Looking back to look ahead.
That's what Lim Kit Siang said in his conversation with theSun on August 23, 2007. His first answer on that interview makes me wanted to turn the pages to read the rest of the article.
Q: We are coming up to 50 years soon, so what do you think we have achieved in that time?
LKS: I think it's a very mixed result. I think when we achieved independence 50 years ago and then with Sabah and Sarawak we formed the Malaysian federation, we all had one aspiration - that we would become more Malaysian over the years.
Which means we would become less Malay, less Chinese, less Indian, less Kadazan and less Iban and so on, but on the 50th year looking around, especially with the events in the last two months, we seem to have become less Malaysian and more Malay, more Chinese, more Indian more Kadazan and more Iban than anything else.
What he said hit closed to home, doesn't it?
He also compared our development over these 50 years. When people makes comparison, they always compared Malaysia to Ghana, which also achieved independence in the same year. Yes, we are 10 times ahead of them but why compare our country with the not-so-well-off nations and not of those that are at the same level as us? When we first achieved independence, our development were second in Asia after Japan but since then Malaysia has fallen behind while Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong have all become first world and developed countries.
The other thing that I am glad Lim Kit Siang agrees with me is regarding problem in our education system. The education that we (and future generations) are getting nowadays has not produced young citizens who are critical and mature in their thinking. How can we expect them to lead the country one day?
Reading the interview makes me realize what our current Prime Minister lack of: a brain that actually works. If his brain is half as competent as Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, he would have not racked up the oil price to the price of RM1.92 that it is now because there are ways to actually recover from the oil price war without the needs to burden the people of Malaysia.
And if his brain actually works, he also would have not let Proton sold the MV Augusta for a mere 1 Euro. News reported that BMW is paying 93 million Euro for the purchase of Huqsvarna, a unit of MV Augusta. Do the calculations! The estimated RM500m (of our money!) will go down the drain just like that. Tun Dr M purchased the MV Augusta back then to develop it so it can produce a volkswagen of Germany, a car that will be affordable to the people which will cost less than RM10K a unit. But alas, Paklah, Proton and Khazanah do not understand the value of branding, intellectual properties, etc. Siapa yang rugi? Rakyat Malaysia jugak...
The article also made me think of what PakLah has done during his time in the office. He had stopped many mega projects that were supposed to not only develop this country but to set a learning curve for Malaysian - the acquired technologies, skills, recognitions, etc.
Don't get me started on his hunger for fame. Do this and do that, he said. It was for the sake of Malaysian tourism, he said. What a lot of bull. Tell me what's the need of Penang second bridge? Or the replica of famous mosques that are being build in Terengganu which cost millions of dollar (of our money!)? Masjid untuk tempat beribadat la Paklah bukannya tempat perlancongan.
Dan apakejadahnya Islam Hadhari ? Islam yang disampaikan oleh Nabi Muhammad s.a.w tu dah cukup sempurna, why nak tukar kepada Islam Hadhari? Dah sesat ke?
I am still wondering what is the meaning of this 50th Merdeka anniversary if a) our people are feeling more alienated, more divided and more polarized b) we are lagging behind in development when in fact we can be among the developed nation already.
Walau apa pun, I am still proud to be Malaysian although is a little bit sad that we are celebrating our 50th Independence Day under the government of Paklah.
To all my fellow Malaysian, selamat hari Merdeka.
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