Merdeka Reflections

This year's Merdeka Day came in timely for me to do a reflection on Malaysia. Two more weeks and I'm off to start the next detour lap for my life journey, this time out of South East Asia. It's been two years since I've relocated back to Malaysia and how time flies. It was an enlightening experience for me during these two years as I embraced the true identity within me and being in place where I truly felt being at home, although I don't own a property to stay as of yet. It's home because I'm born and have my childhood bred in Malaysia. It's home simply because I'm Malaysian.

This year's 31st was not auspiciously placed as it was marred by the school principal's racist remark incident. A counterweight reaction was launched by Namewee using another of his videos, citing that he's riding on the band-wagon of anti-racism. Every year we find new reasons to hate the country. And they are easy to find. The list of complains can outrun the Great Wall of China. Every year passes by dishearteningly for those who have high aims for the country but there are still reasons to love and cheer for the Jalur Gemilang too. Let's look beyond the morons that incite racism, the political gimmicks and corrupted policemen. The soul and radiance of Malaysia rests not on these problems but on the rakyat and the culture that we have. That's what I love about Malaysia - It's the people, traditions and the lifestyle that we have. The makcik that sells nasi lemak. The splatterings of Manglish containing the rojaks of all sorts of languages together. The mamaks that open 24hrs for socialization and catching up. The kampung houses. The hawker stalls. Proton cars everywhere. You can't replicate those anywhere else in the world. We need no 1Malaysia slogans to unite the country. All we need is for the usual inciters to shut it up and do nothing more. The rakyat can very well manage themselves.

The grass always looks greener at the other side. But when you step to the other side, you realised that it's not that much greener after all compared to the previous one that you had just stepped. I don't believe there's any spot in this world that is totally green without spots. There'll always be crooks, criminals, politics, morons and self-destructing policies in every country. We are human afterall. Even the American Dream was looked upon as a curse by Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. Anyplace can be a hellhole or a safehaven depending on how you perceive it. I believe for every hellhole which you perceive you are in, you can make a heaven out of one corner it if you ever want to be the difference in it.