Come together, right now, for Malaysia

ON Wednesday, it will be 65 years since we gained our independence from the British colonists.

It’s been a long and winding road we’ve walked together, us people of different colours, creeds and faiths, and along the way, we’ve managed to develop this nation called Malaysia.

Actually, perhaps the road has been so long that we’ve forgotten how our forefathers toiled to make this country what it is today.

We’ve had a hard few years of late, with a pandemic that took lives (and is continuing to do so albeit at a slower rate) and greatly affected the economy.

Then there was the political turmoil that saw us go through an unprecedented three governments in four years.

Yet amidst these troubled waters, there have been lifeboats, like the healthcare and delivery service frontliners that kept us safe and at home during the height of the Covid-19 crisis, the government’s assistance programmes that helped tide people over and its subsidies that are currently keeping inflation low, and perhaps most heartwarmingly, all the ordinary people who stepped up and helped total strangers in need without looking at skin colour or religion.

The last is why this year’s National Day theme is so appropriate: “Keluarga Malaysia Teguh Bersama” (the Malaysian Family is Stronger Together).

It’s a reminder that no single person or community can build a nation.

It’s a reminder that we need the spirit of togetherness to go forward despite our differences in race and religion.

Embracing the Malaysian Family spirit will ensure that the country and the people will weather future storms and challenges.

One of those challenges will be the general election that’s looming.

It will be the first one since the historic Undi18 Bill lowered the voting age and, for the first time, gave teens a chance to have their say in who will represent them.

Ahead of Wednesday’s National Day, here’s a reminder to go out to cast your vote in the 15th General Election when it’s announced, to use the power every citizen has to influence the country’s future – a power hard won by our forefathers.

And let us celebrate National Day on Wednesday by showing our patriotism and love for the country: fly the Jalur Gemilang high to tell the world that we have come together as a family to express our love and patriotism for this country.