Merdeka!

A minister recently told the "urban chinese to raise the national flag" as the urban chinese are falling behind the rural chinese when it comes to this practise, giving the impression that they are less patriotic.

As an urban Chinese, I'm making my point here by raising the Malaysian flag on my blog.

But Dear Minister, once again I wish to highlight that sticking small flags on cars, drapping flags on car bonnet or on nude models do not translate into higher patriotism. In fact some drivers have attached big flags on their cars which are dangerous to other road users. There is a risk of the plastic flag poles breaking. The parts could hit other motorists and lives could be lost.

You should also commend the Chinese press for its extensive coverage on Merdeka celebration tick off non-chinese press for preferring sensational news on certain wedding, break ups or divorces to Merdeka Day celebrations. Even the King and Prime Minister do not get as much coverage. However, there is exception for certain son-in-law who never fails to appear in the press everyday, either by demonstrating or making racial remarks.

As our country is approaching 49, I hope that the majority will realise that we need to work hard for a better tomorrow. In a globalised world, our competition comes from the outside. Let us not fight within ourselves for the ever shrinking pie. Let us enlarge the pie so that everyone gets a bigger share. We should realise that our non-competitive policies will slow us down and eventually all of us will suffer. Tun Dr. Mahathir has conceded in his New Malay Dilemma that these policies have not achieved their objectives. In fact it has created a new generation of people who take handouts for granted. They view their crutches as a symbol of superiority in the country. The sad thing is that they are not even using the crutches properly. The intention of these policies may be noble, but the implementation and the mindset of the people at the receiving end are disappointing.

If we are not daring enough to admit our mistakes, we will surely lose our competitiveness in the international arena. Let us think for our future generations, as Malaysians, not as Malays, Chinese, Indians, etc.

Happy Birthday Malaysia! In the midst of celebration, let us not forget about our vision to be a developed nation. The only way is through equitable policies.