Lagi dua hari kita akan menyambut ulang tahun kemerdekaan yang ke 50. 31 August 1957, 50 tahun dahulu kita mencapai kemerdekaan, negara bebas dari penjajahan British. Sudah tiba masanya kita mengimbau kembali pencapaian negara amnya, dan kita sebagai rakyat Malaysia khususnya selama 50 tahun ini. Banyak yang kita telah capai sehingga kini. Pembangunan infrastruktur yang pesat di negara kita menjadikan Malaysia antara negara yang paling pesat membangun. Jika dibandingkan dengan negara Ghana yang memcapai kemerdekaannya pada masa yang sama dengan kita, kita sudah jauh dari segi pembangunan prasana, infrastruktur dan fizikal.
Kita mempunyai jalan raya yang antara terbaik di dunia, bangunan antara yang tertinggi di dunia, terowong banjir pertama di dunia. Kita bangga dengan kejayaan kita membina Putrajaya dan Cyberjaya, Menara Berkembar Petronas (KLCC), Litar Lumba Sepang, Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) dan sebagainya. Bolehlah disimpulkan dari segi pembangunan fizikal, banyak yang telah dicapai oleh negara kita dan ia adalah sesuatu yang patut dibanggakan. Bukan sahaja pembangunan fizikal negara, fizikal rakyat Malaysia secara amnya juga bertambah pesat.
Di dalam laporan Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu baru-baru ini, Malaysia merupakan antara negara tertinggi di Asia kadar obesiti ataupun kegemukannya. 59% rakyat Malaysia mengunjungi restoran makanan segera sebanyak sekali atau lebih dalam seminggu, jika dibandingkan dengan cuma 35% rakyat Amerika dan 11% rakyat Eropah, memetik kajian oleh AC Nielsen’s Consumer Confidence and Opionion Survey. Dalam kajian tersebut didapati 98% rakayat Malaysia makan di restoran makanan segera. Cuma rakyat Filipina mengunjungi restoran makanan segera lebih kerap berbanding kita. Satu pencapaian yang tidak kurang hebatnya, sekurang-kurangnya kita tidak melupakan semua aspek pembangunan ‘fizikal’ di negara ini.
Apakah erti ulangtahun kemerdekaan yang ke-50 kali ini? Jika bagi seorang manusia, usia ini selalunya dikaitkan dengan kematangan, berfikiran terbuka, mempunyai pengalaman yang cukup dalam menempuh cabaran. Seharusnya begitu, dalam usia yang setengah abad sebegitu. Namun begitu , apakah kita sebagai rakyat Malaysia dalam negara kita menyambut jubli emasnya telah cukup matang?
Adakah kita semua tanpa mengira bangsa keturunan, agama, muda tua, miskin kaya, parti politik bersama-sama bergembira menantikan datangnya hari bersejarah 31 Ogos? Adakah kita masih mengamalkan semangat perpaduan yang erat, toleransi antara kaum seperti mana yang ditunjukkan 50 tahun dahulu oleh bapa-bapa kemerdekaan kita? Berjayakah kita memupuk semangat perpaduan, keharmonian dan toleransi ini kepada generasi muda kita?
Sepatutnya, pada ulang tahun yang ke-50 ini, setiap rakyat tanpa mengira pangkat, umur, bangsa, agama, peringkat umur ataupun fahaman politik bersiap sedia dengan penuh kegembiraan, bersyukur dan berterima kasih kerana Malaysia masih utuh perpaduannya, ekonominya berkembang pesat, tidak ditimpa malapetaka dan bencana besar seperti sesetengah negara. Itu yang sepatutnya berlaku, akan tetapi memandang kepada situasi masa kini, nampaknya kita semakin jauh daripada apa yang telah menyatukan kita dan membolehkan kita memperolehi kemerdekaan daripadah penjajahan suatu ketika dahulu.
Akhir-akhir ini, jika diperhatikan yang kita boleh melihat perpaduan antara kaum yang semakin rapuh. Masing-masing masih curiga antara satu sama lain. Bagi saya, pada hari ini, kita semakin terasing antara satu sama lain. Yang Melayunya semakin Melayu, yang Cinanya Semakin Cina, dan yang India semakin India. Semuanya masih dalam kelompok kaum sendiri. Orang Melayu masih sibuk memperkatakan hak keistimewaan orang Melayu dan Bumiputera, mempertikaikan kesetiaan kaum lain. Orang Cina masih menganggap mereka sebagai warganegara kelas dua, takut kebudayaan dan kepentingan orang Cina akan hilang dan orang India masih mendakwa mereka dipinggirkan dalam semua perkara.
