What’s the meaning of Independence to you my friend?
“Achieving Independence Day is just like a general toppling a tyrant. What story comes after the general has resumed power to be a benevolent leader or not is another narrative.”
Our Independence Day and Malaysia day are on August 31st and 15th September respectively every year. Two days of reminder to rekindle the Merdeka spirit in us.
We Malaysians may have liberated ourselves from the colonial shackles but the same incident of triumphing independence has shaped various versions of meanings to different generations across time.
Every generation takes in the meaning of Merdeka differently, some through exchanging fatal blows, some prorogate hard working lifestyle, some having a work-fun life balance but the question is what is Merdeka to you?
Meaning of Merdeka for various generations
Greatest Generation (1901 – 1945) and Baby Boomers (1946 – 1964)
For the Malaysian Greatest Generation and Baby Boomers, who have seen firsthand how was Malaysia pre-independence, experienced independence and were there witnessing the development of Malaysia.
These two generations, who single handedly captured police stations, killing a British officer with his pants down the river bank, who engaged in war and risked their lives to oust the outsiders, their meaning of independence was through the rough way.
Gen-X (1961 – 1980),
For the Malaysian Gen-X the Gen-X kids grew up when Malaysia’s economy was beginning to industrialize with labor driven, low-end manufacturing at a time when poverty rate was high, in 1970 was at 49%. The New Economic Policy aided the rakyat to improve in time, from having the poverty rate of 49% in 1970 to 17.1% in 1990.
The meaning of independence to Gen-X is no longer war and battles to be fought daily but might be the drive to achieve a better lifestyle.
Gen-Y (1981 – 1995),
For my generation, Malaysian Gen-Y the meaning of Merdeka has changed tremendously. We only learned about Merdeka through text books and Merdeka stories and urban legends from elders. We were brought up in the world when Malaysia was undergoing tremendous development. Malaysia’s economy became one of the champions in South East Asia in 1990s there the Gen-Y never experienced hardship, we were brought up in peace time.
We are the “Naruto & Dragon Ball Generation” I would call. Others would call a generation with “Maid syndrome” as many of us were brought up by maids when our Baby Boomer or Gen-X parents were busy working.
The oldest of the Gen-Y would be aged 34 meaning that, upon graduation, they have an experience of 10 years maximum working in any industry struggling to maintain a family of at least 3-4 Generation Alpha children. Gen-Y is fortunate to have their Gen-X pensioned parents to take care of their children no longer having the “maid syndrome.”
Our meaning of independence is in question as social media has made available contest of ideologies of various clans of thought. Thus the question gets even more complicated from the simple “meaning of Merdeka” to become why should you love your country, what kind of thought should be followed to be patriotic, and how should we show our patriotism?
We are growing up when house prices are ridiculous, inflation is rampant, social media are frustrating, traffic congestion are most distressing and we do not read.
Some of us do not even care about searching the meaning of Merdeka as our generation is a generation of “loans”: “student loan”, “car loan”, “housing loan” and even “personal loan” prior to marriage. We live to take loans and work to pay the loans back. Everyday our mentality is trained on how to earn more and more money to pay back the loans we took.
Gen-Z (1995 – 2009)
For the Malaysian Gen-Z, according to a survey by INTI International University and Colleges, they have branded them as “hyper-connected” generation of spending 8 hours a day on internet. These folks have high dreams maybe from witnessing their parents or from reading in internet as the survey says, from the 500 Zers interviewed, 75% regards as successful person as somebody earning high salary.
The meaning of Merdeka to them? Despite being a “Bieber Generation” maybe they have seen on social media the entire ideological struggle of Gen-Y but they have yet to begin critically analyzing it as they are still in school.
Generation Alpha (2010 – now)
For the newest addition to the family, the generation alpha are the children of Gen Yers yet to show any credible traits but one things for sure is that, they are the “iPad Generation”!
Merdeka to them is yet to be seen, as maybe, they only get to go to Merdeka celebration on their parents’ shoulders or just through the screen.
The Meaning of Independence to Me
I have seen that the rakyat are depressed with the Malaysian partisan politics and choose to be impartial not putting their thrust in any political parties.
I have seen the recent yellow versus red rally; one saw inclusiveness of many colors and the other saw a rally of racism with racial ridden remarks spurred throughout the rally. In fact, I have joined several rallies myself.
I want my country to embrace one race of many colors living peacefully. I don’t want the rakyat to be bothered by racial tensions, if a tension occurs coming from a certain race, it doesn’t represent that particular race entirely. The same goes to religion, extremists exist in any religion.
In the ending of Matlutfhi’s newest video “Short Story: Berdialog Dengan Orang Gua”, he wraps up my Merdeka meaning excellently and I quote:
“Eh Seng. If our plane crashes, which part of me will die first? The Malay part? The Muslim part? Or the Malaysian part?”
“All parts die. I also die.”
“Doesn’t that make us human beings first then?”
My Merdeka meaning is no longer the strife to achieve independence but maintaining, sustaining the independence that we have achieved. Just because “Malay” is in “Malaysia”, our Malaysia does not belong to one race only but it belongs to all.
Achieving Independence Day is just like a general toppling a tyrant. What story comes after the general has resumed power to be a benevolent leader or not is another narrative.
We need not one country, but a shared kind of love, shared thoughts and feelings and shared bond.
And no need for us to taint our Malaysia Day with a rally of racism.
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