For a better Malaysia
To start with, I need to declare that I am not residing any
political parties and I have to be honest that I am not a huge fan of politics.
Although I rarely follow up political news, but the one and only reason I
participated in this election was the sheer will to change our government. I did not know what are the policies the opposition (now the government) has to offer, but
I know our country was not too far away from irrecoverable with our current
dysfunctional government (ex-government).
When I heard one of my
Malaysian hero, Tun Dr. Mahathir left the party that he led for 22 years and
joined the opposition party, I knew it was not just me, the man who built
Malaysia itself has had enough as well.
It was a historical moment, for
a very long time since I heard the Malaysian's heart beating again, and the
voice of the people echoed half across the world. Honest speaking, it is both
sad and joyful moment to have a 92 years old Prime Minister. On one hand I felt
hopeful again as Malaysia has one of her greatest hammer of all time back to
lead the people, but on the other hand, I felt sorry for Tun M, a man who is
on his age, to return to the battlefield in order to correct the country's
pathway.
Hari ini saya berjuang untuk meruntuhkan parti UMNO. Tak mudah
untuk mengecam dan menjatuhkan parti kesayangan saya menghampir 60 tahun, tapi saya sedar bahawa parti sudahpun
terlencong ke jalan yang salah, dan oleh itu, walau sayang atau tak sayang,
saya perlu berjuang untuk jatuhkan parti saya sendiri.
Tun Dr. Mahathir, 2018
Even though we have won the
election and Malaysia lived through another day to tell the tale, but there are
some aspects that I think are worthy for us to pay attention to.
Toxicity of Malaysia Politics.
When our politics and elected
candidates can no longer reflect the decency of our people, it is not too hard
to see how our civilization can reverse and eventually crumble in years to
come. I say a politic has turned sour when they are picking up sensitive racial
issues to divide people, insulting opposition who do not share the same stance
as them with vulgarity, discriminating people because they eat, pray and look
differently.
A political system as such is
not what powered us to be one of the Asian tigers before, nor to build the
Petronas Twin Towers or the highways that connect every part of Malaysia to
freedom.
It never was and never will be.
The toxicity of the politics is
weighting on the inertia of our country's movement, up to a point where the
progress starts to go backwards. All the foundation which built by our
ancestors with blood and soul will be all in vain, and it is our children, that
we loved so dearly, who have to work harder in their time only because of the our greedy eyes for cash over change and might over right. We should start fostering a
politic with less indulgence with money and uphold our values and
ethnics.
Segregating people and bribing are never a wise move to play. With that being said, it is self-defeating. The
method used in some parties to win an election (I don't want to name it out)
defeats the essential elements of humble and perseverance that guided our
nation's independence 61 years ago. Malaysia was born with multi-racial identity,
we do not afraid or resist differences, we embrace them, because that is who we
are, even in the face of threatens and temptations.
Kita tak boleh
takut, kalaupun dia ancam, pangkahlah Pakatan Harapan.
Tun Dr.
Mahathir 2018.
For Younger Generations.
The election aftermath is truly
a mess, people, predominantly teenagers are over their heads. It is a shame to
see what our politics have brought to our younger generations, which is one of
the reasons why I do not find Malaysia politics appealing at all. For most of
them, especially the Malaysian-Chinese (I hate to say it because I am a
MC as well), politic is where they have all the attention, abusive language and
excessive pressure on unnecessary issues are a method to catch the eyes of the
audience.
Youngsters out there, if you
are reading this post, please re-define yourself, re-define politics and
re-examine your core values.
I grew up in a pretty diverse political
background, and I feel that the common practice of MC politic is always the
story about the war which our older generations wage for but put the youngsters to fight for. I understand that we were influenced since young from our parents,
peers, even the uncles in the coffee shops, but are we brave enough to
challenge the assumptions made by our ancestors? Fact check the stories or
listen to others and think outside of our bubble?
I have seen youngsters on the
internet and in real life, trying to challenge the rule of law. We can discuss
about our primacy and our challenges, but we should never complacent the law
itself. For that is the pillar which hold our nation together, a governing
system which grants you the right to vote, speak and the liberty for individual
to chase their own dreams.