Malah, kita masih sibuk membicarakan isu-isu yang melibatkan kaum tertentu. Antaranya isu menjulang keris oleh Hishammuddin, isu lagu negaraku oleh seorang pelajar Cina di luar negara yang akhirnya menjadi isu kesetiaan kaum tertentu terhadap negara, isu pemilikan ekonomi dan sebagainya. Boleh disimpulkan akhir-akhir ini, setiap isu yang dibicarakan akhirnya akan dikaitkan dengan kaum. Semakin menebal perkauman dalam masyarakat Malaysia masa kini nampaknya. Isu dadah, isu mat rempit, isu mengibarkan bendera, isu babi, ada saja individu yang sungguh pandai mengaitkannya dan menjadikanya isu perkauman.
Ahli-ahli politik pula menidakkan apa yang berlaku di dalam masyarakat dan berkeras mengatakan perpaduan antara kaum masih erat dan sebagainya. Sungguh naif, apakah mereka pernah melawat universiti- universiti dan institut-institut pengajian dan melihat sendiri bagaimana generasi muda kita berinteraksi antara satu sama lain?
Sungguh lucu, tempoh hari saya bersama dua rakan berborak mengenai isu ini dan salah seorang rakan memberitahu bagaimana diadakan Sukan Antara Kaum untuk mengeratkan hubungan kaum akan tetapi, di padang bola, cuma kaum Melayu bermain bola antara mereka, kaum Cina bermain bola keranjang dan badminton, Kaum India bermain hoki. Di manakah perpaduan kaum yang hendak ditunjukkan?
Saya masih ingat, ketika belajar di sekolah rendah dan sekolah menengah, tidak ada jurang antara kaum. Malah ramai rakan-rakan saya pada masa itu berlainan kaum. Kami saling ejek mengejek antara satu sama lain, bergaduh namun ianya habis di situ dan sehingga kini saya masih bertanya khabar berita, bertemu dan duduk semeja. Namun, setelah saya ke universiti, di situ saya dapat lihat dengan jelasnya di mana orang Melayu duduk, makan, main dengan orang Melayu. Orang Cina dan India juga sebegitu. Mengapa? Setelah habis pengajian, kini bekerja, situasi masih sebegitu. Mengapa? Salah siapa?
Lihatlah di sekeliling anda dan buatlah kesimpulan sendiri.Adakah kita semakin ke depan, ataupun kita semakin ke belakang. Semakin matang sebagai rakyat Malaysia yang boleh tidak memandang warna kulit, asal keturunan dan agama ataupun sebagai berpecah belah dengan masing-masing sibuk memperjuangkan hak kaum masing-masing?
Lupakah kita mampu beroleh kemerdekaan ini pada 1957 adalah dengan adanya perpaduan yang amat erat antara orang Melayu, Cina dan India serta semua kaum ketika itu? Kita cuma kunjung-mengunjungi ketika Hari Raya, Tahun Baru Cina, Deepavali dan kemudiannya balik kepada keadaan asal. Terfikir juga saya apakah kita saling kunjung-mengunjungi adalah kerana makanan yang dihidangkan? Maklumlah orang Malaysia amat taksub dengan makanan Oh, dan ketika bulan kemerdekaan tiba, barulah semua pemimpin politik berucap dengan penuh retoriknya, menekankan kita harus bersatu padu bla bla bla.. Dan bila tiba perhimpunan agung parti, mereka kembali berucap berapi-api kononnya memperjuangkan hak, mempertahankan maruah bangsa. Hampeh!..
Dalam era dunia tanpa sempadan, era globalisasi ini, seharusnya kita bersatu padu sebagai satu entiti, satu bangsa Malaysia untuk menempatkan negara kita di mata dunia. Bukannya berebut-berebut sesama kita sendiri, sibuk memperjuangkan isu pegangan ekonomi antara kaum sedangkan lebih banyak yang boleh kita perolehi sekiranya kita sebagai satu bangsa Malaysia memperjuangkan pegangan ekonomi Malaysia dalam dunia ini. Malaysia kaya dengan sumber galiannya, tanah yang subur, cuaca yang baik, rakyatnya yang rata-rata berpelajaran. Akan tetapi kita masih tidak mempunyai impak dalam ekonomi dunia, bahkan dalam Asia. Thailand, Vietnam dan Myammar, yang dulunya jauh di belakang telah mengorak langkah meninggalkan kita.
