…//..Even more pertinent, are those in authority prepared to acknowledge that mistakes have been made in missing a golden opportunity, once-in-a-lifetime, to unite rather than polarize Malaysians or will such criticisms be dismissed as lacking in patriotism and love for Malaysia?…//…” – YB LKS.

Many amongst those in authority would acknowledge the mistakes – privately but would not rectify them. And why should they? What is good for their private interests is not good for the nation’s interests and vice versa.

Those in authority (whatever the race) – and their friends – have made lots of money from power or association with power. Personal and group vested interests take precedence over national interests.

To leverage on race and religion is a well tried and successful formula towards such an agenda.

It is so because amongst the larger population there are different races, and being multi-religious and multi cultural, have no common shared norms or even laws and plenty of mutual suspicions and feelings of separateness. These divisive tendencies can only be ameliorated and bridged by evolution and forging of common interests and goals amongst the populace.

However, the communal and ethnic based politics keep driving the racial and religious schisms and wedge deeper and things have gone the opposite way.

For so long as a public morality based on values of fair-play, equality of citizenry founded on unity of all Malaysians under the Bangsa Malaysia – and differentiated only on criteria of merits – and accountability of government in management of nation’s resources does not develop and take root, a corrupt government dividing instead of uniting the people will not be booted out and will always successively be returned to power by the ballot boxes.

The expression the people (or the majority thereof) always get the government they deserve reflects the corollary that a government is only as good, decent and moral as its citizens, or at least the significant section of them that keep voting it to power……… As a nation about to celebrate 50th Merdeka anniversary, it is good to remind ourselves that our greatest threat is internal, not external….

The threat lies in the lack of shame – indeed, on the contrary, much sense of pride and well being – in taking unfair advantage of situation for personal gain, unfair gain over others for personal security and enrichment, the expression “others” being reference to people of perceived lower socio-economic standing or lower educational level or of different race, religion or political creed who, being different, are hence not entitled to considerations of equal and fair treatment, compassion or respect.

The ruling politicians have not by their policies, nurtured a higher public morality amongst the people, it is on the contrary, the other way around so that the citizenry not having a higher public morality will keep on endorsing their brand of politics based on divisive criteria of race and religion and voting them back to power in a self feeding and endless cycle of self repetition.

So the Golden Merdeka Jubilee is rightly a BN Anniversary to commmorate its successful grip on power – no Opposition leaders or flags were featured at Ambang Merdeka and many participating were school children and personnel of organisations who have no say to opt out – but celebrated at huge public expense as a national one, if only to give a strong propaganda boost to the BN’s popularity in the imminent general election.

The symbolic and ceremonial importance of the Merdeka Golden Jubilee was supposed to give meaning to the cry of merdeka : of independence, nationhood based on constitution, unity and pride in success of the nation.

Meaning however cannot be evoked by words alone. It is subject to proof and benchmarked against deeds.

Is there a point on merdeka day to speak of the harmonious relations and contributions of all races when every other day we hear of how one community is entitled by the “social contract” to special privileges over the rest? Or that, according to MB from bastion of UMNO in Johore that there is no such thing as “Bangsa Malaysia”? Or that the constitution prescribes the nation as an Islamic state? Or that every act or word highlighting the mistake of governance becomes a sensitive and illegal or unpatriotic one deserving of punishment by full rigours of the law?

To be sure Malaysia has improved substantially in terms of living standards, education, wealth creation and even public facilities in the last 50 years but relative to the resources of the nation and the overtaking of her by other countries like Korea, Japan, Singapore etc, we’re at best a successful failure or a failing success depending on one’s point of view. Instead of Malaysia so far so good, it is actually so far not so bad and would get badder unless things change. That is the sentiment that has been the dampener on the celebrations.