Merdeka 2009 Series: Political Theatrics

The false Merdeka consciousness

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

AUG 31 — Merdeka celebrations often force me to sulk. The fireworks, the countdowns, the reruns of old Malay war films like "Bukit Kepong" and Merdeka-themed emotionally evocative advertisements financed by Malaysia's most successful multinational companies on national television sicken me.

These are, to me, the imposition of a false consciousness. A cunning form of political chicanery aimed at unifying a divided nation under the pretense of a glorious history profoundly twisted to serve the interest of the ruling class.

And what better way to do that than to exploit a date that defines the very meaning of this country itself?

On this day, government leaders are transformed into poets, reading out poetic speeches intent on inspiring if not stoically rendering the denizens of this wealthy country to contemplate and appreciate in retrospect the multi-racial efforts that led to our independence.

Our hardworking countrymen, the pillars that stabilise the ample wealth of those above them, are heavily bombarded with the images of a younger generation oblivious and unappreciative of the race-transcending bonds of Abu, Ah Chong and Achiapan through beautifully-filmed advertisements.

The underlying message of these extremely well-packaged messages is clear. They manufacture a perception of a generation distant from the spirit which binds the different races of the nation together, a spirit crafted and solely credited to the wonders worked by the ruling party.

For the most part, the advertisements depict real truths. Many of the younger generation cannot truly grasp the spirit of Merdeka.

Syed Jaymal feels Merdeka celebrations are a cunning form of political chicanery. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Take, for example, the response given by young celebrities, artists, musicians, comedians and candid interviews of your average citizen. Their replies merely parrot the idea of Merdeka taught in national schools by teachers who in turn parroted their teachers.

The replies given are rewound and replayed falsities. The evidence of this is everywhere. From the drunks in pubs and clubs throughout the nation on Merdeka eve to the cities congested with fireworks zealots, the manner of celebrating the country's birth reflects their understanding of what it is: nothing but a day among the list of public holidays.

But really, who can blame them?

This is a generation desensitised and tired by the daily resonance of contradictions of the policy-makers. While racism is rejected on festivity months, it is accepted at other times.

While we are constantly reminded of those who sacrificed their lives to oust the British colonialists and their devastating divide-and-rule methodology, 52 years on, its remnants and essence remain rooted in our political culture, fertilised and nurtured further to serve and consolidate the interest of those wielding power.

While endless propaganda of equitable development and the promises of fair income distribution, made possible given the nation's abundance of natural resources, dominate the airwaves for 52 years, this generation is still treated with the sight of the Malay poor in Kepala Batas, the Indian poor in Tapah and the Chinese poor in Yong Peng.

So what we have in our hands now is a confused mass plagued by a sense of powerlessness which then triggers the instinct to forget about everything and just get on with their lives.

What is left of the Merdeka spirit then is a consciousness vacuum ready to be filled with a fictitious notion of a national identity, a fake identity celebrated on August's end which is more a way to reinforce the position of the ruling class as the unifier while removing any recollection that it is the very "saviour" that divides us.

This is, sadly, what Merdeka means to me.

Article source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/36447-the-false-merdeka-consciousness