128 Comments Add your own

• 1. DolphyN  |  August 28th, 2007 at 2:59 pm

  my sentiments exactly. u go girl.

• 2. Karyn  |  August 28th, 2007 at 3:25 pm

  When I think of Merdeka, I think that at least we do not live under the dominance of the British rule like our forefathers. And at least there’s no war going on like in the Middle East.

  Our country is imperfect, more so than other countries, all of which are also imperfect to some extent anyway. Other than the food and the so-called multi-racial harmony which is said to exist, and our very own Malaysian version of English, there’s also the fact that most of us are not only bilingual, but also trilingual, not that our national language count for much, but most other countries in the world do not have citizens who are multi-lingual!! Like us. Wahahaha.

• 3. Tzern  |  August 28th, 2007 at 4:03 pm

  brilliantly written.

• 4. reallybites  |  August 28th, 2007 at 4:04 pm

  hmph not gonna celebrate

• 5. Michelle  |  August 28th, 2007 at 4:46 pm

  “Merdeka” is something I learn in my History text books and oh, my History trials are like today.

  And happy clappy essays about “Merdeka”???
  I can’t write them. That’s why I couldn’t participate the MPH writer’s thing and the inkyhands.net writing competition regarding about some unsung hero.

  By the way, do you prefer Coffee Bean or Starbucks?

• 6. Michael  |  August 28th, 2007 at 5:06 pm

  its true, yet ppl ignores it.
  theres simply too much (stupid?) ppl acting without thinking.
  so i say democracy is a dumb system. because the majority is easily driven with ambigous and silly cause.
  theres too much to say, too much to complain, and yet its just another fruitless attempt, Su Ann.
  Those who believes in truth still believes it. Those who are ignorant and foolish enough remains so.
  Happy Merdeka.

• 7. Prisca  |  August 28th, 2007 at 5:14 pm

  Who/what is malaysia? the governent? As terrible as things are run, we who make up malaysia should fight for what is right. I have faith when even those who have “special rights” are fighting too- like malikimtiaz.
  Awareness is the first step.
  I commend your post, and hope that positive (active) change is made one day.

• 8. Cat  |  August 28th, 2007 at 5:18 pm

  Hey Su Ann, that was a really good post. It’s refreshing to hear of young people who actually read and care about what is happening to our country. We can’t sit aside and let these things happen, taking for granted that this is the way it’s always been. We CAN change things. Do not hate the country, it’s the people that run it that we should be dissatisfied with. I urge all young Malaysians to REGISTER TO VOTE so that we let our voices be heard.

• 9. MichelleSY  |  August 28th, 2007 at 5:18 pm

  It means nothing to me.

  Ironically, this year, I will spend Malaysia’s 50th Merdeka Day setting into motion the chain of events that will un-permanent resident me from the Land that is Truly Asian.

  I feel your anger babe. I feel it because it is also mine.

• 10. sheon  |  August 28th, 2007 at 6:00 pm

  well said young lady. well said. respect.

  in spite of all these. the truth is that malaysia belongs to all of us. i believe that malaysia has the potential to be a respectable nation.
  this country sure is f@cked up right now. but who is to be blamed? who else if not us? all of us are to be blamed. we put the executive power into the hands of contemptibles. yes, there many of us who are aligned in reasoning. however, for the uninitiated many; the citizens who are deprived from unbiased/unprejudiced media, they still dont know what we know.
  no country can achieve greatness when its policies are laden with traces of racism, and cronyism. meritocracy is not recognized. freedom is suppressed. this is the repackaged apartheid.

• 11. sheon  |  August 28th, 2007 at 7:53 pm

  i also wrote something about this issue…..

• 12. michelleg  |  August 28th, 2007 at 9:09 pm

  well said!! i have to agree with Cat on registering as a voter. that’s the least that we all could do.

• 13. george  |  August 28th, 2007 at 9:33 pm

  spoken like a true malaysian!

  as for merdeka.. its pretty much just another holiday to me :p

• 14. jimmy  |  August 28th, 2007 at 10:35 pm

  ah. been waiting for a post of this kind from ya.

  as they say

  dissent is imminent.

• 15. migz  |  August 28th, 2007 at 11:26 pm

  you rock, su ann! :)

• 16. Jonathan  |  August 29th, 2007 at 12:09 am

  I love merdeka.
  Its the only time where the nation imminently falls into a state of concocted hooray’s and patriotism.

  Its the only time where the drama we see in movie come into real life

  Its the only time where all the discrimination and biased politician acts pure and fair

  ITs the only time the citizen becomes nonpartisan and sings along in harmony

  Its the only time i feel so encouraged to leave the country and let free from the bind that has tied me against the barn

• 17. anon  |  August 29th, 2007 at 12:10 am

  everything else u right is okay, but saying smart tunnel is dumb makes it a bit silly really

• 18. HK  |  August 29th, 2007 at 12:20 am

  ah, you go girl, exactly what I’ve been fretting about.

• 19. johnleemk  |  August 29th, 2007 at 12:45 am

  To those who are happy because we’re not under British rule…how helpful is this if we’re still being colonised by an authoritarian regime that is almost just as unaccountable as the British regime was? We’re not exactly merdeka if we dare not open our mouths to criticise the regime in power – whether the colour of that regime is white or brown.

• 20. thiamhin  |  August 29th, 2007 at 2:23 am

  su ann, i understand your frustration because i feel the same discrimination like you.history have been twisted and change to cater their rules.
  it’s the government authoritarian rules that make this happened. i think we have already hit the critical level and our democracy is dying soon.by removing the current administration, we can save our beloved nation.
  by the way, merdeka mean i have a country to be called home. not a stateless person.

• 21. thegeekinpink  |  August 29th, 2007 at 6:33 am

  hear! hear!

  I wrote something “very despite the malaysian yadayada” last year for merdeka. yours is much more more serious and I like it. Msg me if you’re interested to read :)

  This year, I’m staying in to watch the telly

• 22. benjamin and yus  |  August 29th, 2007 at 8:25 am

  aint nothin much to be thankful

  except for me health and mental sanity.

• 23. vvens  |  August 29th, 2007 at 11:42 am

  i think you’ve spoken out words that most of the people want to say but was not spoken. very true.

  actaully merdeka doesnt mean much to me, at least not now. i just wanna see fireworks :(

• 24. melia  |  August 29th, 2007 at 12:32 pm

  I’ll only celebrate Merdeka when we’re finally free from the clutches of this dispicable government and racial segregation.

  I do love Malaysia. Not only for its food and 24 hours mamak stalls.
  I love the idea of Malaysia, the one we’ve been fed since our primary school years. A picture of a multiracial land, the intergration of races, peace and harmony.

  We are all Malaysian through and through. We share the same sense of humour only a Malaysian can acquire. It is this identity that I love. However it is only an illusion created by the government to silence us.

  But can we turn this illusion into a reality? I really believe we can. I already believe in that idea. Why not make it happen for real.
  VOTE FOR CHANGE!

• 25. elizabethwong  |  August 29th, 2007 at 1:23 pm

  Well said Su Ann! Hear hear!

• 26. Tiara  |  August 29th, 2007 at 3:25 pm

  Wow. That was powerful. And timely, given that I’m writing an essay related to Malaysian youth and festivals at the moment (mainly ranting about corporatization [sp??] by companies pretending to be “true” *cough*levis*cough*)…

  Here’s another one to add: Celebrate your “muhibbah” multimixed cultural diversity –
  while the media goes on and on about how Bangladeshis and Indonesians must always be criminals and troublemakers, when criminals of other races never have their nationality pointed out;
  while everything, from university placements to government benefits, runs on a quota system, and if you’re not neatly Malay/Chinese/Indian you are declared non-existent;
  while it is possible for someone to be born in Malaysia, grow up in Malaysia, live in Malaysia her whole life, represent Malaysia wherever she goes, go through the Malaysian school system, get A1s in Bahasa Malaysia – and still NOT be granted Malaysian citizenship;
  while the “lain lain” get fed up with being “lain” and move elsewhere where their race does not matter…

  bloody hell. so much for being merdeka and malaysian when the country doesn’t even want people like me.

• 27. lawrenz  |  August 29th, 2007 at 3:46 pm

  Everybody wants an answer here…

  why this..
  why not that..

  what point
  where to point
  why i point
  what’s the point

  I guess if you cant beat them, join them…

• 28. colin  |  August 29th, 2007 at 3:53 pm

  brilliantly written. well done

• 29. n i s  |  August 29th, 2007 at 4:51 pm

  :) I am patriotic, but i never celebrated our Independance Day pridefully. That’s the irony. I still don’t feel that Malaysia is a free country, yet.
  Many people says that, Malaysia is a young country; maybe this is the best way to govern this multi-racial country, for now. But, when i look at Singapore, they are doing quite well.
  Our country’s problem is that, while the politicians are promoting unity and peace through campaigns, the very same person are a racist and made racial comments.
  What happened to us?
  We need a pioneer to move Malaysians ahead and away from these (worsening) racial disputes.

  SELAMAT HARI MERDEKA

• 30. Izham  |  August 29th, 2007 at 5:57 pm

  Those that are eligible, make sure you pop by the post office to register to VOTE for the correct party.

