BETWEEN the truth and lies, there is often just an almost non-existent line of obscurity, a line of treachery, debauchery and many more unpleasantries. Meanwhile, belief, hope and motivation get caught up between these obscurities resulting in confusion and tirades. But what does it matter when the prime minister thinks Malaysia is doing well and hence, we should not be complaining?
We have landed in 2020, the year that was touted some 30 years ago to liberate Malaysia and to be promoted into the developed nation league. Are we there, even midway? The answer is on the wall, of course.
All would have vivid recollections of Tun Mahathir Mohamad, the then prime minister, making a grandiose plan for Malaysia, known as Wawasan 2020 which means Vision 2020 in English and was launched by Mahathir in 1990. It was announced as the New Economic Policy (NEP) was coming to end after 20 years.
At that time, it seemed far-fetched for many of us, and yet for many more it gave us hope and inspired us to do the best for ourselves and the nation. Every speech by the government at all events and functions would have a touch of Vision 2020 in it, not knowing what it really entailed. Complaisant, our faith started building up bit by bit and we waited for 2020 to arrive with all its grandeur.
Vision 2020 was developed to be a long-term goal for the nation, the goal of Malaysia becoming a “fully developed country” by year 2020.
The main goals of Vision 2020 were to modernise and develop our country based on its own model and develop the nation economically, politically, socially, spiritually, psychologically and culturally.
Every plan and action was tied to realising the vision. We felt proud, we felt honoured, we felt important for being part of this magnificent plan to turn Malaysia around.
It pains to admit that we have made U-turns in great many ways and we have regressed considerably, mocking the Vision and all of us who believed and trusted the implausible, heard the clamorous optimism without questioning.
Well, we have stepped into 2020, minus the achievement, minus the celebration, plus the dashed hopes, plus the disappointments and the frustrations.
But ... let’s usher 2020 with optimism.
A little story, often told by a great motivational speaker comes to my mind; a busy dad was reading the newspaper and his five-year-old daughter kept annoying the father to play with her. The father who thought he was clever decided to trick the daughter. There was a page in the newspaper with a world map printed on it. He pulled it out, tore it into multiple pieces and threw them on the floor and asked the daughter to fix, thinking he will have at least an hour for himself and the newspapers. Within five minutes the daughter had put the map together and shocked the father. The daughter then told the father that when he tore the world map, he had failed to see a man’s face on the other side. “I do not know where Jamaica is, where Africa is and where Japan is but I surely know where the eyes, ears and the nose should be on the face”. She said, I got the man right and the world became right. The father was stunned when he understood the depth of the message from his five-year-old.
The moral of the story is, when we set ourselves right, first as individuals, the world can become right. No amount of ranting will help change anything as whatever will be, will be.
Instead of whining and crying over what is lacking, we should put to best use what we have in abundance, beginning with love.
If you are unable to get the raise you wanted or the bonus you think you deserve, have you thought if you had spent the money you have wisely?
If you were planning to start a course with the bonus which you don’t have now, ponder if you have used the skills you already have to the best effort.
If you were planning on going on a holiday with the big pay cheque which is now not yours, have you explored the local beaches and quaint towns stashed away in some obscure corner, waiting to be discovered?
To the nay-sayers, whether formalised or otherwise, some of them whose only vocation is to protest against anything and everything that attempts to change the way we have been, they should take stock, seriously, and make themselves more purposeful by providing workable alternatives.
NGOs that oppose development in the name of saving the environment should instead educate themselves on how sustainability works when put into good use. Environmental sustainability is, simply put, the responsible interaction with the environment to avoid depletion or degradation of natural resources and allow for long-term environmental quality.
The practice of environmental sustainability helps to ensure that the needs of today’s population are met without jeopardising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. It’s like whether you would chop the banana tree because you want a banana today or use the right tools to extract the banana without hurting the tree.
Should anyone feel the urge to feel important, find a spot and shout out loud.
Suffice to say, we will probably be still dwelling in caves had we not started somewhere, much against the critics of yesteryears.
When pessimism seeps in, pick up the habit of reversing such thoughts and you will be a happier person, building a happier family contributing towards a happier nation.
Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
