LEST I FORGET

I choose to end this 'sort-off hurley-burly year 2009' on self reflections. While fellow bloggers around me are enjoying their new found medium to communicate effectively, while some taking advantage the new on-line media offers to  'championing issues', 'criticize' or ‘mudsling’ things not in their favours, I consoled myself on posting my thoughts. As an active blogger I refrained from using the new media ‘abusing others’, neither to further my self-interest promoting personal agendas.

I like to consider all of my ‘Blog Postings’ as assessments of some 'defining moments', reminiscences of my past growing up years.

I beg to differ on the notion ‘in order to be successful we should look forward and forget the past’. I believe it’s the past that launched the future. So was our beloved country’s 52 years Merdeka to date, that had positioned the nation sovereignty in the global sphere after more than 500 years colonised by the west.

Least to say, the nation had awakened from it’s ‘atrophy state’ - a long-lasting ‘slumber’.So were we, my family and all fellow citizen of this blessed country of ours.

I grew up in a humble family with meagre income. Father and Mother toiled the land to bring in enough food to feed my siblings. To the present day ratings - we were in the category of the ‘hardcore poor’. In fact most dwellers of my village fitted that billing.

I was 16 when this beloved country achieved its independence. For some 50 years on I had witnessed the country undergoing massive changes. The big paradigm shift had spurred the country as a successful developing nation with a legacy of good governance in place. We applaud the sacrifices of our independent fathers and the excellent work of our visionary leaders. By now all good citizens should adhere to the notion Malaysia is on the right path to being a fully developed nation. We could be if we are focus and synergized our efforts unconditionally.

I remember, during the pre- and post-Merdeka periods the nation was under siege and threats of communist insurgencies. Early fiscal development saw the nation having to burden the heavy cost of national security and people’s freedom to go about their daily chores. Eradication of poverty was the core agenda of the newly self-ruled Federation of Malaya. Proper national policy was put in place prioritising on matters of national as well regional interest. The early goings was not easy, as the severity aggression of Communist Malaya guerrilla warfare, amidst threats of Indonesian confrontations on the formation of Malaysia had the country’s sovereignty put to test.

God willing Malaysia had survived as an independent and a democratic nation. I chanced witnessing 13 free General Elections. Also as public servant for 35 years I was on dutycallsto most of them. Till the 13^th General Election early March this year as a citizen of a free democratic nation, I ardently fulfilled my duty by going to the poll, casting my votes without fear or favour.

Borned during the Japanese Occupations of 1941-1945, brought up during colonial administration, Merdeka means a lot to me. Growing up as a Kampong Boy, and pursued a lasting career as a public servant for 35 years on – a fulfillment of a citizen’s dream to serve his newly independent nation.

For some 52 years of Merdeka, our leaders had put in place a solid social development premise for the nation to progress. We the people have to collectively brave the odds. The future is for us to follow through.

So is the new leadership’s war cry of ‘One Malaysia’ calling on the 'rakyat' to lead this country together as one nation. We are ‘rakyat’ of multi ethnics, religions and cultures. As ‘rakyat’ our co-existence built on solidarity in diversity is inherent to Malaysia as an exemplary unique nation on the global stage.

50+ years of self-ruled had transformed our beloved country from scarcity to plenty. It has become a land of opportunities widely sought after by many.

However the new millennium has brought in massive paradigm societal changes to fellow Malaysian. We are now bracing an era of information explosion of the digital age. We become dwellers of a global village and citizen of border less world. Technological advancements have influenced our self-beings. Information technology has reached its prime role as self dependent media within everybody’s reached. Personal privacy has no legitimate owing; we are now akin living in glass houses.

We are also of the opinion that our generations are of the lucky lots, not realizing we may be blinded by the massive on-slough of 'negative influences' via mass connectivity at the control of the fingers.

At of this very moment while we are all engrossed on the count-down heralding the New Year 2010 a decade has passed since we crossed the threshold to the New Millennium, a new age of IT Transformation.

For the fact that we had become technologically savvy, we ardently advocate affluent livings as parameters of the well developed.

Do we?

This old saying aptly could be a guiding star for our future endeavors: “Once you decide to follow an uncharted route, it will lead you to another and another, and finally to many others. So behold your right destination, before you decide to take on one.”

That's All Folks. Happy New Year.

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