• 31. Charlie  |  August 29th, 2007 at 6:15 pm

  Blllloody hell. That post just blew my brain out my ears.

  Fucking poignant. Best merdeka-related post I’ve ever read. This post should be our rallying cry on Friday. : ) I’m with you on this one 200%.

• 32. zewt  |  August 29th, 2007 at 8:15 pm

  It always warm my heart to see someone in their teen being able to voice out their mind so bravely. And when such teen is able to voice things such as above…. I am beyond impress.

  I guess the nation does have hope… or does it…

  Anyway, keep the awareness going. The things tha you mentioned… put some of the adults to shame. Those who live a comfortable life, oblivious about what is happening… they should look at people like you and be told the meaning of ’shame’.

  I might just link this entry in my future posts.

• 33. von  |  August 29th, 2007 at 8:28 pm

  skilled writing…brilliant… wat else could I say?

• 34. Yappy  |  August 29th, 2007 at 9:48 pm

  I read your blog from time to time and I love what you wrote, but this post made me an ardent fan now. Brilliantly written! :)

• 35. JustAnotherTragedy  |  August 29th, 2007 at 10:27 pm

  I strongly feel that this years merdeka day is a bit over-rated considering how little we’ve acheived especially in the last decade or so. Like so terlalu shyiok sendiri la. Cant stand it. Good thing its a holiday and all holidays are good for bumming around :D

  Hmm I wonder how much is spent on this yrs merdeka celebration.

• 36. foreverjas  |  August 29th, 2007 at 11:11 pm

  gosh. but truly inside my heart, i heart malaysia. tryin to ignore all the bad part, and appreciate the good. aih. x.x
  wake up la malaysia, oredi 50 years Lah.!

• 37. caryn  |  August 29th, 2007 at 11:45 pm

  hv always been a silent reader, but this post made me feel like i wana say something too. brilliantly put, all the points, all the things that we feel but have not been able to put in words.

  merdeka, is, just another holiday and fireworks. i am kinda happy being malaysian, as karyn put it, grateful it made me trilingual. but i hv a question for izham though, which one is the CORRECT party?

• 38. k0k  |  August 29th, 2007 at 11:47 pm

  I have as much emotional investment in this country as I do watching the Simpsons movie.

  It’s funny while it lasted, but I won’t be thinking about it once I left the theatre.

• 39. k0k  |  August 29th, 2007 at 11:50 pm

  Merde ka? Merde.

• 40. caryn  |  August 29th, 2007 at 11:55 pm

  oh and may i share another blog that i love to read with you ppl here? somehow reading your blog reminds me of this friend of mine, she writes good stuff too.

  http://chingyeen.blogs.friendster.com/inspiration_/

• 41. blorgy.net » Blog A&hellip  |  August 30th, 2007 at 1:29 am

  [...] Anyways, its merdeka eve tomorrow! I hope everybody gets wasted and pukes on themselves. Cos that’s something everyone ought to experience once in their life, and what better time to do it than on a day when you can wake up on not worry about looking shit faced at work or at school the next day? Exactly. And I want to plug Su Ann’s (quaintly.net) awesome post on Merdeka. Go read it! [...]

• 42. Sagaladoola  |  August 30th, 2007 at 2:25 am

  This year.. I dunno what to say…

  Now there are rumours of racial clashes in two cities of Johor. Hope they are untrue.

  Not only that, massive traffic jams, unclear about State of the country (Islamic or Secular), scandals.. you name it..

  The only positive thing is we have got blogs for us to realise how terrible the situation is, and more and more progressive malays join in the internet fray.

  That is the only reason to celebrate.

  Hope everyone can work together to make Malaysia a better place.

  Good writing there. Keep up the good work !

  Regards,
  http://sagaladoola.blogspot.com

• 43. Albert Ng  |  August 30th, 2007 at 4:36 am

  Happy thoughts happy thoughts happy thoughts go to my blog! (Yes, somewhat related.)

• 44. tze  |  August 30th, 2007 at 4:52 am

  merdeka what la as if malaysia is free from stupid rulers who kill their mongolian girlfriends by bombing them up and then finding someone else to take the blame

  seriously imma either not go back to malaysia or like run for DAP or something wtf.

• 45. Aimee  |  August 30th, 2007 at 10:00 am

  *salute*

  an entry like this doesn’t need further comment

• 46. 9  |  August 30th, 2007 at 12:13 pm

  hv u ever been stuck on the jalan tun razak crawl during rush-hour on a daily basis?

  no?

  well, smart tunnel rawks, yo!

• 47. tom  |  August 30th, 2007 at 3:44 pm

  mind blowing, pants dropping, skirt flying POST!

  I share the same feelings as you do towards our country’s independence..

• 48. cher wee  |  August 30th, 2007 at 4:00 pm

  truthfull written!!! gal…u r brilliant, i like this entry.

• 49. sheon  |  August 30th, 2007 at 5:17 pm

  SMART tunnel is an engineering marvel, in spite of the political clout that goes behind that project.

  The construction of the tunnel adopted some of the most advanced engineering technologies in the world. many might find the awkwardness of the tunnel ’s turning curvature, however, it is unavoidable due the laws that governs the land thingy in malaysia. note the allowable speed limit in the tunnel, at that speed, a safe viewing distance over a bend is adequate, but many fail to abide to that speed limit….

  all ground treatment, structures, post construction QC are top notch.

  i believe i know better about the smart tunnel than most ppl in malaysia.. :)

  go watch the video i posted on youtube.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVMyLVSVUM0

• 50. Zephyrus  |  August 30th, 2007 at 8:24 pm

  A friend gave me a link to this post. All I can say, you’re thinking what I’m thinking. To Karyn. We’d be better off under the Birtish than under what we have now -.-”

• 51. Cheneille  |  August 30th, 2007 at 10:58 pm

  Thank you. This is brilliant, honest, and hits the nail on the bloody head. I’m planning on mourning and going on a vow of silence tomorrow.

  But no (to Zephyrus), we will NOT be better off under the British rule. If anything it’s thanks to what they left behind in Malaysia that we have such twisted interpretations of THEIR early laws. Sure they’ve moved on, discovered people NEED their rights, but only for their own people. Stop living in this illusion that the angmohs are oh-so open-minded and will save us lah. We have to save ourselves.

  We’re the ones who need to do something about the state of our country, because we’re going to be the ones inheriting it.

  Start by voting (despite the acknowledgment that elections are rigged), because it’s high time we shake the powers that be off their pedestals.

• 52. winnie  |  August 31st, 2007 at 12:38 am

  brilliantly written, and you hit the nail straight on the head.

  :)

• 53. ashleighhhh  |  August 31st, 2007 at 12:38 am

  woww…i’m a sucker for smart & intellectual girls.
  great post.

  cheers to malaysia!

• 54. nickie  |  August 31st, 2007 at 4:48 am

  su ann, your post made me tear. i cry for the state of malaysia, for the low morale amongst us malaysians, and the possibility of the imminent dissent as jimmy put it.

  but most of all, i cry for us. the people who knew so well about the current state, yet couldn’t do much about it. or rather, wouldn’t. from the comments above, i can see that a whole lot of ppl out there are aware of the illusion and situation back home. yet how many of us are willing to stop bribing the policemen when we’re caught? hardly anyone, myself included.

  all these laments and bitterness, or be it ignorance, they don’t make much difference, if no one is willing to take the smallest step in making a change. everyone is cheering for what you’ve voiced out, everyone’s feeling it. yet most have given up.

  meanwhile. its easier to sit back, enjoy a hot cuppa coffee and re-read your brilliant post and anticipate more to come. i feel sorry for myself..

• 55. Infernal Ramblings&hellip  |  August 31st, 2007 at 6:00 am

  Realising an Independent Nation in Malaysia…

  If we want a Malaysia to be there for our children and grandchildren — if we want them to be able to eat nasi lemak and speak Manglish fifty or a hundred years from now — we must work towards building a nation, before we can even get started on fixin…

• 56. melvin  |  August 31st, 2007 at 9:34 am

  Happy Merdeka Day to u, su ann. Whither Malaysia?

• 57. Karyn  |  August 31st, 2007 at 11:18 am

  Zephyrus – we’re better off under the British rule? Are you sure? You think they would bother to develop our country? Put in effort to maintain, or attempt to maintain, multi-racial harmony? Make THAT their priority instead of dominating the trade of herbs, rubber, tin ore, timber, etc? =P

• 58. heartless-usagi  |  August 31st, 2007 at 11:56 am

  very well said ^^

• 59. Zephyrus  |  August 31st, 2007 at 1:51 pm

  Karyn. Yes. Example – Australia. Aside from their killings of the aborigines, they did modernize Australia did they not? And we should not forget Melbourne. Where the mayor is of Chinese origins. I see no reason why we should not example Australia.
  Cheneille. What you said in your first statement is untrue. If it was true, then tell me why isn’t it happening to every other commonwealth country? I’m not saying that the Ang moh will save us. The basis of my statement is based on their ability to modernise a country. Example again, Australia. And I agree on the inheritance part. It’s our duty therefore we must do something about it. Solving problems doesn’t mean we should do it alone now do we? And besides, what’s the difference now. Comparing the British with our current conquerer. It’s still being conquered. And I don’t see many corruption or internal problems in the British government compared to ours.

