Yesterday was Sarawak's independence day from colonial rule.
Many people have blogged about it and many more have bitched about it.
Yet, how many have done anything about it?
I know many Sarawakians who are in position to make changes. Some, like my father, actually fought battles to keep that independence, so now he is making changes from the inside. Because of him, many rural areas now have better facilities than even the people in town. He is, even now, fighting to maintain his voice in Parliament and around the world. He speaks endlessly of improving things in Sarawak and righting the wrong that's be done to us.
But there are many more Sarawakians who boast and talk big but do very little. If we believe so much about what we say, why don't we do something about it? It does not have to be a big thing. We can start small. I usually insert a little of Sarawak's history whenever I'm teaching my students. They're all international students but they've learnt a lot about Sarawak through my classes. They've also learnt to be open-minded and not be scared to tell their side of the story. They're Indonesians and they used to be so scared to talk about the Konfrantasi. But now, we discuss it openly. I talk to the foreign teachers in my school about our history. My Australian colleague has a lot of admiration for our history and our Sarawakian warriors.
Where are the Sarawakians who can make the changes from where they are at? Why are they just talking and not doing? If we're scared of Goverment retaliation, who says what we do must be harsh or like a revolution? After all, Sarawak contributes millions, if not billions, to Malaysia's GDP and exports. Why don't we see that money? Maybe we should ask our Sarawak Ministers that question. But asking them will most definitely get us into trouble under ISA and all that.
Anyway, if we want people to know what Sarawak has contributed, maybe we should change our education system. We have many Sarawakians in power in the education sector. Why have they done nothing? Why do they keep quiet? They don't have to yell out their allegiance. They just have to say something and not just be the yes-men. We can stay polite and cultured but we can do that even while standing our ground.
Not all battles need to be won on the battlefield. Some just need to be won in our hearts and minds. And people wonder why History is so important.
Many people have blogged about it and many more have bitched about it.
Yet, how many have done anything about it?
I know many Sarawakians who are in position to make changes. Some, like my father, actually fought battles to keep that independence, so now he is making changes from the inside. Because of him, many rural areas now have better facilities than even the people in town. He is, even now, fighting to maintain his voice in Parliament and around the world. He speaks endlessly of improving things in Sarawak and righting the wrong that's be done to us.
But there are many more Sarawakians who boast and talk big but do very little. If we believe so much about what we say, why don't we do something about it? It does not have to be a big thing. We can start small. I usually insert a little of Sarawak's history whenever I'm teaching my students. They're all international students but they've learnt a lot about Sarawak through my classes. They've also learnt to be open-minded and not be scared to tell their side of the story. They're Indonesians and they used to be so scared to talk about the Konfrantasi. But now, we discuss it openly. I talk to the foreign teachers in my school about our history. My Australian colleague has a lot of admiration for our history and our Sarawakian warriors.
Where are the Sarawakians who can make the changes from where they are at? Why are they just talking and not doing? If we're scared of Goverment retaliation, who says what we do must be harsh or like a revolution? After all, Sarawak contributes millions, if not billions, to Malaysia's GDP and exports. Why don't we see that money? Maybe we should ask our Sarawak Ministers that question. But asking them will most definitely get us into trouble under ISA and all that.
Anyway, if we want people to know what Sarawak has contributed, maybe we should change our education system. We have many Sarawakians in power in the education sector. Why have they done nothing? Why do they keep quiet? They don't have to yell out their allegiance. They just have to say something and not just be the yes-men. We can stay polite and cultured but we can do that even while standing our ground.
Not all battles need to be won on the battlefield. Some just need to be won in our hearts and minds. And people wonder why History is so important.
1:30 pm |
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