So for those youngsters who joined
the political rally, how do you define yourselves? Do you define yourselves as a
hero in anti-government party? Do you define yourselves as a man who voice up
for justice? Or you are just a follower who does not know our own history and
the purpose of politics? A puppet who were pushed to the battleground because
you were told to do so, to fight and change something that you don't even fully
understood?
Impatience supporters and
passionate patriots are the elements of a successful democracy, but understand
the greater picture of what we are trying to change or accomplish is equally
important. Because ignorance of our destination could lead to overdoing our
responsibilities as a citizen, and that could shoot us in our own feet. Be
responsible, be aware, know when to stop, question the government but not the
rule of law. Stay active but listen to yourselves if you have something to say,
don't shout out just to be heard, but shout out for what you stand for.
Mutual respect in democracy
The success of our new
government has indeed return the right of free speech to us (to some extent),
but the right could be easily abused if we take it for granted. The right of
speech is to grant the citizen the freedom to deliver their thoughts openly, but not
to publicly insult one another, especially issues that are tied with race.
It is known that
Malaysian-Chinese has a long history of being suppressed by the government,
there are a number of issues that only we, the Malaysia-Chinese have to face. It
is frustrating at times, but to understand our democracy does requires
compromises where we cannot get all what we want, when we want it and how we
want it. The journey to problem solving and negotiations have always been a
long way, especially when we have 3 races in Malaysia where each party has to
sacrifice something for another.
Rundingan hasil yang terbaik adalah semua pihak
tidak puas hati, kalau ada mana-mana satu pihak puas hati, ini makna kita tak
adil.
Tun Dr. Mahathir 2018.
And we have to understand that by
not getting what we want does not grant us the right to insult or crucify
others. Especially at times like this, where we should be more patience and
vigilant after winning a hard fought gateway to create a better Malaysia, issues
like disrespecting Yang Dipertuan Agong and usage of words that will cause
racial segregation should be avoid at all cost. Whatever you do not want your
children to say at home, don't say it in social media.
The beginning of the new era
has embed with a handful of issues that threatens our democracy, the weakening
of Ringgit, the downwards slope in education, the rising oil price and taxation issues. I
assure you those challenges will not be solved in near future, but if we respect
and listen to one another, eventually we will make progress.
How we meet
these challenges to our democracy will determine our ability to educate our
kids, and create good jobs, and protect our homeland.
Obama 2017.
If you are tired of not getting
an answer for your question, try talk to people in real life, participate in more events and be engaged more, this is your homeland, you have the rights and
obligations to make it better not worse. The spirit sung by your ancestors or
your peers does not make you who you are, you are the idea that is whispered to you from the bottom of your heart and the faith you tell yourself every night before
you go to bed.
None of this is easy, and by
putting faith onto someone or something can be disappointing at times. But know
that faith can only be strengthen when it is tested again and again, and with
perseverance and persistence, I firmly believe that the victory shall not be
denied us.
HOPE
I was deeply moved by seeing all the tears and cheers from the
recent election, it was indeed a historical moment and inspiring time for
politics. I am glad that we did not lose
hope.
As following the failure from the 2013 election, I thought our nation has
lost their hope and faith in democracy. But instead they came back stronger. I
remember my mom used to tell me, to make one breath easier or one hope brighter
that, is success. I am proud that we pushed beyond the last barricade where
better days are seen, we made a new page where our story can be written again
with our nation's dignity and pride.
My beloved Malaysians, our
recent election has proved to the world what we are made of. It is such an
honor to witness our people stood up together as one at the very crucial time.
However, our job is not done, our founders threw everything they had to
build our homeland since 1957, and now it is time for us to give our pledge as
a citizen, to make this country a place for all generations to come. When we
dedicated to rebuild our homeland together and always hitch the wagon to
something larger than ourselves, our nation will always stand high and stand proud
in coming decades, the following and the following decades. And we, indisputable, have changed the world for the better.
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