still bound by unseen forces that lie within us.
Almost 60 years since the nation achieved independence from a foreign power and what have we learned so far?
The only way to ever have a strong nation is to practice unity. Together we rise, divided we fall. If a peaceful Malaysia is what we want, we must first be at peace with ourselves and the people who live around us. If everyone focuses within and change themselves, we will have a group of people with changed mindsets and characters. Several groups of people with changed mindsets and characters would mean there is a community of people with such transformation. All communities combined would make a nation. Therefore, all changes begin with oneself.
For the world to be 'clean', the country must be 'clean'. For the country to be 'clean', the community must be 'clean'. For the community to be 'clean', the individuals must first be 'clean'. Do you see the pattern? You cannot expect for the world to be 'clean' if each individual is not 'clean' in heart in the first place. Expecting the outer world to be 'clean' but not clearing the impurities that are deeply rooted within oneself is nothing but foolishness. As within, so without.
Despite the chaos the country seems to be in at the moment, it is however comforting to know that there are still Malaysians who live up to the "Malaysia, Truly Asia" reputation. If only all Malaysians work together, a stronger and united Malaysia will definitely manifest. It is only then we can scream "MERDEKA" from the bottom of our lungs with absolute pride; when we learn to love and respect each other regardless of our background.
Remember, the power does indeed lie with the people but the key lies within.
I wish all Malaysians a very happy Merdeka. To end this post, I have attached below the 2 Merdeka videos that I have filmed in 2012 and 2013.
Love and light,
Genevieve
That's very true. Every word you said. We need to get past our differences and live as Malaysians.
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