Category: Liberty

A little over two hours till August 31 and subsequently, the 49th year of a free Malaya. Don’t forget however that it’s roughly more 16 days to the 43rd anniversary of the Malaysian Federation (tag).

Don’t forget your history, lest somebody will rewrite it.

Also, it’s about two more days to Budget Day. According to Senyum Kambing at Utusan Malaysia today, 6.3 million people watched Siti Nurhaliza’s wedding while 4.8 million people were attracted to something that Mawi did. Now let’s see how the Budget Day – one thing that actually affects the common people – fares.

Selamat Hari Merdeka.

I have just enough hearing the older generation telling us – the younger generations – that we do not appreciate the meaning of independence. It’s as if these older generations know what’s the meaning of independence better than us, especially when they themselves didn’t go through the struggle of independence to start with. So, what moral authority do they have to tell us that?

Many of the older generations assume the moral authority because they’re older than us. But seriously, just because a person lives through a period which happens to be a period of national struggle doesn’t mean that person fight in that struggle. In all practical senses, many are merely spectators and free riding on others’ struggle for some ideals. In short, moral authority is earned and it doesn’t come automatically with age.

Perhaps, the reason the older generations keep telling us that we don’t appreciate the struggle Malaysia has gone through is due to our questioning nature. Perhaps, our seniors are uncomfortable that the more open-minded younger generations – the liberals – that keep testing the norms and boundaries and refusing to adhere to orthodoxy introduced and set in place by them just for the sake of adhering . If that is so, perhaps they need to be reminded that their generations too fought against for changes at one time or another. If norms and orthodoxies weren’t challenged, Malaysia would still probably be British Malaya.

If they indeed fear changes, then it wouldn’t be too harsh to say that they’re trying to preserve their legacies. Since the more liberal generations are open for changes for the better which might threaten the status quo, they disagree with our conducts. Hence, the accusation of being ungrateful.

Perhaps, they failed to realize that time changes and there are new challenges ahead. An entity will always need to reinvent itself to take on new unique challenges. If the new generations don’t challenge norms, how do you expect us to overcome new challenges? How do you expect us – both the older and the younger generations; the society – as a whole to progress? How do you expect us to move forward if we’re all stuck in orthodox norms? Do you expect us to clung to death to old models while facing infinite unique challenges that require new models?

Time does move on and changes do occur. To survive, we need to adapt and be flexible. Evolution will guarantee those that failed to adapt to regress into oblivion. Those that adapt will have fighting chances.

So, the next time anybody from the older generations tell you, the younger generations – especially the liberal ones – that you don’t know how good you have it, tell them back that, at least we are willing to change and adapt. Our minds are open to new paradigms. Our minds are free. Ask them back, are you willing to do the same? Is your mind free?

Tell those uncles of yours, those parents of yours, some older persons on TV – may they be politicians or some strangers, no matter who – that freeing the mind is harder than freeing ourselves from the old chain of colonialism.

If they don’t get that, then tell them, don’t tell us that we don’t know how good we have it. At the very least, we don’t let others do our thinking for ourselves. Tell them, our definition of freedom is much larger than mere physical independence. Forget the clichés the mainstream media tells you. Our definition of freedom is the state of free mind. With a free mind, comes liberty in the truest sense.

But of course, don’t tell them anything if you didn’t think of this critically.

I for some reason sees Petaling Jaya residents as the most progressive community in Malaysia – a Malaysian San Francisco perhaps. I don’t know why but Petaling Jaya somehow gives me the impression that it’s a city of literatis; city of intelligentsias; city of political consciousness (tag). Sometimes, even the bastion of liberalism in the country. One way Petaling Jaya could seal these perceptions among Malaysians is to exercise the third vote – residents of Petaling Jaya should elect their major.

Malaysians – and in effect, residents of Petaling Jaya – currently don’t have the power to elect their mayors. We – Malaysians – used to have that right before it was suspended on March 1 1965, during the height of the Indonesian confrontation against Malaysia. While peace between Indonesia and Malaysia has been restored, Malaysians have yet to regain the power to elect their mayors.

Petaling Jaya currently has its mayor post vacant; its first mayor retired after only two months at the job. So, the search for the next major is on:

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo confirmed that a name has been forwarded for endorsement but said he could only “disclose this much information now.”

He also explained that District Officers did not include municipal council presidents. With this new development, speculation is rife that Petaling District Officer Mazalan Md Noor will be the one to fill the position left vacant by Ahmad Termizi Puteh who retired two months after becoming the Petaling Jaya’s first mayor.

Based on Dr Khir’s statement, two of the three other names earlier mentioned – Klang Municipal Council president Abdul Bakir Zin and Petaling Jaya Municipal Council (MBPJ) secretary Zulkepli Ahmad – are out of contention.

However, the third person, Gombak district officer Abdul Ghani Salleh, is still in the running.

There have always been complaints against inefficient city councils. I believe such inefficiency is caused by lack of accountability – those that are appointed to the posts are not directly answerable to those being governed. With the lack of accountability, the mayors will not have proper incentives to improve their service.

Reintroduction of local government elections will reintroduce incentives for mayors to improve their services because elections act as an effective carrot and stick model. With an election, the mayors need to either perform or risk being voted out of office.

Petaling Jaya has a strong urban community compared to most other urban areas. The residents of Petaling Jaya should use their influence to exercise their right to elect their mayor. If Petaling Jaya manages to reintroduce local government election, the city would seal its status as the most progressive city in Malaysia.