TOMORROW, the nation will cele-brate its 46th anniversary as an independent nation. Within a period of just under half a century, Malaysia has gone through a lot of things — all of which contributed towards the maturity of the nation.
Within this short period the country has successfully transformed itself from a sleepy backwater British colony known for its tin into a dynamic, vibrant and examplary developing country. It used to be that the National Day celebration was commemorated only on Aug 31.
In the past few years, however, the commemoration of the nation’s Independence spans a month, between Aug 17 and Sept 16.
Many activities are conducted during this period — all with the intention of instilling national pride and rekindling past struggles. The post-Independence generation needs to be reminded of how things were during the colonial times, the Japanese Occupation as well as the Emergency. This generation today lives in a country which is a far cry from what it was before Independence.
The country has changed and developed for the better. It is this generation that is reaping the rewards of the labours of the preceding generation which had fought for the nation’s independence.
It is indeed a pity if today’s generation does not comprehend or appreciate what independence stands for. The last day of August is more than just a public holiday.
This very special day is more than just a day to simply celebrate without really knowing what the celebration is actually for. The celebration should be conducted in a manner befitting that of independence — not pure hedonism. It is imperative, especially for the post-Independence generation, to really understand, be aware of and be thankful for the gift of independence.
This gift of independence is from God as a result of the hard work and tireless efforts undertaken by countless people who came before us. It would indeed be a waste if their painstaking endeavour — oft-times accompanied by tears and blood — goes unnoticed by today’s generation.
When we say “understanding in-dependence”, it does not simply mean to utter the word “Merdeka”, rather, understanding independence requires us to realise the worth and importance of independence to the people. We need to ensure that the independence that we achieve is protected.
When we say “be aware of independence”, it goes beyond simply knowing when and where the National Day parade is taking place. One must be equally aware of the need to ensure that the future generation of the nation would also be able to live in an independent nation. Therefore, we should realise that there is still much to be done, in particular in ensuring that the nation would not fall victim to neocolonialisation, which is far more dangerous than military subjugation.
When we say “be thankful for our independence”, it is essential that we realise that it is not sufficient for us to only express joy and delight on Aug 31.
What is far more important is the need to express our gratitude to God for providing us with this gift of in-dependence.
As such, it is pertinent for us today to express our thanks to God as this invaluable and precious gift is not given to all nations. Unfortunately, many forget the need to be thankful and grateful for the independence that we have achieved. As stated in verse 243 of Surah al-Baqarah (in the Quran), God says to the effect that: “For God is full of bounty to mankind, but most of them are ungrateful”.
How then do we show our gratitude for the independence that we now benefit from? Surely there are many ways for us — in particular, the younger generation — could manifest our gratitude.
For one, the post-Independence generation must always ensure that the independence that has been achieved 46 years ago is safeguarded and preserved.
As much as we enjoy being independent today, we must remember that it is our duty to guarantee that the future generations would also enjoy the same. We do not want our children and grandchildren putting the blame on this generation for failing to uphold independence. This is particularly more so in view of neocolonialisation.
In the past, colonialisation was mainly in the form of territorial ex-pansion and military conquest. But today, colonialisation has taken a new form and meaning — hence the term neocolonialisation.
As a result of globalisation, nations could be “colonised” economically as witnessed during the late 1990s eco-nomic crisis that hit the East Asian countries. Several countries had to resort to so-called “aid” from insti-tutions which fed them with “medi-cines” that turned out to be “poison”. Fortunately for Malaysia, we did not accept such “aid”, instead we opted for our own “home-grown traditional medicine”, which turned out to be very effective as can be attested to today.
Aside from economic colonialisation, another form of neocolonialisation is the subjugation of the mind and thought. As a result of globalisation catalysed by information and communication technology, barriers in particular distance, geography and time have been broken down. While ICT is simply a tool and may not be “evil”, it does have its negative aspect as a result of misuse and abuse. Irresponsible people have taken advantage of ICT to disseminate negative and destructive cultures that slowly but surely permeate into established cultures.
Our country is not immune to this form of neocolonialisation. It is not in any way implied that foreign culture is bad. However, it must be realised that there are certain elements within foreign culture that carry with them negative and destructive impacts.
Take for example cults, deviant beliefs and small narratives in societies that permeate into our society as a result of a borderless world. This is the reason why as a nation within the borderless world, Malaysia must prepare itself in all aspects so as not to be colonised again.
This preparation comes in many forms, such as building our economic strength, maintaining political stability, forging social integration, mastering all areas of knowledge and technology, enhancing our defence capabilities and many others. This is in fact in line with what is mentioned in verse 60 of Surah alAnfal in the Quran, translated thus: “Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war” While the Quran mentions the need to muster military strength, the scope of mustering strength could further be widened in view of the current situation. Today, military strength alone is not sufficient. The much needed strength in knowledge and technological mastery is equally, if not more, important.
The challenge to build all these needed strengths within our country lies with today’s young generation. There must be a sense of patriotism and nationalism in today’s genera-tion. There must be a strong love and pride for this nation that we call home.
The Prophet of Islam had reminded Muslims in one of his traditions, to the effect that: “Love for the nation is a part of iman”. For Muslims at least, there is a religious obligation to be patriotic and nationalistic while at the same time ensuring that the independence achieved is protected.
Nonetheless, it is the duty of all Malaysians — regardless of religion and race — to continue to preserve this priceless gift called independence. Our country had been under foreign powers for a total number of 446 years, from the day the Portuguese con-quered Malacca until the day the Union flag was brought down and replaced with our national flag.
Today we have been independent for a mere 46 years. This period of independence is, in actuality, miniscule compared with the period that we were under foreign powers. Are we willing to throw away over four decades of independence, and barter it for four centuries of hardship as experienced by our preceeding generations? The answer lies within this generation — ourselves.