• 60. Cheneille  |  August 31st, 2007 at 5:34 pm

  Zeph: Y’know, modernization is another debatable topic. What was wrong with the way the indigenous people were living? What makes us so certain that they wouldn’t have achieved equal, if not higher, level of prosperity?

  Besides, I wonder if Australia is a good example to be used as comparison. For one, it was initially set up to be a penal colony, where as Malaya was seen as a natural resources generator and of course, strategic trading port. Basic Sejarah lah, ya. :D Furthermore, having a Chinese mayor doesn’t prove anything. Malaysia has non-Malay ministers as well what. In fact, unless I’m mistaken, I dare say there are relatively more of those compared to Australia.

  Racism exists everywhere. Cliched as this sounds, it’s part and parcel of life. Sure, racism is more controlled in Australia, where as in Malaysia we’re practically being ruled under racial basis (not really too, actually. Being a Malay isn’t enough. One has to be Muslim as well, PLUS be well-connected ie linked to UMNO.). But how ‘advanced’ is this Australian mentality, exactly? Melbourne, to use your example, doesn’t include international students under concession prices for public transport. I’m guessing you’re studying there, or have studied there? I’m in Queensland now, and while international students ARE given concession prices, only those who’re acknowledged to have a basic standard of English (too panjang lebar to explain this as well) are given that concession status. Also, for all their fair play and respect for human rights, they’ve still been trying their level best to paint Dr Haneef as a danger to Australia and a possible terrorist, even after he has been cleared. But I will give you this, at least he was allowed to leave the country and was given a fair trial (Even if the media coverage and police force were very unfair). If this had happened in Malaysia, poor guy probably would’ve been detained by ISA, never to see daylight again.

  Of course solving problems is better when we have assistance. I should’ve been less ambiguous, but very malas lah. This damn reply is turning into a bloody essay as well. Anyway, what I meant was, we shouldn’t all be sitting back waiting for someone else to make changes. Nearly everyone I know asks me why I insist on going back to Malaysia after I complete my studies when the prospect overseas is better, and when I explain that I want to do my part for the country, however insignificant it may be, they are alarmed by my ‘patriotism’. Someone else up there brought up the example that none of us would be willing to not bribe a policeman when we’re caught. I know people who insist on paying fines because they refuse to contribute to the bribery in the country. I hope one day I’ll be able to do that as well, although of course the best alternative is to not commit a crime in the first place lah. Helps that I don’t drive, lol.

  Just because you don’t see corruption or internal problems happening, doesn’t mean it isn’t. Every country has its own problems lah. As a Mandarin saying goes, Jia jia dou you nan niang de jing. Every family has its own difficult scripture to recite. Question is, how far are the people of Great Britian willing to go to improve their country? How far have they gone? How far are we willing to go? How far have we gone?

  Oh dear. Sorry for invading your blog, Su Ann. I end my two cents now.

• 61. foreverjas  |  August 31st, 2007 at 5:52 pm

  whoa. whoa. whoa. where r u su ann?

• 62. Adrian C  |  August 31st, 2007 at 6:57 pm

  we can only start changing the world by changing ourselves. good start in reminding people 2b aware about things. remember to vote next year!

• 63. songjun  |  August 31st, 2007 at 6:59 pm

  i support chenneile’s views.

  We’re still developing. We’re still in our birthing pains. Give malaysia another 40 – 50 years :) But its good we voice our opinions and hope that the old guard of people running the country lose their ‘i cannot take criticscim at all’ mentality.

  I am very proud that we are progressing somewhat. At least we’re not stuck like countries such as spain, portugal and italy where progress has plateau-ed quite a lot. Without their agri trade and tourism they’d be dead too.

• 64. songjun  |  August 31st, 2007 at 7:12 pm

  and honestly. Our freedom of press is so much more liberal compared to Singapore, a supposed developed country.

  Countries such as Russia, and many oppressed countries have horribly suppressed presses.

  We chinese and indians are allowed to freely eat pork and practice our religion. In china, non communist party approved church gatherings are held in barns or underground houses. During holidays, all races attend ‘open houses’. In Iraq, neighbours cant even visit each other because they believe in a different interpretation of Islam. Educational aid? U think countries like indonesia, mynmar and many other countries even have scholarships available?

  We have been ‘white washed’ by the western world who has gone thru all this crap hundreds of years before we even had a bowl to shit in. Yes what is highlighted is quite true somewhat but cmon.. second class citizens? Do the untouchables in India get even to go IN a department that would even consider them for scholarship? There are many non malays overseas on government loans and scholarships. There are many DESERVING MALAY students overseas also studying. Ultimately, all we do is BITCH BITCH BITCH about how ‘handicapped’ we are becaue of how the government isnt or is doing things sufficiently or insufficiently. Cant speak english? 3/4 of the world doesnt speak english. Twin towers/eye/klia waste of money? People know that we exist at least now. Crappy national car? Skoda and many japanese car companies started out crap too. Look where they are now.

• 65. Michael  |  August 31st, 2007 at 8:01 pm

  to songjun. we all discussed this, because we think that we are of same level, as of the Malay and other races . We expect same treatment. We recognise our country, our culture and our language. But why are u comparing the thing we had with some country that clearly differentiate it citizens? i *THOUGHT* that in the constitution, Malay do have some special rights, but that doesnt mean that we need to have a clearly biased and differrent level of treatment. We all, in fact, Malaysia Malaysians. Race? thats just medieval crap.

  IMHO, ur being brainwashed with some gov crap. I mean, the way u compare us to some country with a worse system than us. It just like the politics in our country, once a problem pops up, a ranking goes down, the only and absolute way to solve it is by comparing to worse ones. Dont you think that is is totally crap to think in such way?

  No offense on you personally, just voicing my thoughts.

• 66. Eve  |  August 31st, 2007 at 8:50 pm

  very well said.

• 67. songjun  |  August 31st, 2007 at 9:16 pm

  michael : how proficient are you at american/british/spanish/french history? let me ask you, historically speaking, at an age of 50 years independance as nation and a history of a broken hodge podge of different kings etc of about… lets say 1000 years la..

  since u say that im comparing with WORSE OFF countries, i will do a comparison with BETTER OFF countries that have a LONGER history of EXISTING AS A COHESIVE SINGLE IDENTITY ie the NATION STATE.

  Look at America and France, since well… the notion of Free will government originated from some political philosophers in France which spread to America. When people start migrating to america from all over the world, the problems they faced.. Corruption, Lack of central Government, Cronyism, High Crime etc was experienced in the worse way possible in America, or at that time, more known as The New World. You superimpose their historical timeline on our age and historical time line.. what do u get? We are now at that point in time where they were experiencing the worst of a developing nation. Our country during Medieval times had all Malays.. or aborigines. And please… African Americans/hispanic in America also face the same ‘2nd class’ status alright. In fact.. they’re so 2nd class they have to have special MINORITY status accorded to them.

  Secondly. Say you were a Chinese citizen. Suddenly, a foreign power starts bringing in Malays, Indians, and say.. African people in to China to do their work for u.. and since u and ur ppl have been staying in China since we first evolved from a type of Panda monkey hybrid.. how would u classify them? Chinese too?

  Fine, countries like Canada and Britain and France dont have an Instituionalised ‘racism’ in their systems. But.. can u compare with how long they have existed as a nation ?

  Im not being brain washed by government crap. YOU just dont see the BIGGER picture in the way things work. People like you just COMPLAIN about HOW BAD the INSTITUTION is treating us.

• 68. lips  |  August 31st, 2007 at 9:26 pm

  we-ell, obviously it IS unfair race comes into play in malaysia when it comes to opportunities, etc etc. but really, where in the world does racism NOT exist? face it la, all countries favour the majority race. honestly, i think the rights of the chinese and indians and etc are pretty protected over here, as compared to if we migrate to any other foreign country. sure, over there, the constitution and all looks pretty good on paper and in theory. practice is a different story. racism ALWAYS comes into play. and its way worse if we migrate overseas. seriously, dont you think there’s a better chance of us rising to be, say, a CEO of a major corporation HERE than in a Western country?

  i’m not saying malaysia’s such a great and fertile ground for us, or the govt is amazing and all. but its good enough FOR NOW. baby country. we’re only comparing our progress to singapore. why not other countries. give it a couple of years to grow la – governments learn from experience.

  oh, and while i do think the whole Youtube episode was blown out of proportion by the govt, i think the taiwanese dude or whatever was wrong and disrespectful in the first place anyways and deserved SOME form of punishment.

  cheers and happy merdeka.

• 69. songjun  |  August 31st, 2007 at 9:28 pm

  And ok.. u say i compare with worse of countries. Russia is well much better off then us. Yet, Putin has an iron grip on the media, corruption there is so thick and democracy is basically as true as how much Iraqians came out and voted confidently for saddam in the 90s at over 100% -.- And the mafia owns everything there.

  In east europe, if ur a jew, it doesnt matter what ur nationality is. They are viewed with a certain contempt or suspicion.

