An open letter written with open heart to Malaysia.
We are 47 years old as a nation. Much has been achieved but there is much more left. By the will of God, we came together, human beings from different geographies but of the same biology. We pledged by a solemn oath to share our future together as a nation of equals, all subject only to God and the rule of law.
Let us live true to that oath.
Much time has been wasted on how we are to divide the materialistic wealth of this nation amongst its people. I say ‘wasted’ because ironically, the majority of us purport to be believers of religions that urge us to focus on the hereafter, not on wealth and this world that is temporary. We display very little evidence of bearing the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness as a nation, despite our claim to be religious.
We need to change this. It is never too late.
It takes a small body of believers in a cause to alter the course of a nation. And I verily believe that we are not small in numbers, merely unaware of the true number of us who wish to stand united together, marching along in the path that we collectively desire for our nation and future.
We must refuse to be the enemy that we abhor.
If we regard racism as an enemy and we rightly should, we should never allow even an ounce of racism to persist within us; remember that a little yeast works through the entire dough. There are many common enemies we share – corruption, crime, discrimination and moral turpitude to name a few. The fastest way to eliminate these enemies is not to allow them to take root in our personal lives. Silence is not an option when things are ill done and we must speak up.
I believe and I urge you to believe, that this change we desire will come. It cannot be held back by the dams of parochial and selfish interests. Those who stand in the way of this change will not succeed. Change may be unsettling but it is a necessary pain; a prelude to genuine progress. Let us persevere and ensure that the means we use are just as pure as the ends we seek.
Happy Malaysia Day, my fellow Malaysians. What God has brought together, let no man put asunder.
LB: John Baptist must have been given his name to keep him out of mischief. The jury is still out on whether this has worked. He aims not to be consistent with what he has said in the past, but only with what his heart says is right in the present (works perfectly as an exclusion clause too!). He believes that he has been tarred with the same brush of imperfection as his fellow human beings, perhaps only more. He finds birds worth emulating-never gathering for the future, living only for the moment, ever ready at any occasion to sing gratefully to their Maker, building temporary homes sans foundation upon the earth and ever ready to take to the skies. He believes that we need to give up our wants so that others can have their needs. He wants an expansive, liberal and life-breathing Federal Constitution.