Tidak lama dahulu, Malaysia tidak jauh ketinggalan berbanding negara seperti Jepun, tetapi sekarang? Kita yang memulakan idea Koridor Raya Multimedia (MSC) tapi di manakah kita sekarang? Industri kereta kita telah lebih 20 tahun, masih begitu lagi? Bolasepak kita, antara gergasi Asia satu masa dahulu, kini langsung tidak dipandang. Selagi kita masih bercakaran antara satu sama lain, Malaysia akan ketinggalan, dan realitinya kita agak lambat berbanding negara-negara jiran. Jika bukan kerana ketidakstabilan politik di Indonesia, Thailand dan Filipina, barangkali kita sudah amat jauh ditinggalkan.
Fikirkanlah, apakah kita telah cukup matang, berfikiran terbuka, lebih toleransi dan perpaduan antara kita semakin erat dalam negara kita mencapai ulang tahun kemerdekaan ke-50 ini? Selamat Menyambut Hari Kemerdekaan yang ke-50!
I have been tagged by drumsticks the other day. Here it goes.. (I copied Cibol’s style.. for me so lazy and dumb to think of things right now… haha! Sorry dude, plagiarism Oh ya Mar, your tag.. tunggu dulu lah.. what’s the tag again? haha!)
Here are the rules:
1. Each blogger must post these rules up first.
2. Each blogger starts with eight things about them that they think people don’t really know
3. Bloggers that are tagged need to respond to the tag through their own blog. At the end of your post, you need to choose eight people to be tagged.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’ve been tagged, and read your blog.
8 Things That I Think You Don’t Really Know About Me
1. I share the same birthday with Mark Twain (author), Sir Winston Churchill (British Prime Minister), Steven Spielberg (filmmaker) (Ridley Scott (film director), Kurt Angle (wrestler) Ben Stiller (actor), Brad Pitt (actor), Britnet Spears (singer) and Elisha Cuthbert!! (Oh she was born in 1982 as well.. muahahaha) Er, 30 November is also Independent Day for Barbados. I’m a Sagittarian and you know what people said about Sagittarius….yeah right
General features
A typical Sagittarius has a bright, sunny disposition and an almost incurable sense of optimism regarding the future. You are good natured, irrepressible sense of fun and an inspiring spiritual side. The Sagittarius carries the sense of being in a state of divine grace, at one with the universe. In unfavorable situations, you are impatient, have the fear of responsibility, self-indulgent, fanaticism and refuse to grow up. You also have the tendency to get addicted to gambling. Those born under this sign are characterized by optimism, aspiration, inspiration, enthusiasm and expansiveness.
A Sagittarius has a positive outlook on life, are full of enterprise, energy, versatility, adventurousness and eagerness to extend the experience as much as possible. You enjoy traveling and exploration. You are honorable, honest, trustworthy, truthful, generous and sincere with a passion of justice. Sagittarius not a diplomatic sign like Libra and Scorpio, Sagittarius likes to tell people more than they may want to know, or are ready to hear. Like the other fire signs, Sagittarius enjoys the outdoors. You are usually modest and are often religious with a strong sense of morality. You are strong-willed and good at organizing, a combination that gives you the ability to bring any project to a successful conclusion.
Positive Traits
• Optimistic and freedom-loving
• Jovial and good-humored
• Honest and straightforward
• Intellectual and philosophical
Negative Traits
• Blindly optimistic and careless
• Irresponsible and superficial
• Tactless and restless
Sagittarius Likes: unlimited freedom, alternative or unusual ideas, being on the move all the time, plentiful food and drink, perfumes and beauty aids of any kind, gambling, raffles and lotteries, and recreational flirting with those aforementioned people.
Sagittarius Dislikes: disapproval of others, inclined to keep in the end, being too safe, secure, or confined, administrative details, and above all having their basic honesty doubted by others for any unmerited reason.
