The Editor:
Re: Stand up and be counted
Many of us are frustrated with many things but
we keep the frustration inside us! Many of us
feel that we cannot do anything about the situation
in the country but we are wrong! Many of us are
doing something but we feel we are not doing enough!
Let this letter encourage us!
High mountains were eroded to become plains.
Mighty oceans filled. Small ponds become large
lakes, a tree grows spreading more seedlings and
eventually a forest appears. Of course all these
take time. Fortunately, for political changes we
need not wait for millions of years!
It takes only four to five years to happen.
What can the ordinary person in the street do?
Plenty if that person opens his eyes and ears!
See what is happening to our lovely country;
listen to what your politicians are saying.
Listen to what others are saying. Compare what you see,
read and hear and form a conclusion of your very own.
Know for sure of one thing in this country: your printed
and broadcast media are all stilted towards one side of
the political arena!
Secondly, know another thing for sure:
your politicians are mainly self-serving, poker-faced
(at time blatantly so) liars! Therefore, what do you see,
what do you read and what can you listen to and accept?
Listen to the voices of the people. Your generation is
lucky today to have an unprecedented avenue of information
via other media, especially the electronics media. Not all
you get here is again the truth and the whole truth, but at
least you have the chance to read many views and listen to
different opinions!
The final decision is yours. Who you believe to be telling
you the truth or who is lying to you. Be open to suggestions
and form a wise opinion. It may not be a popular opinion you
eventually hold. Some will be against you, some may support
you, but most important of all it is your personal opinion
and you have to respect it, they have to respect it and you
have to honour it, if not no one will honour it for you!
Once you have become a thinking person, once you have a clear
idea of what you want for Malaysia, use the power of your vote
wisely each election time. Stand up and be counted for you
can make a difference in the type of government we have.
Secondly, to enable a fledgling democracy (I am being kind,
actually Malaysian democracy is choking itself to death) we
need to resuscitate it by speaking out and speaking out
loud and clear! Contribute to discussion of issues
relevant to you and your fellow citizens. Do not waste
energy and time talking about useless things like where to
eat what, who we love to watch on TV, who is sleeping with
who and what electrical stuff your neighbour has! Spend more
time in social and community issues. Spend more time
enriching your own minds, the minds of your children and
neighbours by discussing serious issues with them. Share
with them your own discoveries, discuss, be open to listen
to their views and form better and stronger convictions.
Unless and until Malaysians become more intelligent in
gathering, discriminating and forming ideas, our society
will remain backward and will be easily exploited (as we
have been for the last 50 odd years) by crafty politicians
out to enrich themselves, their families and their cronies!
Don’t be simple enough to believe that the opposition
parties can provide you with the solution. They might,
they might not. Evaluate them carefully too! Do not get
into a situation when you jump out of the frying pan into
the fire! Every person you vote for must have reached the
high standards you have placed on yourself and expect of
that person to provide! Make hopeful leaders realize that
unless they serve the people, they will not last!
God has gifted us with different talents.
Not all can do every task. Do what you feel God has
given you talent in and use it for the people.
In my twilight years, I should be sitting comfortably
looking after grandchildren and enjoying a simple mundane
life, but knowing that God has given me the talent to
communicate, I have spend literary hours reading and
writing so that my wonderful country can gradually change.
Do what you can and do it well and honestly.
The rewards may not be immediate, but any change you produce
by your own actions today, will have cumulative effects for
the future and will benefit those generations to come.
They will then look back in history and say,
“We are we are today, because of what our forefathers did.”
If we remain complacent today our future generations will
look back and curse us for putting them in a position
worst that the position we are now in (you know how bad a
position we are now in, don’t you?).
Doing your duty is not to be active politically.
It is not to have your articles read by all
Malaysian in the media. It is as simple as teaching
your children to grow up well, keeping your environment
clean and safe or telling off someone straight in that
person’s face that the person is doing something wrong!
Cooperating with the authorities (when they do things correctly)
to ensure that society benefits from their actions but
pointing out their shortcomings when they don’t perform
well are things every citizen must do.
Please don’t get me wrong. I am not an anarchist!
I respect the institution of a democratic system.
I respect the voices of my fellow people when they
have decided on who is to rule. I respect my constitution.
I accept decent (not draconian) laws passed for the good of
the people. I respect authorities (when they do not abuse
their powers like saying we cannot wear black!) and will
work with them for the benefit of our nation.
Finally, because you are a Malaysian, you live in Malaysia,
a land of diverse people, cultures, religions and sensitivities,
please understand each other more. Learn not merely to tolerate
but to appreciate and accept the differences because the
differences are what make us ONE unique nation. If we don’t
we cannot be strong and respected by other nations.
The story of the father who gave a stick for each son
to break and later a whole bunch of sticks tied together
is a wonderful illustration that all Malaysians must
understand and remember. Let us work as one unit,
one people, one nation to make Malaysia a wonderful
place to live in.
Thank you.
Yours truly,
Awekz: It's an opinion and readers are allow to give any
comments related to this letter...All are most welcome...
Thank you!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
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