Kita perlu makna merdeka baharu

As the month of August approaches, Malaysia enters National Month, signaling the onset of the vibrant Independence Day atmosphere. The festive spirit has been in full swing before the 31st of August even arrives. However, the public's enthusiasm for this celebration is often considered lacking. It raises the question: are we truly celebrating?

Looking closer at our surroundings, the answer is a resounding no. This reality is not a pleasant one. It's not about a complete lack of celebration. The national flag has already started being hoisted, government programs are being planned, and as we get closer to the 31st of August, the excitement will only intensify. This is a mandatory event every year.

The government will undoubtedly be putting effort into celebrating this historic day. But the level of excitement varies. Those who are genuinely enthusiastic tend to falter when faced with acts of provocation, such as incorrectly flying flags or flying damaged flags. This is one of the reasons why people are reluctant to hoist the flag.

But perhaps my sentiment is just that. Or perhaps it's because I compare this celebration to the atmosphere of the past. Back then, when the month of August arrived, the Independence Day atmosphere seemed to come to us by itself. Television and radio played patriotic songs, aired special Merdeka dramas, while schools held stage performances, choirs, dramas, pantomimes, and parades.

Ah, nostalgic memories, yet it is still relatable. They are different, but they exist. They just need to be spread from villages to residential areas of urban neighborhoods. I believe the root cause might not be the lack of patriotism among Malaysians, but rather the way we, especially the current generation, understand and experience Independence Day has changed.

The enthusiasm is different. In the past, we lived in a world with limited information, and the waves of information were nearly uniform, not broken into pieces. Electronic and print media served the same purpose. When a song became popular, almost the entire nation knew it. When a campaign was launched, we all saw the same campaign moving forward.

The internet has changed all of this. Today, under the same sky, we live in different worlds. We are at home, but not necessarily in the same information space. We use Facebook, our children spend time watching TikTok, our parents scroll through YouTube. Some follow K-pop, British football, video games, or religious podcasts, while others follow political podcasts.

We are all distracted by the same minutes and hours. This makes it challenging to create a collective atmosphere like before. The government can launch a large-scale National Month campaign, but if the algorithm doesn't bring it to our phones, people can go about their daily lives without even realizing the campaign is underway.

It's like a hot rumor that spreads quickly; we may not even know it's happening because we're not taking it in. There may also be a widening generational gap. The spirit of Independence is becoming increasingly distant from today's younger generation. Those who experienced the day Malaysia gained independence in 1957 are few and far between.

Those born just a year after Independence are few. The generation born a year after Independence is already elderly. Those even younger than them may not have experienced colonialism, but they still receive the emotional impact of that era from their parents, teachers, and society still close to that time. I, for example, was born 16 years after Independence and never experienced colonialism or the transition process.

I cannot understand the emotions of the independence fighters, whose stories are filled with tears. I only memorize the theme of National Day every year while drawing it in my art class. For me, National Day is simply a public holiday, there's a parade in the district's main square, and if I'm lazy to go, I just watch the royal ceremony on TV.

That's all I see. How about a 20-year-old today? For them, 1957 is ancient history. They know Tunku Abdul Rahman declared Independence! They learn about it in school and can watch its date on the internet. But simply watching a recording of an event is all they get! Meanwhile, for someone like me who is 53 years old, the connection to the spirit of Independence is still strong.

This phenomenon happens whenever a generation changes. Take the 1998 Reformasi, for example. For my generation, 1998 Reformasi was not just another chapter in Malaysian politics. We were there when it happened. I was 25 years old at the time, so my youthful enthusiasm was palpable and audible. We witnessed the demonstrations firsthand, saw the arrests, the tear gas of Anwar Ibrahim, and the political chaos that followed his dismissal.

We also participated in rallies. That was the history of struggle I experienced as a young person in 1998. That's why I once felt proud when the struggle began to see success in several elections from 2008 to the continuous transfer of power in 2018. Personally, that was my Merdeka. But a 20-year-old today has not even been born when Reformasi began.

They do not know Anwar when he made speeches at the Merdeka Stadium or when young activists were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA). Anwar's presence in front of our eyes is the Prime Minister who brought the Madani concept to Malaysia. For today's youth, the results of a political struggle that began long before their birth is all they know.

They only hear stories from their parents about tear gas, beaten faces, and other hardships. It's like when I heard my grandfather tell stories of soldiers fighting the Japanese and the bitter taste of tapioca. Sympathy, but...