The merdeka anniversary and Malaysia day have been combined. We celebrate both tomorrow September 16, 2011. How joyously, we'll know tonight and tomorrow.
For about a month the Minister of Information, Culture and Heritage had been exhorting Malaysians through the radio and TV to fly the Jalur Gemilang. Response? See and judge for yourself. I for one don't like to be exhorted or psyched into doing something which should be done through a sense of responsibilty and pride. You don't inculcate or evoke such feeling through exhortstion. In fact some people consciously refrain from doing something when pressured to do so.
I wonder why Malaysians in the peninsular had been so unenthusiastic about flying the Jalur Gemilang in the past.? Only a few cars and some buildings and houses are doiing so. In fact I see the rural people flying the flag more enthusiastically than those in the urban centers.
(As for Sabah and Sarawak we will only know how they respond to the occasion tomorow). Is it because they don't share the feeling of pride and joy on the anniversary day of Merdeka or they are too busy celebrating it in some other ways which the flag doesn't in any way enhance orcontribute to? Whatever the reason is, it surely cannot be that they do not love the country which had given them the peace and prosperity that they now enjoy. Unless they are the most ungrateful type of human species on earth!
I would rather think that the reluctance or indifference is due to some unhappiness about the way things are in thus country. The unhappiness is not strong enough to bring people out onto the street to protest but also not petty enough be ignored and forgiven. Thus the people show their disapproval in the mildest manner possibke by flouting some simple things that the government asks them to do. It's more like a refusal of a baby or a child to take his or her milk becase the parents failed to give them something that they want. Yes, it's a childish act but it does bother the loving parents and sometimes forces them to to fulfil the whims and fancies of the child. It's one of the ways of getting bsck at those who love you.
When it comes to the question of showing our gratitude to the government, a reluctance to do so can often take the form of a lack of love for the country. " I love the conntry but I don't like the way my child is punished by the school", can be an example of such confused reaction. It is this kind of confused thinking that often led us to doing somthing that can put the nation to shame. It's like the saying: cut the nose to spte the face. It ends up with our face -the Malaysian face - being distorted.
I think there are many other things which Malaysians do as a result ofbthis confusec thinking. Some Malaysians resort to litering the streets as a prWotest against the action of the City or Town Council which they don't like. Some resort to writing foul words on prominent wall surfaces - writing graffeti. Other serious forms include destroying public property - vandalusm. - and throwing paints on cars, even perhaps throwing acid on the handsome and beautiful faces of people just because your face is not. This lstter action is of corse more a matter of mental sickness, paranoia or an advanced hatred of humanity. Such an advanced hatred against the community would produce the psychopaths while an advanced hatred against the nation would produce traitors and terrorists.
So, on the eve of our national celebration day, let's take stock of the possiible implications of the reluctancemor refusal to fly the national flag - the Jalur Gemilang. The scarcity of the national symbol being waved around or flying proudly from the windows and the roofs of prominent buildings, may be symptomatic of something amiss in the nation. Don't just exhort the people to fly the flag. Find out what is amiss.
7 comments:
I make it a point to drop at the news agent daily, as and when I feel like driving a couple of km. I do not buy a paper, any paper, that has a front page glorifying something, ranging from dogs to pictures of those I detest, men and women. And there are so many of them across the party lines.
So do I care for Merdeka? This afternoon a new Form 4 pupil (who has just been admitted into the orphanage nearby) joined my tuition class. My policy is to accept any orphans who want to join my tuition class.
'Saya tak pernah lulus bahasa Inggeris Pakcik.' True enough he had 'E' in English for his UPSR as well as PMR exams.
'Betul betul hendak belajar kalau Pakcik tolog?' Tanpa ragu ragu she said 'Ya,' That is good enough an undertaking until it proves othrwise later. I gave her three exercise books to start with.
But what did it vibrate in my heart? " What the bloody hell the schools and teachers have done for this orphan, whose single mother is now working as an assistant gardener for RM 500/- pm working on a six-day basis per week?"
Would this 16-year old girl care and celebrate the great Merdeka of our super nation with celebrated PhD's and dato's and Tan Sri's? I care for her and now I have, for the first time in the history of Almanar, about EIGHTY of them!
Selamat maju jaya Akhi Norzah.
I fully appreciate your feelings and sentiments, AkhiPakcik Hassan Al-Manar, and congratulate you for receiving the trust of so many problem students. As i said our sentiment against something not right in the way the govt does its work should not be confused with our love for the country, which i believe remains intact no matter what happens. I love the hills, the rivers, the forest and the trees, the seas, the birds and the bees in our country which Allah has bestowed on us. What the people do to themselves is their concern and I refrain from passing any judgement. Let Allah do that after they, including me, return to Him. salam hormat.
Akhi,
Rais Yatim had in the past pampered the people by giving free flags. The same was expected this year but since the Govt is almost bankrupt so no more free flags. Our people had been spoilt to the core and expect nothing short of free flags every year. It is a sad day when one can afford to dine in a 5 Star joint but could not spare less than ten ringgit for a flag.
That's probably why we don't see too many of the flags on cars and buildings this year, Akhi. It's already a sad day if people who can afford to spend Rm 60-80 per person for lunch or dinner at luxurious hotels would not cough up a few rimggit for the flag. It's even worse if they would not fly the flag when given free. Some have gone to the extreme and make fun of the flag. Perhaps the Japanese way of making people respect the flsg should be adopted.
Akhi,
I endorse your closing sentence.Our people simply behave in a manner that does not portray a Nation born from the Colonial yoke and some idiots are claiming that we were never colonized. Unless they are deprived of the basic needs then they just could not give a damn for being where we are today if not for the struggles of our founding fathers. Hence the lackadaisical attitude with flying the flag.
My greatest fear is that the lackdaisical attitude towards flying the flag is symptomatic of something deeper and more serious, like disrespect for the national leadership. Why, we all know that politics can be bought. What about the politicians? Hope my fear is groundless but if true, you know where political power will really lie.
My greatest fear is that the lackdaisical attitude towards flying the flag is symptomatic of something deeper and more serious, like disrespect for the national leadership. Why, we all know that politics can be bought. What about the politicians? Hope my fear is groundless but if true, you know where political power will really lie.
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