winds of change (edited)

The following is an edited version of my previous post "Winds of Change"; made some structural changes to it so it sounds more like a formal essay rather a load of waffle.

Personally, I thought that this one is slightly sleeker than the previous one; I think it is comparable in style and impact to the first article I published on Merdeka Day.

I do hope you will enjoy it:-

The ongoing controversy over the UM rankings epitomizes the deplorable conditions of our education system, thrusting its rotting self directly into the media limelight. The sluggishly slow and lukewarm reactions from the relevant government officials on the issue has also led me to wonder whether “awareness” and “humility” are qualities parcelled out equally to everyone at birth.

The main issue of contention aside, it is interesting to note that each time a major issue crops up in Malaysia, it follows the predictive nature almost like actors in a play; they enter the scene according to the proper cues, recite their lines and perform their acts, stirring the audience in the meantime, and finally when the time comes, take their bows and make their exit.

Therefore, once the media frenzy dies down, this issue will be nothing but a distant memory in the minds of most Malaysians. Malaysians are generally an easily excitable lot – we complain, grumble and moan all we want during the height of such issues, but once we’ve had enough, we simply cast it aside.

Furthermore, it does not help that we have a notoriously poor short-term memory when it comes to such things as well.

It is important to realize that in this political equation, the government requires the people more than the people require the government, and once we as the people lower our guard and scrutiny towards the government, we are deliberately allowing for a downhill spiral in the quality of governance we can expect.

Therefore, when viewed in this sense, whenever we freely blame or criticize the government for any problems, we need to remember that some part of the blame lies with us as well.

It is we who have been apathetic towards the current affairs of the country, languishing in our own self-created universe where the problems affecting our members of the public are too distant, too alien to be considered our own.

We are reluctant to step out of our comfort zone, preferring instead to maintain our status quo rather than venturing out to seek greener pastures, even when it looms only on the horizon.

The point is that as long as we remain oblivious to the current goings-on of our country and as long we remain uninterested in the pressing issues facing our nation, it is optimistic to the point of foolishness to expect and moan that things could be better.

One of the main responsibilities of a good citizen is to guarantee the well-being of his or her country.

Therefore, we need to gather our thoughts and keep up with the issues affecting our country in order to promote a favourable atmosphere which could pave the way for a more enlightened discussion over the state of our nation, culminating in a determined, practical and sustained course of action.

Of course, this is where the issue of one's loyalties will crop up and those who raise genuine concerns about such issues are blatantly accused as traitors, Western puppets or mischief-makers who wishes nothing but to wreck havoc and destabilize the country.

Some will even go as far as to demand that such people leave the country based on the feudalistic reasoning that being a Malaysian automatically restricts one’s rights to critically reflect on the direction towards which the country is heading to.

At this point, I think it is important that one should distinguish between the loyalties to one's country and political loyalties; too often in Malaysia, the boundary between the two has been blurred and distorted.

The latter (i.e. political loyalties) can easily be substituted or traded with money, gifts and patronage, but the former (i.e. loyalties to one's country) accepts no other currency besides an honest and unyielding concern for the country.

It calls for an honest and unbiased interpretation of the country's past, a constant and consistent scrutiny and examination of the country's present, and a realistic yet visionary yearning for the country's future.

Paradoxically, a steadfast loyalty to the country often leads to greater complications compared to political loyalties; indeed, national interests and political interests hardly converge at the same point in Malaysia.

However, I believe it is exactly because one is truly concerned and loyal towards one's country that one can muster enough courage to speak up on such thorny issues. It is not due to the moronic reason that one simply wishes to destabilize the country or that one simply worships the West.

Indeed, if we truly didn’t care about our country, wouldn’t it be better for us to ignore the whole thing altogether? Why do we need to burden our minds and time with such things, when doing so can cause nagging headaches afterwards?

After all, hasn’t it be said that qui tacet consentit (silence gives consent)? If this quotation is anything to go by, then it is those who remain apathetic about the country's state of affairs who gives the green light for the continuation of such miscarriages of governance.

Silence as a sign of complicity may provide one with some respite and relief from such issues intruding into our lives, but this “peaceful” situation does not carry on indefinitely. Sooner or later, these issues will come knocking at our doorstep once again.

Therefore, we can't afford to push aside all these issues and conveniently label them as “too political” or “too deep” and hope they will no longer haunt us, because ultimately they will and do concern us.

I have often said it is surprisingly easy to be cynical and pessimistic about the hopes and future of our country. But if we begin to lose faith in our own country, then who will take our place? If we as citizens of Malaysia begin to turn our backs on such issues, who will be left to debate and discuss them?

Too long have our country’s issues been the free domain and reserve of the select few among our country's political circles. Frankly, we don't have to look very far to judge whether our current situation is the best one to be in.

It is high time to shift the balance of power to the real, true masters of this country – its people.