52nd Anniversary of Independence -2009

Though the 52nd anniversary of Independence was celebrated with pomp and ceremony at Dataran Parliament , it was more a show for the dignitaries. The rakyat in general seemed indifferent, unspirited and in some cases cynical, judging from the very few national flags flying on cars and buildings around the country. There was no merdeka parade, motorcade, concert, firework display, or open celebration for the rakyat to get involved in.

Isn't this a real anticlimax? Yes, blame it on the H1N1 pandemic, on the global economic downturn, on the financial difficulties faced by the nation, bulan Ramadhan, etc. But the rakyat are certainly more concerned with the political crises, the corruption charges levelled at some high-level national leaders and public officials, the scandals involving billions of ringgit, alleged immoral or unethical behaviors among prominent people etc, and the increasing rate of brutal crimes in the nation.

There definitely are enough reasons for Malaysians to feel dispirited, despondent and even devastated by certain aspects of the local scence - even after a change in political leadership and a hectic 100 days of primiership by Datuk Najib. He certainly has made some bold changes by introducing new measures to push the nation towards faster progress. But not all the new measures received nationwide support. One result is that it sparked off a lot of racial issues, causing serious tensions and endangering national unity in general. Like UMNO, MCA and MIC are now embroiled in power strugles and charges of corruption. MACC, the instrument designed to check corruption is now alledged to have become a weapon used to terrorize the opposition.

The rakyat seemed very unsettled and unhappy about many things, especially the leakage of the country's wealth to the power weilders. The country is very rich but has no money to even hold a fitting merdeka aniversary celebration for the rakyat. The cost of living continues to rise while the economic pick up is very slow. When are the KPI indicators forthcoming to show that all the worries of the rakyat are unfounded and that the nation is indeed doing well? Or will they just confirm the obvious?