Are we worth it?

TUESDAY 21 AUGUST 2007 THE STAR NII


History has a purpose.
We learn from its mistakes so that we may not repeat them.
We learn from its achievements so that we may emulate them.

For a nation that is now celebrating 50 years of Independence,
it pays to look back even as we move forward. If only to learn from the best.

And in the Father of Independence, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj, we had the best.

Along with the likes of Tunku Abdul Razak, Tun Dr.Ismail, Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Tun HS Lee, Tun VT Sambanthan, and a band of others, Tunku Abdul Rahman fought for independence from the British Empire in a way that all political crisis should be resolved - not by bloodshed, but by negotiation.

He and his fellow visionaries then laid the foundation for parliamentary democracy that has lasted till today.

This was a lifetime of hard work and sacrifices.

He never forgot to take into consideration the needs of the many. It was one thing to win independence. It was another to preserve it.

In ethnically-diverse Malaysia, this was never easy. But Tunku and his men succeeded where so many others have failed. He knew what divided people. So he united them. He knew communism would bring the nation to its knees. So he embraced democracy. He knew racial selfishness would be our undoing. So he asked for racial selfishness. He said:

"A prerequisite to independence is a willingness to sacrifice. We do not need to sacrifice our lives. Ours is a constitutional struggle and it only needs the sacrifice of racial selfishness."

In his later years, post-retirement, he continued to champion for unity. He said:"We are first and foremost, Malaysians. Everything else comes second."

Again practising what he preached, Tunku lived a life of selfless generosity. Who would have sold his own properties just to finance his own political party (United Malays National Organisation) in the struggle for independence?

If he had enriched anybody, it was us - the people of Malaysia. To us he gave the most precious thing of all. Freedom.

In the last public function that Tunku attended, he addressed rakyat in the midst of a heavy downpour. A man who had dedicated his life to his country could have asked for so many things in return. For his memories to be set in stone. For his deeds to be written in songs. For his statue to be erected. But he asked for nothing of the sort.

What he did ask for was as selfless and as meaningful as his life. On that fateful day in Sarawak, days before he died, in poor health but in great spirit, with tears coursing down his cheeks, he asked that we stand as one and be loyal to the country. He spoke from his wheelchair. But his vision was unimpaired. His spirit undefeated. His sincerity unmatched.

Here was Malaysia's first Prime Minister. Father of Independence. Prince of men. King of hearts. Asking nothing for himself. And everything for the people.

What a patriot. What a man. What a sacrifice. A sacrifice made together with those he unreservedly called his "brothers" and "sisters" for the country. For us.


After 50 years, it's time for us to look into the mirror and ask one simple but important question: Are we worth it?