“Opposition Wins Historic Victory.’ Oh, how sweet it would be to read a headline such as the above about a Malaysian election. The Democratic Party’s historic victory in the Japanese elections spells the dawn of a new era in Japan’s post-War history as the long-dominant and ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which has governed almost uninterrupted for half a century (sounds familiar?) has finally crashed in humiliating defeat.
Alas, if only this had happened in Malaysia. For me, it would be a real Merdeka moment; a Merdeka significant enough indeed to rival the significance of the original Merdeka. Our patriotically crafted and propaganda laced history books remind us and students that back in the last century we got our independence from those foreign masters. But history has conspired against us – yet again, as we became subjects to a new set of masters. To be sure, they are not foreign and they did not come as conquerors or invaders; not on the pretext to trade or to give us civilization.
No these master did no such thing. But promise they did. They promised to eradicate poverty for all; they promised a more equal Malaysia; they promised to deliver on the dream of freedom. But in the guise of development and communal harmony, they have in fact simply and plainly made themselves the masters of our destiny. Like masters who show contempt for their subjects, they have acted arrogantly, abusively, and without respect for the voice of the people. These new masters who replaced the foreign ones have destroyed and soiled the legacy of those who fought and died for our independence.
These masters have taken our faith in them and abused it. They have belittled us and insulted our intelligence; they have abused the public trust placed on them by the people; and they have nonetheless had the audacity of show contempt for our dignity.
The Japanese people has obviously said to themselves that the Liberal Democratic Party does not by any means have a divine right to govern and they have shown the party who is the real master.
Perhaps the day will also come when we Malaysians can be so bold as to believe that we need not rely on the BN crutch anymore; that we are capable of seeing that Umno/BN have no divine right to be our perpetual masters.
Change in who we elect and how we govern ourselves may yet deliver us the freedom that Tunku Abdul Rahman and his contemporaries dreamt about.
That will be the crowing moment for this country - I dream of that Merdeka.
G. Krishnan
Posts