2. I cannot swim. Yes.. I can’t, I try but I still suck at it. But I can dive.. so what? I cannot swim but I still took up kayaking for my extra curricular subject during my uni time. Muahaha!! Yes, I flipped myself into the water at Sungai Tebrau during an kayaking expedition but with the life jacket on.. nothing to afraid.. hehe!
3. I may be a damn good barber/hair stylist if I had choosed it as a profession.. I used to cut hair for hostel friends and man, I hate Tuesday night back then. Because on Wednesday morning we would have school assembly and after the assembly students would get checked for long nails.. shirts.. hairs.. bla bla shits you will undergo as a student.
So typically on Tuesday night I would be busy cutting head hair. Huge demand.. normal la, where to find a handsome, suave and skillful barber at hostel.. if not me muahaha! Sometimes I went hiding because I felt boring doing it.. And I especially hate this one friend.. every one or two weeks he would want a hair cut. Fark.. so much hair to cut meh?? (I think you know the guy yeah Cibol? Hehe.. Abang ‘hensem’ itu la….)
4. I love reading. The thicker, the more complicated the storyline, twists here and there the more I like it. Sci fi, thriller, crime, courtroom, political novels are some of the genre I love most. Normally when travelling I will get myself a book to read during the journey, waiting at airport, while in bus to kill time. I pretty much read everything actually not just books and novels…. Oh, I read Cleo as well..
5. I played guitar for Inter School Christian Fellowship (ISCF) service back then when I was studying in Kolej T.D.T.H Bujang. And I never step into a church since I went to uni, until now. I consider myself an free thinker. But I do believe in the existence of higher power out there.. A liberal maybe? I don’t give a crap with the classifications, liberal, leftist, radical, ultra.. The only thing I will say is everything that I do I answer only to HIM, no anyone else. And if He’s really there.. He will understand for He knows it all.. Right? This may sound offending to some of you reading this, I am sorry. My bad, my limited lingual capability and apprehension that worded it in such a way that it may be offending to you.
6. My favourite snacks are : Mister Potato potato chips, Dahfa dried fish, MIMI prawn flavoured snack, Spicy Brood Peas, WISE Cottage Fries Tomato flavoured potato chips. Hehe.. I don’t mind getting it on my birthday.. Haha!
7. I am a tv freak. Or movie freak? Just that day a friend came from Johor, stayed at my house commented, wah you really watch 3 dvds straight from lunch time till now? (It was dinner time when he asked..) I can spend my whole day.. maybe weeks flipping the channel. Lol even with just 5 channels on tv my ass is glued to the couch. What more if Astro… What a boring guy heh? Or easy to please.. haha! Some of the movies that I consider my favourites.. Fight Club, Se7en, The Green Mile, The Last of the Mohicans, Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump, There’s Something About Mary, The Shawshank Redemption, Remember The Titans, The Silence of the Lambs.. there are more.. but guess that’s enough for now
8. My favourite song currently is Hey There Delilah by Plain White T’s..
“Hey There Delilah”
Hey there Delilah
What’s it like in New York City?
I’m a thousand miles away
But girl tonight you look so pretty
Yes you do
Times Square can’t shine as bright as you
I swear it’s true
Hey there Delilah
Don’t you worry about the distance
I’m right there if you get lonely
Give this song another listen
Close your eyes
Listen to my voice it’s my disguise
I’m by your side
Oh it’s what you do to me
Oh it’s what you do to me
Oh it’s what you do to me
Oh it’s what you do to me
What you do to me
Hey there Delilah
I know times are getting hard
But just believe me girl
Someday I’ll pay the bills with this guitar
We’ll have it good
We’ll have the life we knew we would
My word is good
Hey there Delilah
I’ve got so much left to say
If every simple song I wrote to you
Would take your breath away
I’d write it all
Even more in love with me you’d fall
We’d have it all
Oh it’s what you do to me
Oh it’s what you do to me
Oh it’s what you do to me
Oh it’s what you do to me
A thousand miles seems pretty far
But they’ve got planes and trains and cars
I’d walk to you if I had no other way
Our friends would all make fun of us
and we’ll just laugh along because we know
That none of them have felt this way
Delilah I can promise you
That by the time we get through
The world will never ever be the same
And you’re to blame
Hey there Delilah
You be good and don’t you miss me
Two more years and you’ll be done with school
And I’ll be making history like I do
You’ll know it’s all because of you
We can do whatever we want to
Hey there Delilah here’s to you
This ones for you
Oh it’s what you do to me
Oh it’s what you do to me
Oh it’s what you do to me
Oh it’s what you do to me
What you do to me.
