There's a guy, named Fahmi, a friend of mine. He requested to put his Merdeka Day thought in this blog. I invited him to be one of the contributors but he was reluctant to be one. So Fahmi.... Behold! ye request is answered!
What Merdeka means to me.... by Fahmi Mohd Fadzillah
The 31st of August 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of our nation's independence. It is the day we as Malaysians remember the struggles of our forefathers to give us the gift of freedom. Throughout the country, people congregate and wait for the stroke of midnight to shout the magic word "Merdeka!" as we celebrate our freedom. What is freedom? Freedom means a lot of different things to different people. Some see it as their right and others perceive it as their privilege. If freedom is a right, therefore everybody deserves to have. However, do thieves, murderers and rapists deserve freedom? Some of this "humans" don't deserve even life. Therefore this means freedom is not a right because not everybody deserves it. If it is not a right, is it a privilege? If it is a privilege, only a select few can have it. Would freedom still be what it is if it is only enjoyed by certain people? To me freedom is neither a right nor a privilege. Freedom is a responsibility. It is a responsibility to choose what is right and what is wrong. To have freedom means to have the moral obligation to decide to do the right thing. This is a big responsibility. That is why during the early years leading to our independence, there were people among Malaysians who were sceptical about whether we can achieve Merdeka. They may have had many reasons. Perhaps some of them were afraid. To some people, it is easier to do what they are told to do than to figure out what to do by themselves. These are people whose minds and souls are still not independent. They do not have the courage to decide what is right for themselves, their family, their people and their country. Our forefathers fought for independence not just for us to live free. They fought for independence so that we can decide the future of our people. What they have done is to give us the responsibility to determine our destiny and not let a bunch of invading colonials dictate our lives. To honour their sacrifice, we the people of Malaysia, regardless of culture or religion, should always have the courage to take hold of this responsibility that they have fought so hard to get. Whether we achieve greatness or fall in our stride, we must have the responsibility to do it as one people, Malaysians. Even if we stumble along the way, it is our responsibility to pick ourselves up and keep our heads held up high as one people, Malaysians. That is our responsibility. That is what freedoms means to me. That is what Merdeka means to me.
What Merdeka means to me.... by Fahmi Mohd Fadzillah
The 31st of August 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of our nation's independence. It is the day we as Malaysians remember the struggles of our forefathers to give us the gift of freedom. Throughout the country, people congregate and wait for the stroke of midnight to shout the magic word "Merdeka!" as we celebrate our freedom. What is freedom? Freedom means a lot of different things to different people. Some see it as their right and others perceive it as their privilege. If freedom is a right, therefore everybody deserves to have. However, do thieves, murderers and rapists deserve freedom? Some of this "humans" don't deserve even life. Therefore this means freedom is not a right because not everybody deserves it. If it is not a right, is it a privilege? If it is a privilege, only a select few can have it. Would freedom still be what it is if it is only enjoyed by certain people? To me freedom is neither a right nor a privilege. Freedom is a responsibility. It is a responsibility to choose what is right and what is wrong. To have freedom means to have the moral obligation to decide to do the right thing. This is a big responsibility. That is why during the early years leading to our independence, there were people among Malaysians who were sceptical about whether we can achieve Merdeka. They may have had many reasons. Perhaps some of them were afraid. To some people, it is easier to do what they are told to do than to figure out what to do by themselves. These are people whose minds and souls are still not independent. They do not have the courage to decide what is right for themselves, their family, their people and their country. Our forefathers fought for independence not just for us to live free. They fought for independence so that we can decide the future of our people. What they have done is to give us the responsibility to determine our destiny and not let a bunch of invading colonials dictate our lives. To honour their sacrifice, we the people of Malaysia, regardless of culture or religion, should always have the courage to take hold of this responsibility that they have fought so hard to get. Whether we achieve greatness or fall in our stride, we must have the responsibility to do it as one people, Malaysians. Even if we stumble along the way, it is our responsibility to pick ourselves up and keep our heads held up high as one people, Malaysians. That is our responsibility. That is what freedoms means to me. That is what Merdeka means to me.
