VIDEO l 1.28 min

YOURSAY 'We have a PM who is like an ostrich with its head perpetually stuck in the sand while those who surround him are allowed to go amok.'

56 years later - a fractured, polarised nation

Tehachapi: If you take our history and latest developments into account, it is clear that minorities in Malaysia are losing in their battle in as far as constitutional guarantees are concerned.

The declared moral standards for cultural diversity, freedom of worship, traditional practices, etc, are just empty promises devoid of substance but to suit a particular purpose or occasion.

The trust and confidence citizens place in their leaders and institutions to do the right thing has long vanished. Their suffering can find no relief. One thing is for sure, minority rights will erode further and soon vanish altogether.

In this Merdeka, do you see forgiveness and acceptance, or more as a fractious and tormented nation with doubts, anxieties for future. The spirit of nationhood is absent and so is confidence, as both had been strangled a long, long while ago.

Tommy Thomas has once again reminded us of the urgency for good sense and reason to prevail in national discourse about healing this fractious nation and finding a way forward for this divided and weakened nation which has silently but inexorably descended into despair.

Diving deeper to the root cause of the problem, it is found in the absence of a deep commitment to nation building.

Due to the lack of visionary leadership to inspire the citizens and poor stewardship to manage the rich and diverse resources of this country, we have abandoned the fundamental principles of responsible governance and destroyed the eco-system for economic prosperity.

Instead, we abused the constitution by selecting certain clauses to justify a deeply flawed practice of entitlement. Obviously, this is far from the real intent of the forefathers of this nation. So now, this is the bitter fruit.

Telestai!: I have no problems with New Economic Policy (NEP) and the social contract so long as the special privileges benefit the deserving. After all, what is the point of living well when your neighbour live in poverty.

What I cannot accept is the level of corruption and the racial/religious posturing by Umno to stay in power. Equally sad is having non-Malay politicians like MCA, MIC and Gerakan acting in cahoots with Umno.

Election after election, BN gets voted into power. So what is there to complain?

Bianca Lee: Tommy Thomas' article is flawless and speak well of our feelings on our 56th Merdeka Day. As an average Malaysian, I do not see any attempt by the government to salvage the current situation.

This country will go to the dogs given the current government. We are in despair. Will the opposition leaders who claim to have won the majority do something to save this country?

Odin: Tommy Thomas, without meaning to sound like a pessimist, I seriously doubt that anything of the sort that you have recommended to be done will ever be realised.

Besides having a dubious character, the so-called prime minister is completely out of his depth, while his party is like a corpse that is so badly decomposed that there is not even one single cell still living that might be retrieved and used to reconstruct a whole, wholesome body.

That corpse need to be buried forever. Only then may things begin to brighten up.

Headhunter: Thank you, Tommy Thomas, for writing such an excellent piece. There is little doubt that our nation is politically, religiously and racially divided.

We have a PM who is like an ostrich with its head perpetually stuck in the sand while those who surround him are allowed to go amok.

He has all the power in his hand to make this nation a better place for all and a place in our history for himself as a great statesman like Tunku Abdul Rahman, but he chose to go in the opposite direction.

I fully agree with you that the current situation will not change unless the civil service and all the government-controlled institutions are well represented racially. The only option left is to change the current government which is dominated by racists, bigots and thieves.

Mohican: Can we blame the people for this? Definitely not; the leaders take no heed of it and do not seem to do anything to contain it. It is a festering sore that knows no bounds and it is worrying as it is alarming.

Paul Warren: The ulama are also fighting for their place in the sun and they are doing it insidiously without anyone realising their role in this game. Do you think any of the Umno leaders actually have the intellect or the knowledge to pursue the ‘Allah' fight against the Christians?

I would suggest it is more the Islamic clergy who are pushing the buttons here. No, it is not about dominance over the Christians. I reckon it is about cowing the Muslim ummah.

If they can achieve this, they will weigh in a lot more heavily on the daily lives of the Muslims of the country as this gives them clout. The Umno politicians are not going to take them on. Are the royals using the ulama? Maybe.

But in this, the response to the canteen in the toilet affair, the Alvivi affair, the surau demolition affair, and whatever else that is there, the theme is the same - they are flexing their muscles and they want others to submit. Not me.

SpongeBob: To celebrate Aug 31 meant something definite in the old days. I looked forward to watch the event in TV, year after year.

Lately, it has been a celebration full of hypocrisy. Malaysians are divided just because of one racist party is doing it for its survival.

Malaysian Always First: I am very, very sad. After 56 years of independence, I am confronted with a society which is completely religiously and racially polarised.

I see my friends' children who have gone overseas for studies and have stayed on to contribute to a foreign country instead of to Malaysia which is in dire need of talent.

I am really filled with despair and heartache seeing all that is happening to my beloved Malaysia. So very, very sad to see what has become of a country with such vast potential.

Haveagreatday: Many Malaysians do not have the option to migrate. For us, either by design or intent, Malaysia is our one and only home.

Tommy Thomas has spoken so eloquently what's deep in our hearts. Will the Umnoputras listen?

Whether by fraud or otherwise, they have won the right to govern the nation for another five years. Will they rule as Malaysians or only be rulers for the 47 percent electorate that supported them? I am not hopeful at all that the government will do what is just and right.

Fair Play: Perhaps the poignant message for this year Independence Day is the final wake-up call for communities to stay united to forge the nation ahead by respecting the rights of all communities as enshrined in the constitution.

Failure to honor it by any community, especially those from the powers-that-be would lead the nation to only one direction - south and south all the way.

Choo Sin Fook: We are living in a house that was built in the 1950s but it is now 2013 where our environment and competition had changed. We need to demolish the old house and build a new one.

Biggest obstacle for Umno is Mahathir

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