MERDEKA
by
K. Siladass
On
31st August 2017, the Federation of Malaya will be celebrating its
sixtieth birthday. I recall the promises made by the founding fathers of
Malaya. UMNO-MCA-MIC had promised that life will not be the same after 31
August 1957. The shame of colonialism will come to an end. All Malayans will be
free, and Malaya will be a country of freedom-yes, freedom of expression,
freedom of thought, freedom of worship and freedom from want. We are equals and
will be treated equally. UMNO, the senior partner of the erstwhile Alliance
convinced the leaders of MCA and MIC that it could be trusted, and those
leaders convinced their respective peoples that UMNO could be trusted. We will
not be slaves anymore. We will not allow any force in this world to enslave us
and that was what Alliance promised us.
We
were assured that Malaya shall be secular, notwithstanding article 3 of the
Federal Constitution, which says Islam shall be the religion of the Federation
of Malaya;and all other religions could co-exist, and practised without any
hindrance. And we were also told that Malaya is the home for all Malayans.
Conditions will be created to foster Malayan identity, friendship and
camaraderie.
We
grew up believing of a better future. We loved the friendliness, and the
concern of each and every one for the other,never letting race and religion to cloud
the natural human feelings. We were told, and warned, that race and religious
sentiments are of protean character capable of acquiring different forms and be
the source of endless problems and painful consequences, but in Malaya there
will be no room for racial and religious hegemony. The people of different
faiths and ethnicity are more important and need to be understood and respected,
rather than the destructive bigotry. Malaya shall be the experimental station
to coalesce the different peoples of different ethnic origins and distinct
faiths to carve out the Malayan identity.
The
Malays, Chinese and Indians, of different faiths had lived in peace and
harmony, nurtured and incubated goodwill long before Merdeka, although not on strong
foundation; it was fragile, yet it showed its endurance. The colonialist did
not see it necessary to strengthen inter-racial, inter-religious harmony. For
them the best policy was divide and rule. On 31st August 1957, we believed
that we had seen the back of the doctrine of divide and rule. No! It was not to
be. In a different form, under the cloak of nationalism and new found political
power, divide and rule has been revived.
We
were then told that to dispel communist-threat we should enter into an
arrangement termed “merger”; which would create Malaysia. We were told that the
basis of the constitution of the Federation of Malaya would be useful. It was
modern, having moulded along the experiences of United States of America and
the Republic of India. Freedom, equality before the law, freedom of worship,
independence of judiciary were all guaranteed and incorporated into the Federal
Constitution of Malaysia.
We
were a new nation, we have new brethren with whom we could share our destiny,
our inspirations and aspirations. We will be rid of communists and with it every
form of violence. We were to be a society of intellectuals believing in
parliamentary democracy sharing lofty ideas of freedom and equality spelt out,
and guaranteed in the Constitution. We had courts to adjudicate disputes that
may arise from time. The judiciary will serve as the bastion of justice and all
the rights enshrined in the Constitution.
The
founding fathers one by one left the scene, immortalised in history and the
assurances they gave seemed to have fossilized in memory. The concept of racial
and religious harmony was threatened and systematically eroded by non-compromising
dogmatic and racial ideas so strange to Malaysians of the sixties. Somehow, the
concept of racial harmony and religious tolerance appear to have wavered and
the pragmatic, broad-minded Malaysianswere rapidly losing ground: and had indeed
lost ground.
Now,
after sixty years what do I see? I see a country that had lost its original,
noble ambitions. It had lost its honour to compete in the international scene,it
had become the home of corrupt politicians who are at the helm of power.
Corruption is at its height, independence of the judiciary is questioned,
country’s economy is ailing, the value of our currency has nosedived;we are now
cultivating the culture of blame – eg. blame everybody except us, traditional
entrepreneurs are beginning to abandon Malaysia thinking that the country is no
longer safe for investment. The greed of corrupt politicians to grab all lucrative
businesses is there for all to see.
We
fought against South Africa’s apartheid policy but now a new form of apartheid
is beginning to show its ugliness in the name of religion in our country.
I
have seen British Malaya, Federation of Malaya and Malaysia and also had read
about Malayan Union: I have seen the friendship among the peoples of different
ethnic origins, we disagreed but found unity in disagreement. We believed we
can live as one nation, but we are now told that classification based on class
superiority is inevitable. Equality, freedom, judicial independence are what those
in power determine. The leaders believe that our memory is short and we have
the forgiving tendency. So why bother? The people will be with us, so declare
the arrogant leadership. When their positions were threatened they resort to
undemocratic means suppressing the voice of the accusers.
This
is not the Malaya, or Malaysia our ancestors dreamt of, worked for and who are
now immortalised in history. Where are we heading?Has Malaysia become a haven
for the corrupt? Or has it become a rudderless country? Has it lost its
conscience? Has it lost its place in the world of rational ideas? All these
questions stare at us. Can Malaysia get out of this rut? That is the question
that torments every fair-minded Malaysian? They know Malaysia can only survive
if it can get rid of bigotry of every kind, it has to distance itself from
every form of corruption, it has to have leaders who are incorruptible, honest
and who believe that Malaysia is the home for all its people, of this
generation and of the generations to come. Leaders have to be honest, sincere,
efficient and incorruptible. We need leaders who speak with sincerity, not with
honey on the lips and venom in the hearts.
We
can still save Malaysia and all the noble ideas it stood for provided the
corrupt leaders are deprived of power. Who then can save Malaysia? Who else?
Except the people. M E
R D E
K A.
Dated: 22.08.2017
Dated: 22.08.2017
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