Nationhood is a process, not a product

Still developing: Students at St Xavier’s Institution, Penang raise a giant Jalur Gemilang as part of their preparations to celebrate Malaysia Day. Let us pledge to keep building our nation together. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star

NATIONS, like people, grow awkwardly. But it’s still growth.

We move forward and stumble back. Sometimes, we say all the right words and then we forget how to listen. We rise in unity or in protest, but rise all the same. And maybe that’s the point; nationhood is not a product, it’s a process.