Exploit the present to will a national identity — we have to think and act Malaysian first, while acknowledging that we are ethnically different.
THIS Merdeka Day marks the first celebration after a change of government three months back. The national coalition has bowed out after 61 years in office. The remarkable win by Pakatan Harapan has given us an anticipation of good things to come for the new Malaysia. As we revel in the present we need to press on towards the mark of nationhood.
First, our nation should go beyond race and creed to forge a national identity — but not of the Procrustean variety. To digress, Procrustes, in Greek mythology, was a robber who killed his victims in the most merciless and bizarre way. He made them lie on an iron bed. He would then force them to fit the bed by cutting off those parts of their body that extended out. If the victims were short, he would stretch them until they fitted the bed.
National identity is nothing like fitting the Procrustean bed. We do not want to ignore our individual differences. In some countries, for example, homogenisation of language and culture is all-embracing. Citizens have to even take on names endorsed by the dominant culture.
A recent poll of 15 countries by the Pew Research Centre, a think-tank, reveals that a common language is the most important factor of national identity. True, but speaking the national language alone will not count for national identity. Neither is national identity about brandishing a tech-enabled, world-class Malaysian passport.
France’s defeat at the Franco-Prussia war in 1871 caused Ernest Renan, a French historian, to contemplate what defines national identity. He considered a nation, in essence, as consisting of two parts — the past and the future. The “rich inheritance of memories” constitutes the past; the people’s will to build their public life together constitutes the present and future. This common will transcend race, colour, origin and religion.
Although it assumed a racial undertone at the turn of the 20th century, the German “volksgeist”, or national spirit, signifies a common set of mental, moral, and cultural traits.
Synthesising these conceptions, shaping a national identity requires of us an unrelenting will to forge a shared set of values upon the anvil of mutual respect for one another and for one another’s arts, languages and cultures. The Rukun Negara embodies much of what we consider to be shared values.
Paramahansa Yogananda, an Indian sage, once said: “Forget the past, for it is gone from your domain! Forget the future, for it is beyond your reach! Control the present! This is the way of the wise.” We should, therefore, exploit the present to will a national identity. We want to think and act Malaysian first while acknowledging that we are all ethnically different.
This national identity is still work in progress. It requires conscious daily exertion at it. Communal politics and extremism might nibble away at this identity. We just need to keep working at it ever harder. Our celebrations commemorating Merdeka should give us the motivation to persevere. If we can forge such an identity, it will be a lasting testament to our maturity as a nation.
Second, the purpose of politics is the protection of human rights and the promotion of equality. Politics should create an environment where individuals can develop their God-given talent to the full and live without discrimination of any kind. Our institutions should be pluralistic and inclusive. They should promote equality of opportunity and productive activity. Together, these should enlarge the economic pie that can be equitably shared as widely as possible across all communities. A government that cannot develop such institutions to improve its people’s livelihoods will soon lose its credibility and legitimacy to govern.
Third, we take sardonic delight in claiming that we have first-world infrastructure but a third-world mentality. That should make us work even harder at our civic mindsets. We need to spread goodwill and civic consciousness in schools, on the road and in the use of public facilities and amenities. We need to be slow to judge but quick to understand. God does not propose to judge us in the here and now. So, why should we?
Fourth, we need to redouble our efforts to save our environment to leave a sustainable economy for posterity. Just as we did while growing up, we want our children to fish and play in clean rivers. As our fathers did, we desire to fly kites with our children in green open spaces. And we yearn to see our children get about unchaperoned.
And so, as our nation celebrates its 61st anniversary, we must dedicate ourselves to fortifying our common will. As Tunku Abdul Rahman, our founding father, once said: “We are all Malaysians. That is the bond that unites us. Let us always remember that unity is our fundamental strength as a people and as a nation.”
Hitherto, the resolute determination and sacrifices of Malaysians have been a bulwark against the forces tearing at the seams of our pluralistic society. We have responded to the call of the wise Tunku: “We must each always think first of Malaysia, of the national need and least of ourselves … to make Malaysia — the land we love — a happy abode for all of us.”
Let us continue to do so. Happy Merdeka Day!
The writer, a former public servant, is a principal fellow at the Graduate School of Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.