Last August, I commented that the 65th National Day was diametrically different from the National Day in the previous two years of 2020 and 2021 — as there was hope and anticipation in 2022 instead of black despair and a sense of hopelessness in 2020 and 2021.
In 2020 was the first National Day after the greatest political betrayal in the nation’s history when the Sheraton Move political conspiracy toppled the Pakatan Harapan government and shortened its rule from a mandate for five years to 22 months.
In 2021, the National Day was also subdued with the toppling of the Muhyiddin government and the beginning of Ismail Sabri premiership.
In both years, the National Day celebrations took place under the cloud of the world-wide Covid-19 pandemic, with Malaysia as one of the worst performers among the countries in the world with Malaysia’s ranking in the Bloomberg Covid Resilience Index tumbling from 16th place in January 2021 to 52nd ranking in July 2021 and Malaysia falling from a world ranking of No. 85 in November 2020 among countries with the most daily number of Covid-19 cases and overtook 59 countries as we are now ranked No. 26 with nearly 5 million Covid-19 cases and over 36,000 Covid-19 deaths.
But there was hope last August when for the previous 30 months there was black despair that the promise of spring-time of reform when UMNO-BN political hegemony was ended in the 14th General Election on May 9, 2018 was completely wasted, but the 65th National Day was the time for Malaysians to hope again that Malaysia can be saved from becoming a kleptocracy, kakistocracy, a failed, and rogue state, and that it was possible to hope again that Malaysia could fulfil Bapa Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman’s aspiration to be “a beacon of light to a difficult and distracted world”.
In the 66th National Day tomorrow, this hope and anticipation can continue.
Pulai and Simpang Jeram by-elections are now in the frontline to save Malaysia by ending the irresponsible attempts of political forces to create polarisation among the diverse races and religions in plural Malaysia and to prevent Malaysia from rising up again to become a great world-class nation
May 9, 2018 will go down in Malaysian history as an important date but it was the first step in a long struggle for change and reform.
Malaysians who had toiled from all over the world in the Malaysian Diaspora in the 14th General Election to ensure that their votes were counted in the 2018 political miracle but every Malaysian inside and outside the county must dare to continue to dream the Malaysian Dream.
There are desperate forces trying to prevent the country from returning to the original nation-building principles and policies as enshrined in the Constitution and Rukun Negara — constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy, separation of powers, rule of law, good governance, public integrity, meritocracy, respect for human rights, and national unity from our multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious, and multi-cultural diversity where there are no first-class and second-class citizens whether based on race, religion or region.
But the battle is not lost.
In the last nine months, the Anwar unity government has been valiant attempts for Malaysia to rise up again and to become a great world-class nation.
Mistakes had been made and it is not possible under the political situation to carry out to far-reaching political changes and institutional reforms.
The Anwar unity government needs four more years of political stability and national unity for Malaysia to rise up again to become a great world-class nation, and Pulai and Simpang Jeram by-elections must provide strong support for the additional four years for Malaysia to rise up again to become a great world-class nation.
(Media Statement by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang Penang on Tuesday, 30th August 2023)
