Tuesday, August 27, 2013

To Love or Not to Love the Country?

I guess from the title of this write-up, you'd prolly know where I got the inspiration for my title from. 

Today, the issue of "whether we should Negaraku in cinemas" was a highlight in the news. Questionable? The practice of a six-minute clip comprising of our National Anthem, "Negaraku" and two patriotic movie clips being played before all movies in the cinema starts; will be launched from next Wednesday onwards. And noted that action will be taken towards any form of disrespect shown towards the national anthem. 

So, the real question is, will the singing the national anthem make the people love Malaysia more? Or perhaps, make their hearts harden beyond than it already is?

The thing is, people are questioning if the government is actually trying to make an effort to make sure that the people 'LOVE' their country. The answer to that of course, remains... Abstract? 

So I read the online version of the news. People blame the government for corruption, crime, religious tension, education and current inflation in the country. Yes, to certain extend, I belief that the trust of the people have been stripped since a long time ago. They lost their rights towards having a democratic and free country as our ancestors once did. I understand the anger that the people hold in their hearts. 
For such reasons, we turn against every single thing the government says. The Chinese, were pointed at by our current Prime Minister, Najib to return to our origin; China, after the past elections due to 'being ungrateful'. The truth is, we know so much that all WE as Malaysians, inclusive or Malay, Indians or other ethnics in this country, were purely fighting the road to JUSTICE. The issue regarding the usage of 'Allah' in Christian religion is now barred in Malaysia. The gun shooting as Dr. Mahathir stated, happened because, "if one is given too much freedom, they would abuse that freedom." 

Through this, we can see that freedom in religion has been taken away, racism was brought up as a blame by leaders of the country. As such, the hearts of the people continue to be hardened. More people are migrating out of the country because their rights are denied. Despite all these, the government seem to be implementing practices that make the public despise them even more than before. 

I have watched students with perfect STPM score, lose their right to receiving tertiary education from local universities. I too, have seen how corruption took its foothold within our country. 

Despite all that, I managed to witness how the people of our country stood together as one after the election this year. For justice, everyone marched to Stadiums all over the country to stand together as ONE voice. From there, I then understood the true meaning of being a Malaysian. Yes, I may be born with Chinese blood. I carry the Chinese surname of generations before me. But deep within, I'm not all together Chinese-Chinese. I have mixtures in my blood, from Dutch, to Thai, to Malay, and Chinese. As my lecturer once said.."We are ALL cultural bastards!" I agree to his statement. I can no longer trace my origins. When I leave the country for holidays, I don't label myself as a Chinese from China. I call myself a Malaysian.

And yes, no matter how ruined our country may seem right now, I believe that this shouldn't make the love for our country decrease. In four days time, we celebrate our 56th year of freedom from foreign hands. Our country was once divided. Sometimes, I still see division despite the 56 years of national freedom. However, I believe too, that unity does exist among the citizens of Malaysia. 

In my opinion, I think the true road to freedom begins from within ourselves. No matter how much we may be robbed from the outside in terms of finance and trust, that doesn't rob the freedom of us to being Malaysian first. That doesn't stop us from holding unity in our hearts; maintaining love for this country.

Yes, I may not like what I read in the news regarding the ruling of our country. But, I know this much to say... An injustice government does NOT alter the amount of love towards my country. Our country is unique, rich in resources, full of multi-cultures. No matter how far I may go, Malaysia will always be my home.

What I'm really trying to say is, don't let circumstances around you, cause the love for our country to decrease. Malaysia is a beautiful country. Don't let our internal love towards Malaysia die because of the mistakes of others.

P/s: This is just a personal message from me in conjunction with our National Day. xoxo