I visited the tourist attractions in Edinburgh and the prevailing thought in my mind was that Edinburgh was the place in the past few hundred years where history was made, but now tourists visit Edinburgh to “see history” instead of “making history”.
Have Malaysia reached a stage where history-making is a thing of the past and we are doomed to fail to become a role model of the world of inter-ethnic, inter-religious, inter-cultural and inter-civilisation dialogue, understanding, tolerance and harmony – destined to be one of history’s failures, using Bapa Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman’s own words, failing to become “a beacon of hope in a difficult and distracted world”?
I call for a conference of political parties, NGOs and NGIs on how to ensure Malaysia can rise up again to become a great world-class nation and avoid the fate of one of history’s failures – to become a divided, failed and kleptocratic state!
We have been on the national decline in the last quarter of a century. Do we have the wherewithal in our political, economic, educational, social and cultural systems and institutions to save Malaysia from being one history’s failures?
I think we have such a capability but it must be an effort by all Malaysians, regardless ethnicity, religion, culture or region.
The strongest sign of the national decline in the past quarter of a century is that we have a Member of Parliament who holds a PhD qualification but who is totally “media illiterate”, who cannot distinguish right from wrong, lies, falsehoods and fake news from truth and fact.
Is this the sign of the times?
We must do our utmost to oppose such a tendency, but it must be a Malaysian effort, not based on any ethnicity, religion or culture.