Saturday 28 August 2010

Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

Malaysia is about to celebrate its 53th Independence Day from the British coming 31st August 2010. It begs the question of whether the people are 'free' at this moment. This article is not about the political struggle which people are facing in the country today but it is more about the struggle for true independence.

Before the British left Malaysia for good, they gave us a written constitution and gave us instructions as to how to run the country. Bapa Malaysia was elected as the very first prime minister of Malaysia and he did very well throughout his service to the country and I do respect the man myself. I would put him to the same level as the good old Lord Denning whom I admire very much.

The rebuilding of the nation after independence was no easy task. We had to struggle against the communist at that time and trying to make a name in the world. We need 'businessman' who can 'advertise' Malaysia to the world. It was achieved during the tenancy of Tun Mahathir. He was the very first man to lead the nation to invent a Malaysian brand name. We then have 'Proton' and then slowly it became a common motor vehicle for many people until now. Many people had to buy Proton motor vehicles because it was the cheapest as the company received subsidies from the government. All imported cars would have to pay high imported tax to the government.

We then have Perodua which is the nation's second car manufacturer. Perodua is currently making headwave over the country and also globally. Their Myvi had good reviews, unlike the infamous Kelisa which was destroyed by Jeremy Clarkson in one of his episodes of 'Top Gear'. I think Jeremy was just trying to be funny, that is all. The Kelisa caters for budget conscious people like me. No doubt that it lacks many features but does it really matters? The car is not suitable for tall people and it does not have air condition, central locking and power windows (UK specification for the EXi). What is important is that the car is the cheapest brand new car in the UK (£4500)! Don't forget that the Kelisa is based on the Charade Curoe platform though. It might just implicate that the Charade Curoe is a lousy car too.

Fast forward fifty three years after independence. It is now 2010. What is the struggle of the people at the moment? One and only - freedom! Question is: Have we not been independent for 53 years? Why are we still looking forward to freedom at the moment? I will leave it to you. No matter what it is, we need to improve on our exports especially in the education sector. Our University of Malaya must improve on its standing in the world! We need to bring in more foreign investors. How can we achieve it then?

In the spirit of the nation as Malaysians, we stand up and shout... Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

2 comments:

EVA said...

Oh Please...I'm sure it was the greatest regret of Tunku as he died... We non malays would have been better off with the Jack Union and come to think of it, more independent and successful Malays would have been created becos of no spoon feed!

ぜるもう said...

Oh dear... Is it that bad, huh?