  Think we non malays have it bad? Think again.

• 70. Zephyrus  |  August 31st, 2007 at 10:13 pm

  This blog has become more of a forum topic. LOL. Well oh well, everyone has their points, agreements, disagreements. We can’t change the fact that now we’re having our so-called 50th independence which of course most of us realise its true nature. We can’t change the past. Hell, I would be happy to go back to the past and kill a few figures. Change the fact that Sarawak would have been an independent country if we waited for a few more years (I’m Sarawakian) But no. We can’t. Forget about the past. Forget everything about the fake past edited by the government. Forget the facts in our history books which most likely are or have been altered. Forget about the mass media. Because we all know the reality. We shall work for a better future and if the country still has not changed after we are too old to do anything, the only and most effective choice, migrate (if affordable) or at least, train the future generations on the reality.

• 71. Michael  |  September 1st, 2007 at 12:11 am

  YOU just dont see the BIGGER picture in the way things work. People like you just COMPLAIN about HOW BAD the INSTITUTION is treating us.

  dont see …BIGGER.. = means, i’m just not comparing it to other countries? why should i compare it to other in the first place?

  COMPLAIN= i mean, can u do anything else except than complaining? (maybe they din even care to hear it)

  HOW BAD..= u noe how they treat us dont u.

  Ur just making some point with historical timeline. Do u think that it is appropriate? I mean, discrimination to *other things* happens anywhere. thats just natural to humans, no matter who u are, when u are, where u are.

  ur keep telling us to be grateful, compared to etc etc. Or like we dont have it bad, we seems to have the BEST treatment in the world’s “2nd citizen”, erm, the gov said that we are not 2nd citizen..so i guess it isnt? although it happens, anyway.

  Hmm…maybe u just dunno my background. U can say that i’m being brainwashed by my school (chinese private, if u noe that type). But i certainly thinks that the gov treats us real bad(maybe not so BAD compared to others), i mean, they keep telling us that they treat us fair…bt in the reality… If u know the history of Malaysian Chinese (CHINESE SPEAKING, nt some banana mind u) u’ll know wat i mean. or maybe u already knew, just dun like to use it to COMPARE.

• 72. Michael  |  September 1st, 2007 at 12:17 am

  lets not dicuss this anymore in Su Ann’s blog. i think that different person in this country do have different treatment. Maybe me and my family and my relatives and my friends all have the same idea as me. But that doesnt mean that u all is. Maybe i’m just racist/extremist in a different way. Hope it’ll stop right here.

• 73. Adrian  |  September 1st, 2007 at 12:41 am

  I have basically the same opinions as you about merdeka.

  I feel that the day itself is under-celebrated, especially in Kuching

• 74. Zeph  |  September 1st, 2007 at 1:36 am

  lol um.. do u think sarawak can survive economically if it was an independant country?

  michael : if we do not compare, how do we gauge ourselves?

• 75. Michael  |  September 1st, 2007 at 1:48 am

  nah. i just hate to compare ourself to worse ones. or u say the “historical timeline” prob, i’m not interested in that. i just know everyone lives in the same 2007.

• 76. jos  |  September 1st, 2007 at 2:12 am

  su ann, time for u to say something…

• 77. songjun  |  September 1st, 2007 at 4:08 am

  eh sorry zeph was me ter put in zeph

  michael : wtf. If u dont want to compare with the worse.. then when i compare with the best…and even when i put it in a current context also u say cannot. Thats not very reasonable nor logical and ignorant.

• 78. Nicholas  |  September 1st, 2007 at 6:43 am

  Michael, u r very typical of a lot of chinese in our country that tends to complain even when we dun get the whole picture…..Sumtimes the government really did do smth for us but they jz cant say it loud coz we are a multi-racial country and a lot of things are sensitive. Penang, having a chinese majority population has receive a lot of development plans, right? Sumtimes all the racial issues are raised just becoz the politicians are playing their cards, when one issue is raised, the respective parties would fought for their own ethnic and b considered heroes, let’s nt forget the election is coming….They are all in the same alliance and so no matter who’s the zero or who’s the hero, they are stil winning in the end…WE are nt given fair treatment, this is a fact but to say tat we are mistreated is somehow excessive….Y not we have a first-world-citizen mind and comment only after we get the full picture? Matters tend to get worse here coz we tend to see everything through the racial perspective. Like the chinese would defend a chinese no matter he’’s wrong o nt and the malay would do the same also. Why not we speak as a Malaysian indeed? We are not tat good, but with comparison or without, we are still nt tat bad right? After reading this some would tink that i support the MAlaysian’s malaysia idea because i am chinese right? Tat’s our problem, we jz tend to take matters racially and sensitive easily…where does the world sensitive fits in when everyone is jz speaking for only one entity, which is our beloved Malaysia? If we are going to gain a first world status, tat’s hw we should equipped my mind.Jz personal opinion, anyway

• 79. Michael  |  September 1st, 2007 at 7:27 am

  erm. i just said that maybe i’m just another racist/extremist. Raised in a chinese speaking family with a whole lot of (and only) chinese friends with my whole education dedicated to the same reason, complaining on how the gov treats us. Its just true, cos theres nearly everyone, i mean like some respectable figures that fights for education rights or to the uneducated local thugs. They are complaining.

  When someone is complaining, i assume that there is some reason. When everyone around you is complaining, the only conclusion is theres a big problem going on. U will not agree to me, or i will not agree to u, because our environment is not the same, at all. Maybe i’m very wrong, but i still want to assume that you people who read this blog and leave comments here are actually english speaking ones. Thats not me. I mean i can, but i wont. (yeah i”m brain washed *typical chinese*) i dun like chinese who dont speak mandarin if they knew how to. Yeah i’m racist watever, bt its just the way it is in the pure chinese education world.

  Do you really think that there is not a big problem here? Do u really think that we are better off than most countries? The whole lot around me think the clear opposite.

  U can take me as a *typical chinese* (though how typical i dunno). So, how can u ease the anger of the typical chinese? How can u try to relieve the stress between other races. For your info, many ppl around me is so ignorant to other race. They didnt even know how to mix/communicate with other race. To me, this is a really big problem.

  We, the pure chinese educated ones, see all sort of problems in the current system. Not saying that we are not grateful “if compared” to indonesia and a whole lot of countries. We believe that it’s our right, to have our education in our own way. Maybe thats why we are always labelled racist/extremist by the gov. We are just complaining and fighting for our own language, own race. Erm, maybe cos Malays have UMNO?

  Maybe its not a problem to you. But it is, to the “typical chinese”, and to our nation. I’m babbling non stop even thought i suggested a stop to all these. i’m so so sorry…

  P.S: to those who says that i’m ignorant or illogical or racist or stupid or watever. Maybe i’m just the sum of all of those. I’m just another ungrateful brat who have some place in another nation because i’m being unrecognised by my own country. Maybe i’m gonna be another country 2nd/3rd/4th class citizen soon. At least its a free country.

  P.P.S: hope that i wont get any abusive response. thank you. U can just ignore me if u want. I shall refrain from commenting on this topic anymore. Thanks. To Su Ann, sorry. u really have a nice blog and i’m ruining it.

• 80. sheon  |  September 1st, 2007 at 10:50 am

  a poignant article….

  http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/newsncom.php?itemid=7716

• 81. songjun  |  September 1st, 2007 at 1:47 pm

  michael : dont mean to seem so harsh and prejudicial but i can slightly understand the plight u go thru. The fact that u guys had a chinese school to go to shows that we have some jewels to look up for. Thats the thing. What u are going thru and feeling is the same felt but like say.. the mat rempits. That was why the government wanted to abolish single race schools (but as all that is politics.. they dont want to allow non malays into MARA and other Malay only schools) and as an alternative.. set up our dubious national service to attempt to help with that situation.

• 82. Jeff from LA  |  September 1st, 2007 at 1:53 pm

  As an outsider looking in, I am wondering how the Malaysian education system works. Why are their separate educational schools and tracks for Malays, Indians, and Chinese? How did this practice start? Does the fact that these three groups are separated when young lead to greater separation when older?

• 83. reply: not-so-happy-merde&hellip  |  September 1st, 2007 at 6:17 pm

  [...] reply: not-so-happy-merdeka 1 09 2007 as August 31st dawns upon us this Friday, i urge all of you to think carefully about why you’re celebrating this 50th anniversary, about why you love this country as much as you say you do, and about what Merdeka really means to you. source: http://quaintly.net/2007/08/28/not-so-happy-merdeka/#comments [...]

• 84. Nicholas  |  September 1st, 2007 at 10:25 pm

  i m oso chinese educated in fact….if u go see my blog, I write BETTER chinese k? get the whole picture first, as i said

• 85. Michael  |  September 1st, 2007 at 11:14 pm

  no one sees the whole picture, as no one is whole. everyone has their own point of view, and mind u, i’m not that stupid/naive as u think so. its just the way how one intepret and response to an action differs to others.

• 86. johnleemk  |  September 1st, 2007 at 11:44 pm

  songjun, you seem to be arguing that the only valid points of reference for us are basket cases or countries with horrible human rights records. I’m not Chinese-educated, and I think the present education system is incredibly discriminatory in how it segregates Malaysian youth, so I doubt I share Michael’s views on everything, but I think it is ridiculous to dismiss claims of discrimination and second-class citizenship as overblown just because the loudest complainants have been the Chinese extremists and the Chinese-educated.

