Merdeka

Merdeka is Malay meaning to be free, independent.

The nation celebrates freedom from colonising forces every year 31 August. But it celebrates the wrong day and the wrong year. The Malay peninsula was freed 31 August 1957 but the whole nation (including Sabah and Sarawak) was only formed 16 Sept 1963. It's a shame that the leaders of the nation doesn't think to rectify their errors.

I've lived abroad now for a lot of years and in the beginning, it was easy to be swayed by the idea that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. It is very easy for minorities to be disillusioned by the farcical notion that is Bangsa Malaysia. There is no such thing, everything in Malaysia is delineated by your race and your religion. Your right to own land, your right to own a business, your right to be educated, your right to choose your religion and even your right to serve your own country.

How can you afford patriotism for a nation that seems not to care about you and chooses to ignore what you can do? But then again, when you are abroad, you don't really truly belong to that country. You are still a foreigner in their land. Each country has their own unique set of problems and they are different. You just have to realise that it's a different way of life.

There are many things wrong with being Malaysian, but there are as many things that are right.
Malaysians are friendly, you'll never be wanting an easy chat or even a smile or a helping hand. The national obsessions keep the country glued together, you'll never find another place in the world when you return home and you realise how lovely all the food smells and tastes. You'll never find a country so industrious in learning about loopholes, there will always be someone on a road side stall selling the latest DVD version of the newest film deemed by the censors too delicate for us to watch. There are never enough prodigious people who will come up with another way to take your money, someone has an idea that will be exploited. And the best of all, it is always acceptable to leave your work for breakfast/tea break/lunch when you need to.

Here are some reasons why I miss Malaysia so much sometimes...










































To be truly free for what we enjoy, we have to accept that we are going to be restricted for other things in our live.

Selamat menyambut Hari Merdeka!