Turning 50

Malaysia has just turned 50! That's a big number.... 50 years is equivalent to half a century, and that sure sounds big! As with all middle-age men, when you are of a certain age, it is only natural that you take a look at life (and I mean a serious look!)-- of the past and of the future. As for Malaysia as a nation, it is time for us to ask ourselves whether we are truly "MERDEKA!" or are we "merdeka?".

During the pre-National Day craze (as I would like to call it), the newspapers were constantly filled with news of the Jalur Gemilang being flown here and there, and the Jalur Gemilang being made up of this and that. Despite all these, the government is still pretty upset that motorists are not 'passionately' flying the Jalur Gemilang. Frankly, I find this very..... amusing (as in "funny" amusing). So what if you fly the national flag and so what if you don't? Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against flying the national flag. No one can deny that it is a patriotic gesture.

However, I do not think that not flying the flag or flying less flags means that you are not patriotic. In the same way, flying the national flag right outside your house or on your vehicle does not mean that you are very patriotic. Even foreign fishermen who encroached into our waters flew the flag in the hope of misleading the authorities. At times, our nation is so engrossed with having the biggest and longest, tallest and widest of things, that we overlooked things that really matter to us as a nation. So what if we have the largest Jalur Gemilang made up of rice? Wouldn't the rice be more beneficial if it were donated to the poor and needy?

I believe that true love for the country comes from your heart. When you cease to magnify the faults of the local government in your own eyes and in the eyes of your foreign counterparts, that's being patriotic. When you identify the weak links in the systems of the country and try to do your best to mitigate and remedy the situation, that's being patriotic. When you internalise the needs and burdens of the country and intercede on her behalf, and ask God for His mercy and His provision, that's being patriotic.

But you see, some things in this country are just.... plain gone case. That's nothing much we can do to make things better. Ah, I see! So that's why so many people, Christians and Chinese especially, opted to leave the country and migrate to another country, say Australia, Singapore and Canada, thinking that life over there will be much better. After all, the grass on the other side is always greener. In answering this question, we must first ask ourselves the question regarding our identity. We always say we are Chinese or Indian. Hello!! Chinese come from China and Indians come from India. Some claiming to be Chinese have never even set foot on Chinese soil!

Frankly, for people like myself, a Chinese who has never even gotten a single glimpse of China, really have no place to be called home. I can't claim to be a Chinese Chinese (some can't even speak Chinese, really), and migrating to Australia or Canada does not make me more of an Australian or a Canadian. However, deep within me (and all of us, I'm sure) I know who I really am-- a Malaysian. At least, if I remain in Malaysia, I can call myself a Malaysian, and that's who I am.

As Hon Whi said yesterday, all of us are searching for a perfect government, a perfect country, where there is hundred percent equality, where everybody is being treated equally, without a trace of partiality. Unfortunately, my friends, there is no such thing as perfection, and equality is a fantasy, as long as you are on earth. You can traverse the breadth and length of the earth in search for perfection, but it will be as futile as Shi Huang Ti's quest for the Fountain of Youth.

In Malaysia, a certain people group is being recognised as having certain special rights, and these rights are being provided for in the Constitution. It is a taboo. No one questions it, and no one is allowed to question it. Those who do so may probably share the same fate as Wee Meng Chee. How then can we do anything to improve the situation, when we are not even allowed to question and ask for equal rights to be rendered? The only way is for us to leave the country. Yes, it is true that there is nothing we can do to obtain equal rights. It is just impossible. However, things can improve. The core to national unity, is not for all to have equal rights, but for all to be content with all that they have. Well, at least we have basic human rights. At least we have the right to preserve our culture and traditions. At least we have the right to practice our own faith. At least we have the freedom to worship our God freely. Isn't that enough?

In Phillipians 4:12, Paul says "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." How can we harp on minor imperfections in the country, like a less than ideal education system, a less than perfect government and a less than desirable constitution, when Paul was content with all that he had in a jail cell, where there was no education, no democratic government and no human rights at all? It has been 50 years now. Let us be truly merdeka, not only as a nation, but also in our mindset.