  This is a country where almost half the population are still treated as pendatang. To those in power, we are not even citizens, mind you – we are just citizens in name, but if we don’t like the situation here, we are expected to either shut up or leave the country. A true citizen has the right to remain in their homeland, and yet every time a non-Malay complains about something, they’re told they should either take it or leave it.

  To argue that we shouldn’t be upset about this because in Indonesia the non-indigenous peoples were murdered in brutal genocides is about as ridiculous as arguing that the South Africans living under apartheid shouldn’t have been unhappy because they weren’t slaughtered like Jews in Nazi Germany.

  Our point of reference should not be the worst of the worst. Our point of reference should be what we can potentially be. In school, we don’t compare our academic performance to the bottom of the class, so why should we be expected to compare our country to totalitarian and fascist regimes?

• 87. pookyma  |  September 2nd, 2007 at 12:26 am

  Great post indeed….All my thoughts are spoken in there…

  An Micheal i agree with everything you said man…

  You cina pek balik cina lar…u tumpang negara kita tau?
  Tak suka blah lar..

  These are the words i heard before…..

• 88. songjun  |  September 2nd, 2007 at 4:31 am

  johnlee : -.- i also mentioned DEVELOPED countries ie RUSSIA and most EAST EUROPEAN countries who are weary of jewish people. I have also mentioned America and the african american community. Come one.. look at the time in the 70’s blacks werent even ALLOWED in colleges and there were section and seats for blacks only at the back of the bus. it took the MILLION MAN MARCH to have black rights recognised.

  Dont believe me? Wiki up Million Man March.

  Read up articles of how the aid in New Orleans is doing and how much the progress of reconstruction is going. New Orleans is a predominantly Black City.

  Fascinating isnt it. We could emulate the English and the French i guess.. but oh guess what! Have u been there lately? The indians and muslims are practically IMPARTING their will and culture in a country which doesnt event belong to them. Yes england colonised India but now u should see the proportion of indians and pakistanis there are there.

  Look. Im not saying that these things that are happening to our country is good… nor should we tolerate it, but for goodness sake please stop berating this racism thing. If you HONESTLY think we have it bad, please read up a bit first before coming back to me and say that i have bad logic or that im brain washed.

• 89. songjun  |  September 2nd, 2007 at 4:44 am

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_segregation_in_the_United_States

  The bastion of Freedom and Human Rights. :)

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_by_country

  Even Canada had a point where they had racial policies. Canada, the country that tolerates anything.

• 90. Michael  |  September 2nd, 2007 at 5:19 am

  i do believe everyone here have different level of ill treatment or race discrimination based on their own life experience or others. Songjun. Maybe you just dun have the real idea of how we are struggling. What you are suggesting are just based on government reports or some elite chinese state of mind. Believe me, the government is treating us way worse than what u thought so.

  Maybe i’m just being exposed with the “government conspiracy” theory too long. There are all in my history lesson where our text book writer accused the government for trying to strip off our basic rights and also strongly hinted that they are trying to wipe up us (chinese education system->culture->race) when they can find the chance to do so.

  I dun have any idea of ur background so i cant accuse u of anything, but dunno y, i’m keep feeling u to be as like the typical “chinese traitors” that are being desribed by my teachers, parents, elders for all these years.

  Dun be angry at me first. I’m not accusing u of anything. But, when a whole lot of extremist ppl like me group together, u know what would they call others who are the same in appearance but think the clear opposite of them.

  Certainly, i do not think of myself as a racist/extremist. I do think that those who wave their keris and would want to bathe in some other blood are of a far more higher level than me and my folks.

  U know why i think million man march is irrelevant in this problem? Because chinese doesnt unite. They think of their own benefits in front of the whole group. For ur information, if chinese wanted this country, they can have it 50 years ago. Chinese population actually is more than Malays.

  Now, who tolerates who? who gives who? who is thy beggar now? The feelings i felt is very extreme side, like begging for survive, begging for a chance to study, begging for a chance to lead a free life from them. You may say that i’m ignorant watever, but i still think that without us Chinese, they still live on trees till now.

  Its like ur fren have a old broken little shack that worth near to nothing, he invited u (reluctantly) to live together with him. U renovate it and make it one of the worlds best place to live in. (sure with others help including ur fren the owner). Now, u are stronger and much more richer than them, but u wanted peace. U take ur money out of ur pocket and u make them as rich and even richer than u. Now ur old fren remembers that he is the owner here, he gives you a smaller and smaller room. He take rents from you, he restrict ur freedom. He makes the house a beautiful but yet dirty and broken inside. But since u still have some power, he dares not to be too harsh on you. Now, he thinks that he’s great and he wants to kick you away as soon as possible.

  It is fair for the peaceful fren to deserve this?
  Think. Althogh they may be some other place where friends(enemies?) kill each other in the same house or just throw their luggage out of the floor.

  Is the peaceful fren selfish(racist)?
  Does the peaceful fren asking too much(ungrateful)?
  Does the peaceful fren trying to harm his old fren to get back his own rights(extremist)?
  WOULD IT BE RIGHT IF SOME OTHER TRIES TO COMPARE IT WITH SOME OTHER HOUSE WHICH HAVE A WORSE SCENARIO AND TRY TO TELL THE PEACEFUL FREN THAT NOTHING REALLY BAD IS HAPPENING?

  like, u gt a serious fever and someone says that its not a big deal cos someone else have cancer. Dont the way of treatment be our point in the whole case? i wonder why someone really likes to compare it. Ok u may argue that by comparing to cancer, one should bear his pain and tries to heal by himself.

  Does cancer treatment (much more sophiscated and advanced and infront of the timeline) can treat a serious fever? I doubt that.

  Song Jun u have a good logic, highly probably (i;m not sure now) ur not being brain washed. But ur not the head that suffers a lot from the serious fever. Ur maybe the hair or fingernail or at most finger/toes. From ur tone, and ur clearly devised explaination, i would assume that u have a very clear mind. When one mind’s is not full of hatred that was caused by ill treatment, it can think properly. When people like me really have it coming, we cant stop thinking about what u know we are thinking.

  Peace. This discussion really not getting anywhere.

• 91. Michelle  |  September 2nd, 2007 at 5:49 am

  Wow, you guys are actually having a debate here???

• 92. johnleemk  |  September 2nd, 2007 at 6:34 am

  songjun:

  Since when has Russia been considered a developed country? Some Eastern European states are considered developed, but most aren’t. Also, your historical facts need checking – American schools were segregated until the 1960s, not 1970s.

  But you have not addressed my main point. In the 1960s, Americans could tell the blacks “Hey, at least we didn’t kick you out of the country like the Israelis did to the Palestinians, or put you in separate states like the South Africans did to their blacks,” but would this have justified the racial situation there?

  You can’t say we should be grateful for what we have now if what we have is a situation where we are told we should either take what’s given to us, or leave the country. We probably have to agree to disagree on this, but I see nothing to be grateful about when I remain a pendatang asing in the only homeland I’ve ever known, and when my Deputy Prime Minister not so long ago threatened to bathe his keris in the blood of Malaysian citizens. The rightful point of comparison is not other racist countries; the rightful point of comparison is what we potentially could be, and it is IMO indisputable that we are far from living up to our potential as a nation and as a country.

• 93. songjun  |  September 2nd, 2007 at 8:58 am

  michael : actually i tell u the truth now. I work for the polis bukit aman section, human psy-war division. Its a secret division of the police set up by UMNO to sow discontent within the chinese community in malaysia to continuously break their tries to unite.

  My rank is a lieutenant 1st class, in fact i know where u stay right now and will be sending a team of mat rempits to your door now to beat your head in and make it look like an accident.

  -.- Om FUCKING GOD that makes no serious sense at all. How does the march not make any relevance? Its about the same Civil Rights Issue we are facing now that they were facing then. Its a LESSON we should learn to band together then.

  OF COURSE its without a doubt that without the chinese, this country would be as advanced as a puddle infested with amoebas. But then u cant say that without the British we wouldnt have been in Malaysia. And anyway, the very reason WHY were here was also cos our ancestors were fed up and too poor to REMAIN in china and sought their riches in a new place, and chose to go to malaya. If u were some fucking rich chinese land owner in china would u have come to this tropical shithole with trees that have fruit so oily we use it to fry chicken?

  oh btw. Ur house chun what. Dont mind the floor la abit dirty only. Oh wait.. sorry. U probably still think im brain washed and really work for the Bukit Aman PsyWar division.

  John lee : yea sorry about that date thing, im not good at dates but my facts check out. Wait, why is it different? Werent the blacks brought to the US the same way we chinese and indians were brought there? Why is it they are allowed to say “if u dont like it.. tough” but for malaysia its “oh no no cannot say go back to china or india”. If u say like that, when the Irishmen and Italians migrated to the New World and the pilgrims in the New World, did they also not face the same pressures we are facing now? So then how do we gauge ourselves if we dont do comparisons? What is the mark and what is the goal that we are to achieve?

