Malaysia: Turning points in recent history

The movie Tanda Putera, it appears, has fallen flat. Collections have been very poor and I have yet to read any good review about the movie. This is bad news really, as taxpayer money was used to make this film.

I read that the film cost RM5 million to make. It will be interesting to know why taxpayer money is being used for projects such as this.

However, the reason the movie has become a hot topic is not because of its merits or demerits as a movie.

Some people are angry that it is being screened during the period when independence is being celebrated. Others are angry that it is being screened at all. Yet others are angry that others are angry that it is being screened.

The reason behind the anger or unhappiness or discussion is that the movie deals with May 13, 1969, when racial clashes took place following relatively strong victories by the opposition in the general election of May 10.

There are several versions about that day. The official version is that it was a racial clash.

Most Malaysians would see May 13, 1969, as a turning point in the history of the nation -- for that infamous event still remains in the minds of people of that generation, and also in the minds of unscrupulous politicians out to make mileage out of it.

It was in the aftermath of May 13 that the government drew up the New Economic Policy, which has had both a good and bad effect on the nation. Most people agree that it was a good policy but that it had been abused in its implementation.

The NEP has continued in one form or another, and like the May 13 incident is often used by politicians from both sides of the divide for their own ends.

Some would see the introduction of the NEP in 1971 as another turning point in the history of the country, for it helped level the economic playing field while accentuating the racial differences.

The most important turning point in the nation’s history has to be Aug 31, 1957, when we became a nation.

Before that date, Malaya did not have control over its destiny and others decided its direction. And there was no common platform, no loyalty to a common concept or entity.

So, there is no gainsaying the fact that Aug 31, 1957 was a turning point in the history of the nation, and it explains why this date is celebrated every year and why there is a public holiday on this day.

This day celebrates loyalty to the concept of nationhood, when all Malaysians – regardless of race, religion and political affiliation – come together.

Another turning point, equally important, was the formation of Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963, when Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore came together with Malaya to form a larger nation. Singapore, however, was expelled in 1965.

Today, citizens celebrate Sept 16 as Malaysia Day, and it is a national public holiday.

There are many other happenings that can be considered as turning points in the nation’s recent history.

The elevation of Datuk Seri (now Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister in 1981 brought immense changes to the country. During his long, 22-year premiership, the country advanced in many areas, especially in terms of economic growth and infrastructure development.

He gave Malaysians a vision and goaded them into believing that “Malaysia boleh” (Malaysia can).

But it was also a time when institutions such as the judiciary, the civil service and the mainstream media were compromised. It was during his tenure that Operation Lallang took place – when 106 people were arrested under the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA), and the publishing permits of The Star, Sin Chew JIt Poh and Watan were revoked.

Another event that continues to have an impact on the nation is the sacking of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from Umno and the government by Dr Mahathir in 1998 over charges of sexual misconduct, against a backdrop of deep differences between them.

The nation is still feeling the reverberations of that act. Anwar went to jail and is now back with a vengeance. Most political analysts credit him with not only holding the disparate opposition together but also making it cohesive enough for voters to consider it a viable alternative to the BN.

As a result, the nation has entered a two-party phase in its political journey. Surely this is a turning point.

Another turning point is Datuk Seri (now Tun) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s tenure as prime minister. It was a brief tenure, no doubt, but it was during this time that the groundwork was laid for the relaxation of much of the Executive’s tight control over institutions such as the media.

Abdullah allowed space to citizens to think aloud and speak their mind. Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, the current prime minister, has improved greatly on it by doing away with archaic laws such as the ISA, and the need to renew newspaper publishing licences annually.

The greater freedoms arising from the repeal of repressive laws, particularly the ISA, is being lauded.

But these freedoms did not come on a platter. They were the result of constant pressure applied by several non-governmental organisations such as Suaram and Bersih.

The formation of the coalition of NGOs which came to be called Bersih is significant because Bersih made people not only more aware of their rights as voters but to pluck up the courage and demand for a clean electoral system. The rallies organised by Bersih, participated by citizens who did not have race or religion on their mind, is another turning point.

Bersih and other NGOs greatly benefitted from the Internet which arrived in Malaysia in December 1994 but which really took off during Abdullah’s term as prime minister. That is a turning point, too, especially the advent of social media. Using emails, SMS, blogs, Facebook and Twitter as tools, individual citizens discovered their voice.

People could share news and views; they found that they did not have to listen to propaganda from only one side. They could listen to many sides of the story. Most importantly, they found that they could contribute to the story of Malaysia. And that is a major turning point – a turning point that promises to have an immense impact on the nation’s future.