From Malay Mail · Erna Mahyuni · · 2m
Malaysia Day asks more of Malaysians
Erna Mahyuni’s Malaysia Day reflection asks Malaysians to stop only wanting a better country, and start becoming one.
In brief
Erna Mahyuni’s Malaysia Day reflection asks Malaysians to stop only wanting a better country, and start becoming one. A better Malaysia is not only something citizens deserve. It is something Malaysians have to practise in how they treat each other. Originally reported by Malay Mail.
Praise is not enough
Foreign visitors often gush about Malaysia, and those outside views can help Malaysians see what they take for granted.
“praising it to the skies”
Criticism counts too
A visitor who felt deep racism in Malaysia also deserves to be heard. Love for the country cannot mean ignoring who gets hurt here.
“Her views matter too.”
Overseas dreams faded
Moving abroad no longer looks like an easy escape. Many countries have closed doors, and others greet outsiders with suspicion.
“not lands of milk and honey”
The mirror is uncomfortable
Malaysians bristle at racism abroad, yet foreign workers and migrants in Malaysia often face cruelty. The same fear can live at home.
“so horrid to foreign workers and migrants here”
The pandemic revealed us
During Covid, Malaysians fed people, shared vaccine tips, and used the internet to find those calling for help. Survival became collective work.
“All we had was each other”
Malaysia is many places
After 63 years, Malaysia is still too often flattened into one state or one people. The country is larger than that narrow story.
“Malaysia is more than one state or one people”
Home can shift
The writer left Sabah young, lived in London and Manila, then spent more of life in West Malaysia. Petaling Jaya became home.
“I have become a Petaling Jaya person now”
Housing feels absurd
Old homes in Petaling Jaya can look abandoned and still list for millions. Even finding a new nest can feel financially impossible.
“RM2 million, apparently.”
KL has changed
Kuala Lumpur now looks cleaner and brighter than when the writer first arrived. Even KL Tower can seem small beside newer towers.
“dazzling and clean”
Leaving would still hurt
Malaysia can make the writer unhappy, but distance would bring its own misery. Comfort, memory, and loved ones remain close here.
“a phone call or train ride away”
People deserve better
The Malaysia imagined here has transparency, fair politics, equality, and prosperity, not fear campaigns or lives priced below machines.
“We deserve better”
Become the wish
Malaysia Day is a call to act like citizens of the country people want, generous, brave, peaceful, and still willing to dream.
“Let us always dare to dream of a better Malaysia.”
The one thing
A better Malaysia is not only something citizens deserve. It is something Malaysians have to practise in how they treat each other.
