While wishing Malaysia “Happy Birthday”…

ARCHIVES 2013

By admin-s On Sep 15, 2013

Do we want a Malaysia which is “is truly worthy of the aims and hopes we have shared” or a Malaysia with endless hatred, bigotry, bickering and fractiousness?

Art Harun, TMI

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr, among others, led a civil rights march on Washington for “jobs and freedom”. There, he delivered his famous “I have a dream” speech, saying he was there to “cash a cheque” for “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

He spoke of an America where his children “will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character”.

He concluded: “And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last’.”

Nineteen days later, our father of independence, Tunku Abdul Rahman, stood before a nation and said: “Now finally, the peoples of Malaysia are celebrating the establishment of Malaysia. This is the time to think earnestly and hopefully on the future of Malaysia as the whole country resounds with joy.

“So I pray that God may bless the nation of Malaysia with eternal peace and happiness for our people.

“The Federation of Malaya now passes into history. Let us always remember that the Malayan Nation was formed after many difficulties during a long period of national Emergency, yet its multi-racial society emerged, endured and survived as a successful and progressive nation, a true democracy and an example to the world of harmony and tolerance.

“As it was with Malaya, so it can be with Malaysia. With trust in Almighty God, unity of purpose and faith in ourselves, we can make Malaysia a land of prosperity and peace.

“In doing so, let every Malaysian in all the States of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah ensure that our Malaysia is truly worthy of the aims and hopes we have shared, the trials and stress, we have endured, in working together to achieve our common destiny.

“MERDEKA! MALAYSIA!”

Both of them were great men. Both shared a dream. While King dreamed of a day “when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands”, the Tunku recognised that Malaysia’s “multi-racial society emerged, endured and survived as a successful and progressive nation” and he wished for a Malaysia that “is truly worthy of the aims and hopes we have shared”.

Fifty years on and now America has a black president. Unfortunately, Malaysia is still grappling with the “ownership” of the word “Allah”; which race should get more or less; which institute of higher learning should be restricted to which race; who should be empowered to determine the religion of a child and the likes.

We should not, however, forget that Malaysia is only 50 years old while America is 237 years old. In terms of nation-states, Malaysia is but a small kid in pre-school.

The greatness of any country is not measured by the absence of crisis but, in my opinion, by how the country rises from a crisis to become better, stronger and wiser.