AUGUST 31 — On October 31, 1957 Malaysia was declared independent from British colonial rule. This day marked the beginning of our journey as a sovereign nation to move forward and achieve what every country deserves: Prosperity, peace and happiness.
However, independence needs to be understood and embraced from a more holistic perspective. It is not merely the idea of being physically and manifestly liberated from a dominating foreign power, rather our collective ability to think independently and express ourselves, strategize, plan and implement nation-building agendas without any external pressure or manipulation. It is of extreme importance to ensure that in all our efforts and civic engagement, the interest of Malaysia and its people are put first before anything else. If this cannot be guaranteed and we still have to succumb to the demands of bigger powers at the expense of Malaysia, our independence will an illusion.
More importantly, the true spirit of independence or emancipation has to be incorporated into our daily lives. Chanting slogans and performing some Independence Day rituals do not make us free individuals in a true sense. What we need to comprehend first is that no human can be fully emancipated until he knows what chains him. A human is imprisoned first within his own self, by his thoughts and desires.
To liberate our thoughts, we need to free our minds from the shackles of falsehood, indoctrination, malicious propaganda, biased media, and other forms of public discourse and influences. This can be realised by the following ways: First, the courage to question and see beyond our own prejudices, biases and assumptions; second, a critical way of thinking and analysing. To liberate ourselves from our desires, the first step is to exercise self-restraint and admit our human limitations. No matter how much progress we achieve or scientific discoveries we make, our knowledge is limited. For perfection only comes from God, it is imperative that we ultimately turn to Him and embrace righteous values.
As Malaysian citizens we need to reconnect ourselves to the purpose of creation and our role on earth, to uphold justice and truth, to develop our land in the best manner, to build a civilization free from evil and corruption and to promote peace and spread happiness. These tasks are not possible without some essential elements, the most important one being love.
Love for truth should drive us to uphold justice even at the expense of ourselves, love for others gives a sense of mutual respect and empathy among us, love for the country motivates us to work and contribute to the well-being of our nation and its people, and love for ourselves guards us against any self-harming behaviours and thoughts which may paralyse our mind and corrupt our hearts.
It is true that we Malaysians have gone through a lot of ups and downs. We have happily enjoyed the benefits of progress, and sadly witnessed heart-breaking turmoil which have negatively affected our friendship, unity and “Malaysian sentiment”. Regardless of all these, we still and will always have one common cause: To build a better Malaysia for all.
Let the power of love conquer our hatred and anger, the power of justice conquer falsehood, and the power of wisdom conquer bigotry and arrogance.
Happy Independence Day to all Malaysians!
* This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
