WHEN you become a mother, your perspective of life changes. What was inconsequential before suddenly becomes important and deserving of thought.
For a long time, Merdeka was a day for reflection and gratitude. It was a day to be thankful for Malaysia, the country I was born in and am proud to call my home. This year, however, I have been compelled to look at it with a more critical eye because this year is different. I am now a mother.
My daughter is going to grow up in this land. Her toes will dig into Malaysian soil, her taste buds grow to love the many cuisines we have on offer. Her ideals of the world and beliefs about herself will be shaped by experiences here.
So, Merdeka this year means thinking about my country, and whether those who stood bravely for our independence and freedoms would have wanted what we have today. After some thought, there are things I’m grateful for. At the same time, I am saddened.
I’m thankful that my daughter will have the opportunity to discover the world alongside many of various backgrounds, ethnicities, faiths and cultures. She will have the privilege of calling some of these her friends, and hopefully learn through experience that we are more similar than different.
The peace we enjoy is also not to be taken for granted. We are blessed to live in Malaysia, a nation that is not being torn apart by conflict, disease or disaster. Around the world, children just like my daughter are growing up in refugee tents or makeshift shelters, unsure of their safety and future. We often forget that freedom, education, health, security and the opportunity to make a better life for ourselves are a privilege. These basic human rights are the ideal, but to believe that everyone has access to them is to deceive ourselves.
So, to be living in a peaceful society that for the most part, does not seek to harm you, is a privilege. For that, I am immensely grateful to every Malaysian both in the halls of power and on the street, who make the choice every day to create a safe space for my child to live.
This Merdeka, however, I have also become acutely aware that while many are not harmed, many are not given the opportunities they deserve to make something of themselves. There remains injustice, formed and folded in through the years.
Malaysians deserve a fair society that functions on merit. Our children and youth ought to grow up knowing that no matter their postcode, background, faith or way of life, our nation will support the pursuit of their dreams if they work hard, play fair and never give up.
It saddens me that my child could grow up in a world where opportunities to pursue her passion or even rent a room may not be based on her character, skills, interests or heart. It frustrates me to see some in power taking their positions for granted, setting poor examples of leadership and propagating divisive thought. It can be disheartening to see that the inequality we’ve long fought against continues to rear its ugly head everywhere.
Yet there is hope.
Merdeka reminds me that something better is there for the taking, and that although it may take days, months, years or even generations, it is worth fighting for. It is a yearly reminder of what freedom means, how far along we’ve come and how much farther we need to go.
I love Malaysia. So many of us do. But if our hopes for this nation are not realised in our generation, or in our children’s or even the ones after, we can’t stop now. Grounded by gratitude and compelled by conviction, we can envision true merdeka for every Malaysian, and together, walk towards it.
Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