I received a sms from a friend yesterday afternoon…
‘life is so fragile n filled with unexpectancy…. dear bros and siss… live everyday as if its ur last day… live 2 de fullest of life 4 u n ur Love ones!!’
I thought it was just another forwarded sms although sounded a bit weird coming from that friend, so I disregard it and do my own things… And last night, I checked my phone there was a missed call from another friend who tried to call me around 1am. I was driving back from cyberia and serdang after sending cibol and rory, so I thought oh nothing lah.. tomorrow morning I will call him back. And this morning I received a shocking news. A good friend of us was found dead, believed to be slashed and repeatedly assaulted yesterday morning. I couldn’t believe him and I kept asking him “Is this for real? Not some kind of sick joke you guys are playing right?”
Man, I just talked to the guy last Sunday. And still smsed him on Monday and Tuesday asking for some price quotations. We always had our dinner together. He was staying alone and I hate eating outside alone so most of the time I just ‘tapao’ but he always asked me to join him for dinner so we could chit chat, crap about life.. friends.. future plans.. And now he’s gone forever… May his soul be blessed.. I miss you dude
Let us learn to appreciate life and people around us more often. They say you don’t appreciate what you have until you no longer have it. How true.. Many times we don’t appreciate things and people until they are no longer a part of our lives. When we are in need, it is easy to get all religious(pray like never before), make promises, all in the name of getting our need satisfied. But, do we remember to show appreciation to those who help solve our needs? No matter how happy you get, never forget to be gratefully to those who made it happen, those who make you smile, those who challenged you to grow. You never know when they wont be around anymore. It cant be too early to show appreciation but can be too late.
“Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you.
Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it.” Ralph Marston
I was flipping through today’s NST when I saw this. On Prime News section page 6:
‘No plan to call student back’
Check out the last paragraph.
‘Namawee was also said to have given the impression that the police force was corrupt and civil servants were slow in serving the people.‘Well, is that new for you? He just echoed what we said all this while. Ask any Malaysians out there. Go to the street, I bet my ass they share the same opinion. Oh, actually I think he did make a mistake. It should be ‘the police force IS corrupt and civil servants ARE slow in serving the people AND JUST AS CORRUPT. Right? Don’t you think so? Don’t Cha?
p/s: man.. I am thinking to do a satirical Don’t Cha song about things Malaysians talk about all the time… but of course I am just not that talented as that Muar guy, so I spare you guys…
updated : Those of you that simply joining in for some bashing, go here for some reading. Do you really understand what his song about? Negaruku bashing? Come on… Which part of his song? Negaraku-ku? Hmm…. I wonder if I am a big fan of Felix Mendelssohn song’s Mamula Moon and I sing it out loud.. consider insulting ke?
“I am mentally healthy, I have no injuriesand I will not commit suicide,” - Must let all friends, family know about this, to be safe :D 2 days ago
Namawee: “I am mentally healthy, I have no injuries and I will not commit suicide,” http://bit.ly/bSVUGD <-- hahaha! cheeky fella. 2 days ago
What say U? @NajibRazak RT @timmysay: Pn. Siti Insyak shud b given d same coverage as Namawee. A TASK FORCE shd b established to investigate 2 days ago
Jack Bauer! Huarghhh!! Chuck Norris is tough, but Jack Bauer is tougher. No one crosses Jack Bauer and lives.. 2 days ago
LadyBird: by looking at a glance on the road condition (based on the picture), it is much better as compared to miri-bakong road.... on The curse of the ’signboard’.
Oh, dan ketika bulan kemerdekaan tiba, barulah semua pemimpin politik berucap dengan penuh retoriknya, menekankan kita harus bersatu padu bla bla bla.. Dan bila tiba perhimpunan agung parti, mereka kembali berucap berapi-api kononnya memperjuangkan hak, mempertahankan maruah bangsa. Hampeh!..
This may sound offending to some of you reading this, I am sorry. My bad, my limited lingual capability and apprehension that worded it in such a way that it may be offending to you.