  And Russia’s GDP is among the highest in the world. Why do u not say its NOT a developed status country? U probably also dont know that we’re actually classed as a THIRD WORLD COUNTRY by the UN.

  Using Israel and Palestine is a totally different context. It has no natiional identity and its a different issue altogether. -.- And Israel was carved up by idiots and zionists who won the world war and decided to use their influence.

  Another thing about America, if u think corruption and cronyism doesnt exist in the land of freedom and justice. The war in Iraq has companies like KBR, Haliburton and many companies that are owned by Dick Cheney. Its akin to us taking over brunei then have Scomi who is owned by badawi’s son to run the oil rigs. Remember that it was found out that MAS was losing money cos of idiots who were selling a bottle of water for rm30 to MAS ? Haliburton charges the US Government a heck of a lot per soldier per day in Iraq to feed them and do their laundry. Yea anyway, so we should make a rightful comparison to what our country could be. hwo the FUCK do u make comparison with what we could be? There are two things in the world my friend. Idealism.. and reality. In a perfect world, there COULD be a lot of potentials. In the real world, what if’s become “oh wells”.

  In the UK, they claim that they do not do Racial Profiling for their terror suspects and such, but if u were a muslim over there, i can tell u how much shit they have to endure even if they were a citizen. At least we walk around we dont get fucking stared at like we’re going to throw a piece of pork at them and go “GOD IS GREAT!”

  Yes, we have huge potential. Give us 50 years more, when the middle class malays have reached a substantial number and understand the tension we are facing, then they can make a voice. They will in their own accord fix the situation, because then the grassroot malays would have less voting power. Bid your time, make friends with malays and show them that we are the same people and do not think that we are superior. Oh wait. I think we do think we’re superior.
  Oh and we also dont mingle with other malaysians. So where is OUR work at unity? On one hand u complain goverment is racist, while on the other we ourselves dont want to mix with the rest. In fact, ppl like Michael make it even worse when they begin to segregate even us who are of the same race. “wah speak english but cnanot speak chinese.. damn fucking so hai right, shouldnt be called chinese la” mentality is real. Why? Do we really pose such a threat ? I can tell u, i have been looked down upon for being able to speak english. I can also tell u i have been racially Oh yea. We’re brain washed.

  So.. who is really at fault?

• 94. johnleemk  |  September 2nd, 2007 at 5:54 pm

  songjun:

  I suspect we agree as much as we disagree – you are absolutely right that the non-Malays are at fault for causing racial polarisation, almost as much as the Malays. If you read my website, you would know that I complain about non-Malay racism almost as much as I do about Malay racism – I find a lot of people’s complaints about racism insincere. The Malays complain they are discriminated against economically, so their solution is to discriminate against others politically. The non-Malays complain they are discriminated against politically, but don’t see that they need to right the wrong that has been done to the Malays.

  I don’t see why you keep bringing up examples of imperfection with other countries. Where did I ever say that other countries are perfect, or that they don’t have the same problems as we do? The thing you are lacking here is a sense of perspective – they have the same problems, but *not* on the same scale. In the US, they have plenty of corrupt scandals, but proportionally, I would say Malaysia has more. Open the pages of theSun and you can see for yourself that virtually everyday a new corruption scandal breaks.

  You also seem to have forgotten something – my point is that even though the blacks were second-class citizens for almost a century in the US, they were NEVER forced to go back to Africa. Those who wanted to were sent to Liberia, but those who didn’t were allowed to stay, albeit as second-class citizens. Today, discrimination persists, but they are still never threatened by their leaders with genocide or with deportation.

  Here, if the non-Malays something, is “balik tongsan” this, “gunakan keris” that. Are you seriously justifying comments like Najib’s, about how he would bathe his keris in Chinese blood?

• 95. boohootheworldhatesme  |  September 3rd, 2007 at 1:34 am

  Thank you for reminding us where our problems lie. While many plead ignorance, it is commendably initiated of you to take care to know what goes wrong in the country. But with all your observance, and perhaps unintentionally self-proclaimed wisdom of insight, i would admonish you for being like most young malaysians, while never shy to (perhaps maturely) look at what our country lacks, and never naive in identifying her problems, are incredibly naive in problem-solution.

  I encourage you to look at your country as a work in progress, and at yourself as instrumental to changing your own country. Sure our problems are real, and most you have mentioned affect me too, but we don’t need another smart aleck commentary on those problems. We have the for the singaporean press, “liberal” malaysians who study overseas but haven’t courage to come back and join the fight, that Aussie dude with the harsh (but admittedly true) newspaper article, and countless other cynics to do that for us.

  Merdeka is no destination, and 50 years later, merdeka is still no destination. Let it instead serve as a reminder of how our independence was fought for, and an urge to continue building. As for our internal squabbles, they will always be in every country, although our postion as multiracial and multicultural puts us in prime position for a greater slice of the pie. Tolerance is harder to bear when you’re the one doing more of the tolerating, but just because it isn’t self-serving doesn’t mean it’s unnecessary.

  The hippies once ‘lived for love’ but never changed anything. So if you wish not to change the country then please learn from them and quietly smoke your pot in the corner. To those keen to change your country, kudos. and to those who are “keen to be appreciated elsewhere”, good riddance to bad rubbish.

• 96. Theodwyn  |  September 3rd, 2007 at 11:53 am

  Just came over here from Zewt. Great article you have there. Keep writing!! To those who think that “at least we are not ruled by the british” is a good thing… I beg to differ… but that’s just my opinion… which doesn’t count for much in this country anyway….

• 97. Ruben  |  September 3rd, 2007 at 2:36 pm

  to the author of this blog – you took the words out of my mouth. lets hold hands and battle article 153… oh shhhss… i could go to jail for saying that…

• 98. sharlydia  |  September 3rd, 2007 at 3:15 pm

  Truely well said. This is a brilliant post!

  Merdeka really doesnt mean much to me besides the holiday where i get to rest from work…and i’m sure many are like me, what a pity to the country…

• 99. Shaun  |  September 3rd, 2007 at 5:19 pm

  very well written

• 100. narrowband  |  September 3rd, 2007 at 8:31 pm

  Hello Su Ann, I’m not gonna join in the silly discussion about ‘comparing Malaysia with another country’ and all that crap. I’d just like to say that yours is the most powerful Merdeka entry I’ve come across, in many years. Incredible piece, so true, except probably about the SMART tunnel.

  To be fair, the supposingly smart tunnel had not come into full operation during the last major flood. Let’s give it some time, and some benefit of doubt. We still don’t know if it’s effective in channeling floodwaters. IT is, however, definitely effective in easing the traffic jam in some major roads in KL – then again, any tunnel, smart or otherwise, could do that too.

  By the way, I came from Zewt’s, and I’m not disappointed. Happy belated merdeka. I’m recommending your work to my friends. Have a good week ahead.

• 101. pinkpau  |  September 3rd, 2007 at 9:44 pm

  thank you all for the very gracious comments :) john, michael and songjun, i’m following your tete a tete with much interest :P

  regarding the smart tunnel, i stand by my opinion that it is a wastage of public funds. while it boasts great technology (which is not msian, as we all know, but that is pardonable), it also reeks of bad planning. the fact that there’s so much ambiguity regarding the tunnel’s use for stormwaters is testament to that. you dont just spend 2 billion of taxpayers monies and make all these promises that later have to be retracted cos ‘there was not enough time’ or ‘oops it seems we need more facilities for this tunnel to work, which also means we’re gonna need more of your money for the plan B!’. re the easing of traffic congestion- again, you dont need 2 billion to do that; just better planning.

• 102. songjun  |  September 3rd, 2007 at 10:18 pm

  john lee : what i am doing is putting things INTO perspective and not lack perspective. You don’t get my point as what i’m trying to say, as much as we bitch about how scandalously crappy our country is, we are only 50 years as an Independant nation state and have only started identifying ourselves as such for what.. another 100? The US and other countries have an identity ingrained within themselves as their HISTORY is much longer than ours.

  See, you are drawing parrellels where you think it would fit your argument most but ignoring the fact that i am drawing a perspective glance at where our country is in the growth ladder. America has taken its time to develop their moral integrity and has had already gone thru what we are going thru now. That is what im trying to say. In fact we have it much better then they had it then. American democracy has advanced so much that it has a system of OFFICIAL ‘corruption’ ; lobbying. Can we compare yet with that level as a people? We cant even set aside our own racist thoughts and you want to jump into a position where we have so much freedom. And besides, as much as the CHINESE complain, i dont see many indians doing the same about their situation. And their poor outnumber their middle and upper class.

  And come on, a country like Russia who’s been around for so long hasn’t even reached the level of justice and freedom that our country has. Maybe quiet quaint little countries like england and switzerland have managed to get their act together in integrity wise, but england has also been thru the same crap before. Switzerland? Japan? Japan has an honour culture but a very enclosed one too. The swiss also. Yet, these are not multi racial countries and have remained closed off to themselves.

