Focus Focus: Malaysia Kita

Middle of this month marks 44 years since the beginning of the Malaysia Project. The project began as an attempt at unification that was meant to propel the parties involved (consisting of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore) into a new stage of nation-building beyond the authoritarian clutches of British colonialism. Pushed by the cries of Malaya's independence in 1957, the other parties to the project believed that Merdeka could be theirs too.

And so on 16 September 1963, much to the protests and contestations of the other fledgling independent nations in the region, and still in a state of emergency since 1948 due to communist insurrection in Malaya, Malaysia was born.

Such a harmonious dream, she was thought to be.

Unfortunately, dreams don't last forever – at least so long as you don't work at it to make sure it becomes reality. Barely two years after Malaysia's formation, Singapore seceded (or was asked/forced to, depending on which politician you have a brandy with). In 1969, just six years after her birth, Malaysia was confronted by a tragedy that reflected a catastrophic failure in social mediation: bloody communal riots (or political coup d’etat, depending on which “almost banned” book you’re reading).

In 1974, 11 years after Malaysia's birth, University Malaya students spearheaded the political takeover of campuses away from university bureaucrats. The source of their grievance? National economic disparity: many rural farmers  had fallen into hardcore poverty because of plummeting rubber prices, though queerly many members of Parliament received payrises. Soon after, the Universities and University Colleges Act (AUKU) was instituted. The Malaysian student movement has been hobbling ever since. Last time we checked it was lost on the way to the ICU.

Fast forward to 1987. In the midst of a calamitous economic year, over a hundred figures were arrested – many detained under the draconian Internal Security Act – and three newspapers had their printing licenses revoked and thus were forced to shut under the ominous aegis of Operasi Lalang. (Another coup d’etat?)

1988. Twenty five years down the road of nationhood—the principal political party of the principal party alliance was deemed illegal by Malaysian courts. This then led to a Machiavellian precedent: the removal of the Lord President and several other senior judges. The country lost its judiciary arm, last seen stuffed and mounted on the wall of a retired PM’s study. Thereafter, appointments to the supreme court come attached with strings.

1990. The anunciation of Wawasan 2020. (Thirteen more years to the Golden Age, everyone! Have you bought your keris yet?)

1997. The Asian financial crisis, brought about by unscrupulous currency trading, leads the entire region into economic turmoil. A year later, 41 years after Malaya's independence and 35 years after Malaysia's birth, PM and deputy would first deny a rift, and then acknowledge their political differences. This led to massive street protests, calls for reform, a big black eye and a stained mattress. In the ensuing trial, Malaysians get to learn all about “sodomy” and “prostate massage.”

Thirty-seven years after Malaysia's formation, the principal political front encounters a major setback in popular support, due to the aforementioned incident. Four years later, in 2003, the same political front would recover—headed by a new steward. (Peace and prosperity for everyone?)

Fifty years since Malaya's independence, 44 years since Malaysia's birth, and on the brink of our 12th general elections, and we continue to celebrate the mythology of Malaysia.

Our roads are suddenly tarred again, mega-projects (and mega-regions) and huge economic benefits are announced, and the purses of civil servants and the police are made that much fuller. A Malaysian astronaut, our outerspace pioneer, will soon find himself further from home than any Malaysian has ever been.

But KL's tarred roads are still jammed, bloggers are the new national threat, and you can't interpret the national anthem in song or on a cake. The residents of Kampung Berembang, among the pioneers of our city, find that there is only so much kampung that the city can take.

Thank you for reading this; it means that you're still here. Let's stay and make Malaysia more than just a dream. But where to begin? With a clear and ever-expanding sense of our history, and with that, the understanding that Malaysia's future is ours to forge.

Selamat Hari Malaysia, negaraku.

TEXT FAHMI FADZIL PHOTO SYED SHARBINI RAFIE