Patriotism Revisited

ARCHIVES 2010

By admin-s On Sep 3, 2010

Going by the spectre of racial-slurs, inflammatory and venomous rhetoric of political leaders and many an important people, least expected of course would be head of schools, the nation stood numbed to be thinking of what lies ahead of them and their progeny.

By Dr. Dzul

I did not want to write anything on the 53^rd Merdeka Day this year. For the more discerning section of the rakyat, the spate of events that preceded it spoke for itself. But with the 16^th September Malaysia Day drawing close, it doesn’t benefit anyone to remain under self-imposed gag-order. This writer is back on his combative engaging mood as to share his 2-cent worth of his grey matter.

Despite all efforts of show-casing the Merdeka Celebration as a ‘burst of patriotism, a sight to behold and a moment to cherish’ by the BN-mainstream media, many wouldn’t disagree that it was a phenomenon that didn’t go beyond the confine of the walls of Stadium Putra in Bukit Jalil. Very sad indeed it was.

Its absence was even more visible nationwide and it doesn’t take much convincing to arrive to that conclusion either. But the fundamental question to address is why?

What has become of the patriotism of the entire citizenry you may like to ask?

Why are we no longer willing to voluntarily and spontaneously express and exhibit our love for our nation, support and defend its cause with devotion? Isn’t that the universal defining criterion of a patriot? Has it been become obsolete for now? No! Is it still valid? Yes! But why aren’t we capable of showing all this anymore? Why has it gone stale, if not entirely dead?

The answers to these million ringgit questions lie in the very line of the questions themselves. The state of voluntarism and spontaneity in expressing love and devotion for the nation has a lot to do with one’s conviction. One’s conviction in turn defines one’s attitude and invariably value-judgment. You couldn’t impose and compel perception, much less conviction on others. Compulsion is very much against the nature of love and devotion. Compulsion breeds hypocrisy, the anti-thesis of true love and a disease that betrays devotion.

Lest that the writer be misunderstood let it be made clear that he is not demanding that patriotism be revisited but more importantly contextualised. It is a timeless moral imperative worthy of embodiment. What remains debatable and the bone of contention is how to express and exhibit patriotism specific to one’s political and historical context.

Historically, the challenge of achieving independence from the colonial British had rallied and galvanised the nation from all walks of life and ideological persuasions. Despite their diversity the founding fathers and their generation strived and heavily sacrificed their all to attain independence in their respective ways. It was perhaps patriotism at its best.

Five decades later, the symbolism has been reduced to flag-waving of the Jalur-Gemilang and episodically parading of our youths and uniformed security forces demonstrating discipline and resolve to defend the country. Quite evidently, this symbolism of post-colonial era could no longer withhold the nation together much to disgust of our leaders. Needless to say, Patriotism is surely more than flag-flying at places of business, in house compounds and on motor vehicles.

The nation is now in a severe state of despondency, and embattled with unending crisis, it is in dire need of rejuvenating its concept and embodiment of patriotism. Not only has it to grapple with the ever challenging global economy and its uncertainties, the systemic rot as a result of subversion of all critical institutions exacerbated the nation’s decline in competitiveness.

The grim and gloomy outlook seems never ending. What the rakyat never seemed to understand is why the endemic corruption and leakages continue unabated. And why, despite the many high-sounding mantras of inclusivity and market-friendly approaches of the PM, is the nation still beholden to a ‘affirmative policy’ that eventually only favours a few business elites well-connected to the power-that-be. Why the divide of the have and the have-little is yawning further post NEP?

As if that wasn’t enough to keep the rakyat in a beleaguered state, the BN-leaders under the premiership of Najib seems least concern if this country is to be torn apart by the spate of race-hate politics that it seems to endear.

As we celebrate this auspicious anniversary, we seemed mired in increasingly rabid and insulting racism, which greatly threatens our already flimsy unity and precarious contrasting diversity.