Until this very day, our devoted armed forces are still putting their lives in danger and we have been updated through daily media reports on what is happening in Lahad Datu, Sabah. Anxiety also arises over when this episode will end so that the lives of ordinary citizens in the areas affected can resume normally. For the remaining citizens of the country, we pray and hope that there will be no more casualties among our heroes and no land of this beautiful country will fall into the hands of our enemies.
As our armed forces from the Royal Malaysia Police or Polis Di Raja Malaysia (PDRM) and the Royal Military Force or the Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM) gallantly fight the intruders and risking their lives in the process, one can’t stop to ask what can us as ordinary citizens of the country do in order to show our support and also protect the country in the process. Safeguarding the sovereignty of the country should not only be the sole responsibility of our security forces and also our leaders. Individual citizens like all of us must also play our roles in ensuring that the sovereignty of the country is upheld.
Sovereignty means a lot of things to different people. For a country and its international relations, sovereignty here refers to non-interference by external powers or parties in the internal affairs of another state. As sovereignty is associated with the independence of a state, it is therefore rational that when a country’s sovereignty is at threat, the state will, in all its capacity, use its resources to overcome it. The Lahad Datu intrusion is one clear example of how Malaysia’s sovereignty is being threatened.
In upholding the sovereignty of the nation, one important element that should be the basis of our understanding is loyalty. The value of undivided loyalty to the country is what moves us forward and makes us stronger collectively. Loyalty is a value that can only exist when the spirit of patriotism is high as it implies feelings of solidarity, mutual responsibility among citizens and love for the country. Most importantly, being loyal to the country requires us to do our utmost in protecting the country. This must be done through whatever means available to us even if it is merely through show of support and acknowledgment of the sacrifices being made by our armed forces. On the contrary, the actions of mocking and leveling them with insults especially through the social media is indeed a sign of cowardice and ignorance.
Hassan Al-Banna wrote in Risalat al-Mu’tamar al-Khamis:”Islam enjoins upon every person to strive for the good of his country and lose himself in its service, render utmost service to the nation (ummah) in which he lives, and to give precedence to kinship and neighbourliness (in acts of benevolence).”
It was also written by Abū al-Walīd al-Azraqī , in his his books of Akhbar Makkah wa ma ja’ fiha min aathaarin, that the Prophet Muhammad PBUH also shares his feeling of love towards his birth place, the Holy City of Mecca. In Islam, to have a sense of belonging, love and loyalty to one’s country is therefore encouraged.
Another pertinent aspect on playing our roles in protecting the country’s sovereignty is to put emphasis on the importance of national unity. The strength of the nation does not simply depend solely on its economic growth and success but also on how its people, when faced with a threat to its sovereignty as a nation, are able to come together and stand rock solid. Whatever differences that exist in the society be it race, religion, culture or even political preferences and ideologies, Malaysians must come together as one entity to face the challenge. When the country’s sovereignty is a stake, the message of unity among the people of this country is strong enough to indicate to the transgressors that Malaysians are serious when it comes to protecting its territory and independence. History has taught us enough that the fall of many nations have been due to the disunity and disintegration of their people. Even this approach of disuniting the society was used by the western imperialists during their colonization of countries in the east. As the famous saying goes, united we stand, divided we fall.
In conclusion, we must realize that the task of upholding Malaysia’s sovereignty actually falls upon the shoulders of each citizen of this country. Whichever role that we choose to play, the question that should linger in our minds is whether our actions would put the country at a better and stronger platform or whether it would just provide our enemies with another weapon to weaken us as a nation. We need to remember that we should not put ourselves in a position where we will have to be at the mercy of any external parties or powers. At this juncture, we will definitely be at the losing side and there is indeed no point of regret.