missJeweLz wishes all Malaysians a Happy Merdeka Day. A double celebration joy for us as its the Raya festive season coupled with a celebration for the proud young nation.
Contentment
Though young, it is certainly full of live, zest, history and hope, where lives had lived and dreams fulfilled. Where aspirations are built upon trust and faith, and future carved in the spirit of success and prosperity of this land we call home. Where each day and second passed each citizen wants to achieve something greater than before, something more fulfilling than before. Something more content. And meaningful.
Hence, mere numbers, colours donned on Jalur Gemilang and the meaning that it brings, shout and cries cannot easily penetrate through one’s patriotic heart. It’s from within. Not fake. Not portrayed for the sake of showing. Slogans at times are too marketed it loses the real meaning. What would a butter cake taste when you slap another layer of imported butter on it…? What’s the point of having a butter cake which has all its ingredient mixed, stirred, blended in it, then baked to perfection only to be added another THICK layer of butter on it. The butter cake maker must be really angry…!
HISTORY
I may not have lived the times of our nation forefathers to experience what they have gone through achieving and struggling for the independency of this land. Maybe I was floating around the orbit of Saturn when the Japanese cycled through Malaya, and when Tunku Abdul Rahman was announcing Merdeka , I might have been somewhere close to the moon. And finally on earth in 1982 , 27 years after Merdeka, a year after Bob Marley’s death, and 9 years before Freddie Mercury’s. BUT……like you my friend, I have learnt a way lot from history about this nation, whether it was from the school text books or eitherwise.
I believe, TRUE history is important for such a young nation like Malaysia. Bitter , sweet, corny, funny or quirky, WE as nations need to know and learn the truth. To be spoonfed with something unreal or may I, ‘MADE’ is similar to this term called ‘propaganda’. Certain things are made or created just for the sake of rendering its target to buy in and believe whatever the propaganda is suppose to mean. That’s why I call it FAKE. A buttercake does not need and extra layer of cake, the same way this country does not need to be REbranded just to ‘shed’ a new light on it. Think Hitler, think Saddam Hussein, think Kim Jong-il and Chairman Mao.. Boy did their communications and PR managers did a great job! Well, almost.
Butter cake analogy
Tell me what happens to a horrible burnt cake, (butter cake if you wish), ..? Would you add cream on top of it and claim that this is THE cake to have..? I would simply admit that the cake is horrible, and something has got to be done so that it will taste better, have a nicer texture so that in the long run, my mum will ask me to bake more butter cake for my relatives. I think of the long run or else, nobody would want my butter cake! It looks quiet appealing from the outside, but once you get a taste of it,you will know something has gotta be done.
Of nation trust
The same way this country have been subjected to many faceliftings ‘to show’ to its people and world that we are a peaceful, loving and okay country. Generally, pada pandangan mata kasar it looks like it is okay. Magnify it by a couple of times,you can detect there are loop holes here and there. Scoping each of these loop holes will only bring you to discover other loop holes. My point is,even if this country is generally deemed and seem peaceful, with years spent appreciating this invaluable blessing and achievement, would it be ethically correct to believe in something which is not true anymore..? Or rather partially true?
This goes on to trickle down to the nation’s trust and faith of this country. Is it the same as before? Worse than before? Disguised, masked and redecorated to hide those hideous scars and fangs…
E!
Let me share my little own dramatical thoughts.. I feel like this nation is turning into a little Hollywood, where imaginations come true, sometimes to good to be true. There are a wayyy lot of E! entertainment which goes on off screen. Make-belief seem so true it’s hard to tell between the two. But when you get knocked to your sense and realize, hey it’s La-La land, then you will realize there need a lot of thinking to be done.
Achievements of the past and current are appreciated and should be carried forward especially those which have brought much positivity. Where as those things which didn’t exactly go according to plan, can be studied why it didn’t work. Easier said than done. Again, my little opinion and peek of this hard knock’s life…. It is CHANGE which some of us are afraid of. Even if the change of for the good and best. Malaysians being Malaysians, from the lowest to the highest of the so-called hierarchy, we are at times afraid of change. Too risky we say. But is it not risky to let the tower of success, happiness and peacefulness built by our forefathers which have transcended to the current generation sway and crumble to the ground..?
Bangun!
Come on fellow Malaysians. Wake up. We are a matured and understanding and loving people. We don’t want our peacefulness to change. We want more of it. We want to sincerely believe in this country. We don’t want to shouted to the ears and blinded the ads on TV, posters and every corner that we go which ‘tells’ us what are we. I don’t want to be rebranded. I don’t want to associate myself with any brands. I feel its fake. I feel it’s fad which does not have a permanent seat in my heart. The name of the country which is so beloved to me has no punctuation , plural or even any single numerical form attached to it. Just and pure MALAYSIA. The name stand on its own.
We should stand from within. Whatever internally motivated , triggered and enhanced last longer if not forever. You can’t paint love, but I can certainly feel your love. Coating are not meant to last. They’ll dry, crack and flake sooner or later. Again, I bid you to wake up dear Malaysians. If you think history is not important, then we are in trouble. Our children, and our children’s children should be educated with the country’s rich and colorful past. Not just the recent past, but the past, past. I can’t stand how the national curriculum have ‘changed’ in the recent years…and how ‘Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah’ only depicts what went on the past ’20’ years only.
