This year, I greeted Merdeka amidst deep feelings of disquiet and uneasy anguish. It has become a recurrent theme of my melancholy. Aug 31 ^st has come around again - Hari Kemerdekaan , Independence Day.

Before I go on, I want to state that I'm not politically-affiliated and do not belong to any political party. I consider myself a liberal Malaysian, and have always been advocating a kinder, more sensible, more cohesive, more efficient and less corrupt Malaysia. I'm passionately inclined to supporting a radical yet peaceful change for a better Malaysia.