Malaysia’s story for 2023

A NEW year is always a time filled with hope and potential.

Every year around this time, I think of the line “maybe this year will be better than the last” from the Counting Crows’ song A Long December.

Politically speaking, 2023 certainly marks the beginning of our journey into uncharted territory.

After the “false spring” of 2018’s first ever non-Barisan Nasional government, many see the appointment of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as Prime Minister of a unity government as a historic moment brimming with the same kind of potential a new year brings.

It’s like emerging after a long, difficult sojourn in the desert, to arrive at a new land.

Of course, it ultimately remains to be seen whether that new land will be as treacherous as the land we just left, or if it will indeed be the promised land of milk and honey.

Whether it is one or the other will depend a lot on the decisions made by our new government, and the national narrative it builds.

“Narrative” is a term often bandied about by those in my line of work. Similar to terms like “nation- building” or “unity”, “narrative” is a word that seems to fall into the category of a vibe, almost, rather than something for which there is a standard, scientific definition.

I like to think of “narrative” as the story people tell themselves in their head about what is happening in the world around them. Some may see this as a relatively unimportant thing, especially compared with big questions like the economy, the environment and so on.

I fully agree those are vital areas that deserve a lot of attention.

That said, the story we tell ourselves in our heads about what is going on in the country we live in may very well be just as important, because that story helps determine how we choose a role to play within it.

If the story in our head is that our government cares very little about us and is running the country into the ground, then many of us may start thinking about how we want to grab everything we own and just get out.

If the story in our head is that there’s a new government, doing things in a new way, a way that sees the rakyat as valuable partners with a vital role to play in a grand, achievable nation-building plan, then this story can inspire us to push extra hard to play that role well.

This to me is the very essence of nation-building: a shared sense of purpose where all of us are working together to bring the nation to new heights, improving the quality of life for every single Malaysian.

A new government has great potential to inspire that kind of nation-building Zeitgeist. It is a truly unique opportunity – but not one that will be there forever. The thing about a first impression is that you can’t make a second one.

These first few months will thus be absolutely vital in setting the tone for the years to come, and the sooner the new government starts focusing on building a strong, positive national narrative, the better people’s first impression will be.

The good thing about wandering the desert and weathering its many great challenges is that it can often bring out the best in a nation.

As we explore what our next national narrative should be, there are many rakyat-led initiatives in the past that we can take inspiration from.

Two in particular come to mind: #KitaJagaKita and #KitaKawan.

#KitaJagaKita emerged in the early days of the Covid-19 Move-ment Control Order in 2020. Malaysia was undergoing the completely unprecedented shock of a sudden lockdown, one many vulnerable Malaysians simply could not possibly have been prepared for. With a breakdown in the ability to earn livelihoods, many Malaysians were suddenly at great risk of losing access to even the most basic necessities of life.

In the chaos and crisis that followed, it was ultimately everyday Malaysians who rose to the challenge of caring for our most vulnerable neighbours and compatriots.

I will never forget that feeling, watching Malaysians go above and beyond the call of duty, jumping through hoop after hoop (sometimes created by a government seemingly intent on making things harder than they needed to be), just to ensure their fellow Malaysians were sufficiently fed and protected.

It was a feeling of great pride, and confidence in our ability to come through for one another when we needed it the most. What better core national identity then that of people always being willing to help one another in times of need?

More recently, the aftermath of the 15th General Election in November saw a great rise in extremist, divisive hatemongering along the lines of race and religion. The purveyors of hate and division filled social media with all sorts of insidious content, tinged with violent undertones. Instead of falling into this trap and fanning the flames further, though, Malaysians responded with #KitaKawan – demonstrating in no uncertain terms that the Malaysia they prefer is a Malaysia that is about love, not hate.

They flooded the Internet with indisputable proof that their Malaysia is one filled with personal experiences of friendships that transcended racial or religious differences, and showed once again how light will always be stronger than darkness.

That grassroots outpouring gave a clear and unmistakable picture of exactly the kind of Malaysia most of us want to live in: a Malaysia filled with bonds of fellowship, where people work together to take the nation to new heights.

Malaysia’s government, with all the massive resources at its disposal, has the ability to make stories like #KitaJagaKita and #KitaKawan the dominant narratives of Malaysia for 2023 and beyond. If those kinds of sentiments start becoming the dominant vibe in the country, then we will be en route to the kind of Malaysia where everyone feels an organic urge to step up, work together and do their part to help push the country in the direction in needs to go.

All we need is a few good Malaysians to take the first steps, and if they want to, the government can start by leading by example.

And what better time to start than in the fresh spring of a bright new year, to start building the foundations of a nation we will all be proud of.

Nathaniel Tan is a freelance strategic communications consultant who also works with Projek #BangsaMalaysia. Twitter: @NatAsasi, Email: [e-mail]. The views expressed here are solely the writer’s own.