  I read that you’re just 17 and have strong opinions. Granted that and congratulations! When i was 15 i was lamenting about all this also. However, you do not have yet the ability nor experience at the moment to grasp at the larger picture and appreciate market and political information other then sources such as the opposition and media. Why do you think everyone still votes for the main party? Isit because we’re ignorant? Or businessmen/owners that are ‘oppressed’ are forced to vote for MCA/BN ? No. They get the bigger picture. They want a balanced and stable country. All these will come and go and you will one day realise, all u want is to live and make a living and live without much problem. We have foreign investments and confidence. Maybe not as much as we would like, but still, i’d rather invest my money in Malaysia currently then in say any other low cost countries. China would be the same but now they have improved themselves too but they are still far from the apple of the moral police. I have been away from here for a year and just came back recently, pleasantly surprised at wat one year has actually changed. The busses look more efficient, i see our government offices modern and customer friendly, our town council doing their job in brickfields where usually its double / triple parked, police cars and men patrolling the streets.

  Granted, i think our root problem lies in many factors; ie; not being able to accept critiscism (thus the surpressed media), GIVING idiots rights to do business where better ppl can do it, monopolist tendencies, the dislike towards transperency, and just the basic mentality of like.. the malays have only recently come to terms with liquidity in their earnings, when most of their old life was just ‘kais pagi makan pagi’. Like what boohoo said, the kind of things u mention in your blog are just repeated ramblings that have been on every political activists minds, a very indepth but pedantic approach to our life.

  Take it easy, we’re still a work in progress. The first step to building our country is to integrate and build a national identity. Think malays are getting it easy? wait 40 years and the bigger malay middle class will realise that its not worth molly coddling lazy bums who suck on our tax money.

• 103. songjun  |  September 3rd, 2007 at 10:23 pm

  pinkpau : oi if it reduces traffic im all for it regardless whether its main purpose was to reduce floods :P

  And like every engineering projects, they’re NEVER finished on time and on budget. The proposed carbon reduced power plant in peterhead, scotland by BP was such a big promise till recently it was shelved after years of planning, research and development because it was taking too long for the british government to clear their red tape.

  You should look at America’s defense projects, 100 million on things that would probably not be very useful in this day of guerilla type warfare and yet they ALWAYS run over budget and are a bane to tax payers.

  But yea, till u start driving, it would probably be the best thing around :P If only someone would do something about sammy velu and our damned tolls…. -.- Damn idiot should go retire with his wig collection

• 104. songjun  |  September 3rd, 2007 at 10:24 pm

  pinkpau : and dont tipu laaa what follow closely :P hahaha that time have to call me and ask me give u sum of what we’re arguing about hahaha :P

• 105. pinkpau  |  September 3rd, 2007 at 10:32 pm

  songjun dont argue with me. u know i always win

• 106. zewt  |  September 3rd, 2007 at 10:51 pm

  looks like ppl are really enjoying your work… keep writing… dont disappoint us!

• 107. Michael  |  September 4th, 2007 at 12:58 am

  Maybe i’m just being educated and being “brain-washed” with all the darker side of Malaysia without appreciating what the country gave me and the advancement of it throughout these years. i have no solution to these problems, but just wasting time rambling about the same problem everyone knows.

  I really do accept ur point Songjun this time. I can see in the future, the Malays will improve in time and then maybe all these would dissappear slowly. They themselves would do something to the problems they cause today. Its still a young country and it still too early to talk about a complete racial integrity to a common accepted nationality. China also needed few thousand years to make every race (ethic such as mongolians) to be integrated in the whole chinese identity thing. US, Britain, Europe countries also have a far more history than us.

  Who knows what would happen 50/100/200 years after? I just do hope the problems we have now would not cripple the chance of us to have a bright future. Certain problems need to be solved immediately and while some really needs some time. Patience is the key, i think. I do love my country. really.

• 108. Calvin P  |  September 4th, 2007 at 1:01 pm

  I was referred to this site by my dad, and boy was I totally awed by it! Well done girl, I couldn’t have written it any better myself. I heard you’re going off to Singapore on an ASEAN scholarship. Now, if you ever need any advice on that, I’d be happy to offer some to you as I did the same thing in 2001. It is weird but you’d probably feel more at home in Singapore than Msia. Currently, I’m a 5th year medical student at the University of Melbourne, and I rather work in Pluto after I graduate than in Msia. In fact, ALL of my Msian friends are not going back to work. Singapore is currently offering a lot of incentives to pull the dejected and unfairly treated but otherwise bright and skilled professionals from Msia. A lot of countries elsewhere are doing the same to Msian professionals. This seems to be the current trend whether the government admits it or not, which raises the question of the sustainability of Msia in the future.

  Someone here said “If you can’t beat them, join them”. No point joining them if they don’t treat you like one of their own. I’d say “If you can’t beat them, go somewhere else”

• 109. Michael  |  September 4th, 2007 at 3:54 pm

  the future perspective of young profesional and elites maybe dim compared to other advanced countries…but i still love my country. Its not bout the career, the politics, the racial problems, the whole government system. Its bout the tie that lies deep within us connecting us with this land.

• 110. Calvin P  |  September 4th, 2007 at 7:49 pm

  Michael, you said “Its bout the tie that lies deep within us connecting us with this land”

  What ties are you talking about? Spiritual ties? Sounds all too supernatural to me. Either that or you love Msia blindly just because you were born in Msia.

• 111. sheon  |  September 4th, 2007 at 7:52 pm

  pinkpau: regarding the smart tunnel. yes, you have a strong point of which i agree. the same goes to…why do we need an airport soo freaking far away?…why do we have so many mammoth projects going when it is obvious we cant afford them and possibly dun need it in the first place. but, the take is this, if there is no spending..there is no earning ….(includes illegitimate earnings…*winks)……..
  rm2billion?…hehehe………have you heard of alibaba contracts?…THEY have to make some cuts one leh……… :) welcome to construction in malaysia.

  coming to the tunnel….yes..the machines are from germany…but locals operated both of them eventually. i can safely say, malaysians did most of the job.

• 112. johnleemk  |  September 4th, 2007 at 9:33 pm

  songjun:

  Granted, we have not had the same amount of time to develop ourselves as a nation as the US or UK. But you are also cherrypicking examples; why not compare ourselves to Singapore, with a similar history but also without a real national identity until about 40 or so years ago? Why not compare ourselves to Taiwan, which was a quiet backwater until Chiang Kai-Shek and his cronies fled across the straits? Or Israel, which only became a nation state 60 years ago? You might argue these countries have a long civilisational history, but doesn’t our country have three of the grandest civilisations on record – India, China and Melaka?

  Your “don’t worry be happy” stance is not ultimately reasonable because you are comparing apples and oranges. The Americans had 300 years less worth of experience to learn from than we did at independence. You can’t expect our country to have a similar growth and maturing curve as they did. There is every reason to expect us to better them because we have 300 years more of history to learn from; 300 years worth of mistakes not to make because other countries have already made them.

  Mistakes will be made; we’re only human. I’m not expecting us to be the ideal or perfect state. But as I said, how can you justify a government whose second-highest leader thought nothing of threatening to bathe his keris in the blood of Malaysian citizens, and a government led by a party which threatened violence live on national television last year if they didn’t get their way? You might say we’ve gotten as far in fifty years as the Americans did in a hundred, but that would completely ignore the fact that humanity has moved on two centuries. We no longer indulge so easily in genocide and murder of our own citizens.

  The fact that you justify the ruling regime’s presence with a “don’t worry be happy” perspective only indicates you have cherrypicked historical examples. We should not be looking backward; we should be looking forward. We should not be comparing apples and oranges; we should look at countries which have gained independence at similar times, and take into account different historical backdrops.

• 113. Michael  |  September 4th, 2007 at 10:54 pm

  Calvin P: i’m also a elite that being handpicked to HK to get a full all-covered scholarship with no strings attached. Do you think that i trust in supernatural forces or things like that? When i say ties, i mean the food, the culture, the kampung malays that always gives a helping hand, the history, and all that makes Malaysia unique. Its blind, cos patriotism is always partially-blind in some instances.

  You can check to my previous comments here. Do u think i;m not angered with how the government treats me? Do u think i never complained and criticised it? If so, ur vry wrong.

  As wat boohoo quoted here: “to those who are “keen to be appreciated elsewhere”, good riddance to bad rubbish.” ur just trying to complain about Malaysia problems and life comfortably in another foreign country. If u really dont care and will choose to live/work in elsewhere, y should you complain? Like some singaporean complain bout malaysian chinese being ill-treated? Thats just doesnt make sense to me.

  I never said i love this country corrupted bureaucracy, money politics, racial disintegration and sorts of other problems. This is my birthplace, and i think, though u may deny it, u can never ever forget this country forever.

  To johnlee and songjun: i agree and disagree with both of u actually. Songjun is right when comparing our history timeline with the whole world, but i still think that you are too “dont worry be happy” in some matters. Something really needs to be changed urgently and while some needs Malaysians to be more mature in due time. Johnlee, actually u see many problems, that is, same with me. We cannot really tolerate the fact that some really serious problems is already ruining this country bit by bit. But as so, can u provide any good solution to these problems? Me and my folks complain and complain, but are there anyone who are capable enough to think of some feasible solution to it? I agree that some problems are way to serious and needs to be fixed right now, while some problems needs time. Be patient for sometime.