And even if your child goes to a fancy international school where they learn British history, and none of this country’s history,(adding the fact that these kids don’t sing ‘Negaraku’ because it’s an international school’ that doesn’t give YOU as parents the right to take away their right and priviledge of being a patriotic Malaysian. It is a shame to be asked later on when they go to college or uni ABROAD to sing Negaraku and not knowing it. That’s the most basic of patriotism. I SO remember those years when the slogan ‘Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa’ takes the front sit in every ad and radio wave. I wonder what happened to that. Some of us are proud that our kids know less Bahasa Malaysia that we do French !
So where does our patriotism lies.. ? It’s so not 1990 it’ll be foolish for you to think it lies on waving the Jalur Gemilang. It lies within. That every step you take as a Malaysian. Not proud to be one because there ‘are no reasons’ to..? Many have walked away. Disappointed. I’m just touching the surface here. People are leaving this country and our leaders better get their acts together why this is happening. Why are our children not coming back to serve the country..? There are so many whys left unanswered. Instead millions of tax payers money are spent on campaigns.
Studies
I believe that the $$ should be channeled instead to deep and politically-free study of how much and how exactly are we satisfied as a nation and country. Only then further study and analysis can be done to understand this situation instead of rewinding over and over again that we are ONE. It is not as if we were not united. We were and we are. If not, ehy..? But I don’t believe ONEness is the case here. I don’t believe MERELY with this slogan it can Heal this country. There are so many things which needs to be looked at. 1 by 1. I don’t think all leaders know everything. What about the educated professionals..? I believe they are more than willing and eager to express their patriotism through studies and analysis which will benefit the nation!
Story of the bystander
I am Malaysian. I know my rights as a citizen. I may be not even 30. I may not be a leader, but I am a free citizen who abides by the country’s law. And I believe that just a notch above law are values and belief. Laws are built upon values and belief. Just like religion. Hence ‘Percaya Kepada Tuhan’ first. If I didn’t do any wrong, I do not deserve any punishment. Imagine a mere bystander who was ‘witnessing’ the Bersih parade. Big red trucks and men in dark blue uniforms come charging towards thousands of unarmed demonstrators. Demonstrators scurry. All of them. Tne bystander stood still. Unmoved. Unshaken. Why run..? Did the bystander do anything wrong.. ?
No… Was the bystander afraid of the men in the dark uniform..? He** no. Why afraid..? Another man in another dark blue uniform with three stars decked on each of his uniform shoulder pad approached the bystander asking the person to leave. Why?? Ask the bystander innocently. Man in uniform said bystander is disturbing the peace process. Bystander said, hello mister officer, I am standing here. I am not changing Malaysia just by standing here. Look next to me, there are other people here who are also onlookers. Unsatisfied, man in uniform asked again ‘Are you a Bersih supporter?’. Bystander said, ‘No I am not’. Man uniform ask the bystander to leave or else risk being arrested. Bystanders hesitates and talks to the officer, ‘Encik, tengok langit tu, tengok bumi Malaysia ni, ada saya buat apa-apa salah? Ada saya mengubah Malaysia dengan berdiri di sini?? Tengok situ, ramai lagi yang tengok(the rally). Kami tak buat kacau( the demonstrators didn’t either). So,apa hak nak ganggu atau tahan saya??”. Bystander was provoked earlier on by an un-uniformed officer to go away, and being asked provokingly ‘Nak kena tahan ke??’ while marching towards the innocent bystander. Is this what we call ‘protector’ of the people? Policeman, fed and funded by the taxpayer’s money only to scare and harm the people ? Oh Lord, is this what we call a peaceful country? WHAT is wrong with the country…?
Great Pretender
Or are we just the greatest pretender of them all..? Exactly how The Platters and Queen sang it.. Malaysians are not children. We have grown as a nation. We became stronger and closer as a Malaysian. For this exact bit of ‘closer’ as a Malaysian, I reserve all the rights to say and claim it because I have friends and kenalan from all walks of life. I mix with them, I chat with them, I go for drinks and makan with them, I don’t hesitate even for a second WHAT or WHO they are. I go for sports meet with them. Train and run with them. There’s Ezer, Raymond, there’s Suzanna de Cruz and Fiona Anne, there’s Lim Ee-Van, Nurulhuda, Adni, Geoff, Phyllis Loke, Karen Loh. I tell you, the best community I have ever met. Sports surpasses us all. There is no harmbeing proud of one’s race or religion and standing for it as all of these promotes unity and peace. Race and religion compliments each other and should be used to make us more compatible and acceptable to each other. Just as proven by the amateur sports community here in Malaysia.
Truth is….
I think I am drained of words, lying down and typing these paragraphs on the not-so-big screen of my iPhone at 2.30 in the morning . I love this country and I mean this through and through. Peace. Selamat Hari Merdeka.
missJeweLz
missJewelz 
nicely written. 🙂 i did not know you are not 30 yet!