NegaraKu

"Negaraku
Tanah tumpahnya jerebu
Rakyat hidup sesak dan layu
Rahmat bahgia, penjual topeng muka
Raja kita kena pakai juga
Rahmat bahgia, penjual topeng muka
Raja kita kena pakai juga!!!

When I first read this from my sister’s sms message, there was mix feeling in me. I just do not know whether I should cry or laugh. Whatever my feelings were, in my opinion this is a great insult to our National Anthem. To a certain extent I felt like lodging a police report as act such as these, amount to treacherous and disloyal act of a fellow Malaysian. I’m disgusted that there are Malaysians out there belittling the symbol of our beloved country.

Come 31^st August 1957, Malaysians celebrate the nation’s 48^th birthday. We must remind our young and the old, as well as our politicians, that this country is founded on the blood, sweat and toil of our forefathers from all ethnic groups, Malay, Chinese, Indians, Ibans, Kadazan and all other minorities. Be that from His Majesty’s Government or His Majesty Opposition Members. It was the Malay padi farmers and fishermen, the Chinese mining workers and Indian rubber tappers of the early days who brought Malaysia to what it is today a country that is free from oppression.

The word oppression however seems to be a little distorted especially after 48 years of Merdeka (for West Malaysia) (42 years for East Malaysia). Why is it so? Probably there are new definition to add on the word oppression. When we studied the law of evidence, we studied a case called R v Fulling which followed the definition in the Oxford Dictionary which means something that is "burdensome or harsh exercise of authority". How do we define burdensome? How do we define harsh? More often than not these are the feeling experience by fellow Malaysians regardless or race and religion.

There are many examples of burdensome and harsh experienced by fellow Malaysian even after Merdeka. Burdensome and harsh can also mean being affected by the rise of petrol price or the hike of a toll or even consumer goods. Harsh can also mean the revival of the NEP that will some how affect the silent majority. How are we to create a Bangsa Malaysia if all of us are so tight lips about what is affecting our life style. Some how or rather there mut be a called to raise a standard for Malaysian in total not just the Malays but the rest of the races in Malaysia

In my opinion the revival of the NEP are very much outdated, backward divisive and failed policies that do not promote the national economic interest.

There is a fundamental flaw with the Prime Minister’s concept of a towering Malay (his amanat in February 2005) is its utter incompatibility with the vision of moulding a bangsa Malaysia. Is the towering Malay not a Malaysian? Why should we not describe him/her as a towering Malaysian first rather than a towering Malay?

Focusing on the towering Malay instead of a towering Malaysian is socially exclusive and nationally divisive. Just as the slogan of “demi agama bangsa dan negara” is seen by non-Malays as meant for only one race and one religion instead of being inclusively multi-religious, for a multi-racial bangsa Malaysia in one nation.

Now is time they cherish and focus on the fundamentals of the “1957 merdeka social contract”, the
Reid Commission and the Cobbold Commission together with the Rukunegara to build a nation which
is democratic, just and prosperous – which must mean a truly democratic system of parliamentary
government with a first-world Parliament, an independent judiciary, an efficient civil service, a free
press and a government dedicated to the principles of accountability, transparency, integrity and 
good governance. These are the fundamentals as stated in our Constitution

It would be a desire especially to see the young people especially the non bumiputeras at present to be more open to the political and social environment that surround us. We cannot live in having a "tidak apa" attitude. It is worth to note that there should be young people raise to the challenge to see that Malaysia is worth staying instead of changing the lyric of our beloved anthem.

Anyway, to those that have forgotten, it must be:

Negaraku

Tanah tumpahnya darahku

Rakyat hidup

Bersatu dan maju

Rahmat bahagia

Tuhan kurniakan

Raja kita

Selamat bertakhta

BLESSED MERDEKA MALAYSIANS

It's me, Damian

Hmmm, everybody is blogging and that means I don't intend to be left behind in this cyber world. So why the title The Advocate or Advocator? Following some dictionary it basically mean a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea. There are many ideas and thought provoking issues these days, from social to economics to politics to religion etc etc. Some how or rather the normal mainstream media refuse to bring about those issues. Some called it sensative and some called it "not within our means" neverthe less somebody out there need to say something. ANd I hope that this blog would one day be a voice to many.

Regards
The Advocator