• 114. johnleemk  |  September 5th, 2007 at 1:12 am

  Michael:

  Solutions are something I’ve devoted a lot of thought to, but solutions to complex problems are not simple – definitely not simple enough to be encapsulated in a blog comment. But if you would like some, I cannot recommend Dr. Bakri Musa’s The Malay Dilemma Revisited more highly. I think he has more solutions than all of the opposition leaders put together.

  I think all of you are reading far too much into what I’ve said. I’m not defending the view that all our problems must and can be solved straight away; I’m saying we have to acknowledge that the problems are there, and not dismiss them thinking they will go away in time, or that by simply voting for this ruling regime, everything will be fine.

  The opposition is far from perfect, and I’m not huge fans of theirs, but their niat, as the Malays would say, is at least in the right place, as opposed to the present regime’s niat. The more you study Malaysian history (and not the whitewashed version given in schools – but having said that, avoid a lot of the opposition’s tripe as well), the more you realise that nothing has changed – that the same complaints we have today were being made three or four decades ago, with nothing being done.

  But at the same time, historical parallels ought to be drawn correctly. Songjun’s arguments are baffling – what does economic growth have to do with whether or not Malaysian citizens deserve freedom of speech? And mind you, at independence, if we want to draw absolute historical parallels with the United States, the Americans had freedom of speech and even the freedom to bear arms!

  I find this line of argument a bit silly anyway – historical parallels should be supporting evidence, not the main proof. “It has never been done before” is a very poor main argument. If songjun thinks certain things are unrealistic and unachievable within a certain time frame, he should point them out and explain why – not make vague references to history, wave his hands, and insist that therefore this can never be accomplished within a certain time frame.

• 115. Michael  |  September 5th, 2007 at 2:24 am

  hmm…i’ll pick up the book once i have the chance. And no one trusts those government schools history la =.= got mer… johnlee, i agree with u that keep voting this ruling regime would not keep anything fine, just waiting for things to change in a better way is also a stupid thing to do. Would there be a better way to solve of all this, within our limited power? I also think that songjun way of drawing history parallel is kinda vague and unclear to this whole issue. Though i agree that the whole nation needs some time and patience also. Maybe he can describe more and use other methods so supplement his view.

• 116. songjun  |  September 5th, 2007 at 11:46 am

  john and michael : what determines whether a business flourishes or not?

  We are not where we could be due to many factors and i was not arguing about economic growth. I am talking about civil freedom. I agree that as an economy we’re pretty lagged behind other countries but this is due to more of a cultural problem (also bad management but that arises from culture too and money leaking thru many seams in the process) The chinese and Israelites are a very money minded culture and we would expect them to flourish where ever there is money to be dealt with. I Dare say the only country out there that would have such multi racial, culture and religion would be america, but even then they did not start out with such a sensitive mix of religions. And u say i cherry pick, i made comparisons with both crap ass authoritarian countries and with liberal ones. You talk about wanting to have more political freedom and when u compare us with singapore we have so much more. Taiwan’s political process is full with scandals and conspiracies its like watching a korean drama unfold.

  IF you’re talking about economical opportunities, then yes, we are a very lagged nation. We have lost any edge we could have exploited especially with the opening up of China. We have nothing much anymore to offer foreign investors as of late. But that is the result of cultural and leadership problems.

  Michael: and well im not blaming u for feeling the way u feel, i am quite racist as well especially when growing up. Yet, the more we grow and mix around and expose ourselves, u find that situations like this exist everywhere in the world, and it ultimately boils down to a ‘war’ between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. Next time if some ma chan says “balik cina la” then u just reply ” kalo i balik, u ada kerja tak?” haha but then have a parang with u just in case la ;) Ppl dont like it when you’re quite right haha

• 117. songjun  |  September 5th, 2007 at 11:59 am

  sheon : regarding mega projects, im really really glad now that we HAV Emega projects like KLIA, KLCC, Putrajaya and the F1 race circuit because its hard enough already to explain that im malaysian chinese to foreigners and without those, i wouldnt be able to even explain where or who we are. At least when i say im malaysian.. (after the initial but u look chinese!! -.- ) they will go OH YEA the twin towers! or oh yeaaa the f1 circuit because really.. without those things they would realy think we still lived on palm trees.

• 118. ALEKS  |  September 6th, 2007 at 10:03 am

  May God bless us all!

• 119. bee hoon  |  September 6th, 2007 at 10:58 pm

  *lag*

  You’ve spoken for many of us, and I thank you for it.

• 120. Jov  |  September 10th, 2007 at 11:41 pm

  What is patriotism but the love of the food one ate as a kid?

• 121. pro  |  September 19th, 2007 at 5:38 pm

  Very nice little piece. Well written. An older person once told me this: “If you can tolerate it, then you can stay.” Things will ultimately change, whether it is from good to bad or from bad to worse. The important thing is if you can stay around to see that. You most likely will not, but your children might.
  The benefits of sticking around here is another issue. For the moment, just think about what you really want for yourselves and your children.
  ciao.

• 122. pro  |  September 19th, 2007 at 5:43 pm

  Forgot to mention this, the Federation of Malaysia was not formed until 16 September 1963. So, the so-called 50th year celebration is complete bs, at least to ppl at my side of the world.
  I spent the night of August 30th thinking: “Where the f is the fire works. This is so boring. Go home.”

• 123. Calexial  |  October 17th, 2007 at 2:34 pm

  Wow… First of all, Congratz Su Ann, for writing such a marvelous piece. U have spoken what others have no guts to say.

  SongJun: Im not abt 2 start a war here, not dat much of free time. Its just from a 14 yr old’s perspective, even in sch there is PURE discrimination. Get this, in the whole prefects board of my form, I’m the only Non-Muslim. In the whole form of my sch, there are only 8 Non-Muslims out of 158 students. And when there’s any extra-curricular activities that the teachers-in-charge are Malays, there is no such thing as Non-Muslims having any chance to enter. For the past 30 years in my school, the highest posts of the board (Head Prefect down to SU) there hasnt been a single Non-Muslim. Yes, you may think im uttering non-sense here jus cos im still 14 and all my perspectives are too “kiddy”, but don’t u think its just because Im saying something that opposes ur thoughts? Get this, once, when my teacher asked my friend (a Muslim) in front of me to enter a competition, she actually asked the teacher why i shouldn’t be picked because I did win the previous competition. The teacher said only Muslims were allowed to enter this one and she immediately screamed out “yer… RACIST!”

  What I’m trying to say is, not all Malays are bad towards us, and not all are that nice either. Have you ever noticed that when WE choose to enter Islam, they welcome us with OPEN ARMS but when one of THEM tries to convert into Hindu or Buddhism, they make huge fusses out of it and PANTANG? What happened to KEBEBASAN BERAGAMA? Sure Islam is the AGAMA RASMI, but others exist too. Sure Malays have special rights, but since the government never officially announced that the rest of us are 2nd class citizens, why are we treated so?

  Again, be reminded Im just purely voicing my thoughts as a 14 year old. After all, they do say that the children of today are the voices of tomorrow. Or do you still want to prove me wrong here? I would like to say theres no chance of me getting brainwashed anywhere… cause the only person dat can change me is myself. Again, Im not looking 4 a fight, war, debate or wadever u call it. its called VOICING MY THOUGHTS because Malaysia, with its pros and cons has taught me to do so.

• 124. vincent  |  November 29th, 2007 at 12:55 am

  I have never really read your blog before, but today I found some time to check it out.

  Never mind that your negativity and pessimism is overwhelming, but you write extremely well.

  There are many things I can argue about this article but I won’t bother because there are also many things that are true. However, it would have been a fantastic article if not for the biased 2nd last paragraph. Reading too much Malaysiakini causes otherwise sensible Malaysians to critisize irrationally.

  Seriously, what is wrong with the Eye on Malaysia? And to call the Smart Tunnel ‘dumb’ is totally unjustifiable.

  Otherwise,

• 125. ct  |  December 13th, 2007 at 6:30 am

  wah, apparently there are teachers, parents & elders who think of me as a chinese traitor!!!! i’ve heard “oh it’s a shame you didn’t learn chinese”, but traitor… that’s a new one. actually it’s precisely these narrow-minded people with an inferiority complex, that drive me away from malaysia. it’s not just the politics or the fact that i will never be able to do decent research in a decent position because of my race, but the fact that my own race looks down on me.

  on a separate note (or maybe not so separate), switzerland IS a multi-cultural society. in fact it has FOUR official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansch. And a large majority can speak at least 2 of those, if not 3 (Romansch is pretty rare, only heard in one of the cantons). Having an Italian grandma and a German grandad is not uncommon. And yes, these are cultures worlds apart (even though only separated geographically by Switzerland). Perhaps Malaysia needs to have compulsory Mandarin and Tamil classes for everyone! Then maybe i won’t be labelled a traitor.

• 126. Young Girls Young Teens A&hellip  |  March 8th, 2008 at 1:59 am

  Young Girls Young Teens Angus Young…

  I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view…

• 127. Gaila&hellip  |  June 28th, 2008 at 4:00 am

  45c48c…

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• 128. a  |  September 21st, 2009 at 6:18 am

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