Merdeka!

"Tanggal tiga puluh satu, bulan lapan, lima puluh tujuh.." In a week of so, Malaysia will turn 48.

Merdeka Day has always been fun. It meant going out late to the padang to watch fireworks back home. It meant the insane traffic jam to get there. It meant joining hundreds, thousands of others jumping up and down, screaming Merdeka! Merdeka! at the top of our lungs.

I'm sure most of us jumped and screamed just for the heck of it. Hey, when you're young, being able to jump and scream in public is quite syok.

Merdeka Day meant staying overnight in school, polishing our (music) instruments. It meant waking to wash up in the school toilet at 4a.m. It meant Merdeka Day parade, a fantastic affair where hot Red Crescent chicks would march by your side in case you collapsed. You'd be tempted to faint, trust me, you would.

I can still remember remember the cold, I can still smell the Brasso. The sights and sounds are still vividly imprinted.

Getting slightly lame. Sorry. Better check myself.

I guess this post was provoked by something I read online. Ungrateful Malaysians giving stick, taking the piss outta the country.

I can't understand why some people hate Malaysia so much, I really can't. Don't you feel blessed in the tiniest way at all? Lucky, maybe just a little bit? I'd even take indifference in the place of spite.

Sit down and think hard. Has Malaysia given you nothing at all?

We grew up in relative peace and prosperity. I'm not going to launch into a be-grateful-you're-not-in-Gaza tirade, that's just unrealistic; but think about it.

We were never persecuted socially. Really. The whole education quota/Bumi discount policy will immediately spring to mind here. But really, what do you think can be done? We're barely fifty years old, radical changes (if they ever do take place) take time. What do you think is ideal? All the pro-Bumi benefits retracted suddenly?

That'll be a sight. Bid farewell to the steady racial/political climate that we've worked so hard to attain.

Education. You always hear of the poor little guy who gets shat on. He got thirty A1's and yet there's no placement anywhere for him. Follow up, please do. It always gets resolved. It might take an appeal to some political party and a guest appearance in a local newspaper, but it always gets resolved.

By the way, getting thousands of As doesn't really mean shit anyway. So you can memorise a textbook. Woohoo. No one owes you shit. And if you think someone owes you shit, you're likely not going to get any shit at all.

And do you seriously know of anyone who's stuck after high school? Like really stuck, and forced to rummage through the refuse to stay alive?

It doesn't happen. It doesn't.

And so what if things work a little different?

People complain about the police. You bitch about how they're soft. I don't think you'd have the same opinion if you're slapped with a RM350 fine everytime you fart at the wrong place. What's wrong with a chance to talk your way out of it? I personally think it's cool that you can talk shit to the policeman who stopped you for being on the phone while driving.

"Tolonglah tuan, saya pelajar, tak ada duit bayar lah".

It's just a minor offence, so what if he lets you off? It's not like you can bargain with him if you've just committed murder. We're alright when it counts, and that's what counts.

You say "Screw Malaysia, I'm leaving for country X". That's all really nice, but where do you think you made the money to buy for the plane ticket to wherever you're going? To settle down in the random country you picked?

And where do you think you picked up the education to be financially/socially-aware enough to mess with the idea of emigration?

I'm not judging anyone, nor am I condemning Malaysians who've left for somewhere else. There are many scenarios and many circumstances that can't be solved by one's love of one's country, that I'm not stupid enough to ignore.

I'm just talking about those type of people. You know? Ignorant fucks who know fuck all but enjoy condemning Malaysia just for the sake of it.

We're still a young country, and we're still weeding out the fuckheads. So if you want to leave, leave I say. We won't have you anyway.

What's wrong with a bit of colour? It might take hours to get anything done in a government office. But you don't see people sitting on their asses and doing nothing right? People are actually working, documents are actually being printed.

It just takes a long time cause the system is fucked, it's old. Are you doing anything about it? Are you helping? If not, shut the fuck up, sit down and wait your turn.

Maybe it's just the particular mood I'm in, but I really don't think these minor bumps are a problem at all. They are part and parcel of who Malaysia is, at least right now. Take away any of her eccentricities and you're left with a dark, dull place.

Do you get what I mean? I don't mind the minor annoyances. It's fine if everything doesn't work perfectly, clockwork-like. It's fine that the streets are somewhat dirty. If everything was so perfect, it wouldn't be a nation, it'd be a colourless, lifeless anthill. We have muhibbah, majmuk, toleransi, perpaduan. You think it's everywhere? You think it's so easy to find?

Spend some years of your life far away from home, in a totally alien culture, and see if you still feel the same way.

Nothing will change if we keep leaving. It's not that simple, I know. It's not always easy back home. I didn't even apply for placement in a local university, it just wasn't a viable/realistic option.

There's the issue of better recognition of degrees attained overseas. As with work, there's better opportunity, better pay, whatnot. Many are forced to leave the country to pursue what can't be pursued at home.

I don't think that even I, after professing my love for my country in this post, will work in Malaysia right after I graduate. Hypocrisy? I don't know. I love my country, but yet, if I can make loads and loads more somewhere else, how? Of course, right now I truly believe that one day I'll come home. But you never know what's going to happen.

What to do? I don't know. I don't hold the answers. Bloody hell I've gone on and on for so long I'm slightly confused already.

Bottomline is, happy 48th, Malaysia. You're like family. Even if your dad is quite the fuck, you can't help but love him, right?

And fuck it if you don't agree with me, it doesn't bother me none. If I want to wave the Jalur Gemilang while screaming Malaysia Boleh! at the top of my voice, that's my business, and I'll do as I please.

And it's not just for the heck of it either, I think the screaming has finally been infused with some meaning. This is me hoping the meaning gains strength over the years.

Happy Merdeka, people.

This entry was posted by tsh, on Tuesday, August 23, 2005. You can bitch back.