Malaysia Today: 58 years after the forming of the Federation

Amidst the tumultuous political scene and ongoing health crisis, where does Malaysia currently stand?

Citizens waving Malaysian flags during a public demonstration | Source © Free Malaysia Today

Malaysia celebrated 58 years since the Federation of Malaysia was established on 16 September 1963.

Malaysia Day, or ‘Hari Malaysia’, is often confused with Malaysian Independence Day, celebrated on 31 August.

However, Independence Day marks the annual anniversary of the Malayan Federation’s declaration of independence from British rule in 1957.

Malaysia Day, on the other hand, commemorates the union of North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore, with the Malayan Federation, to form Malaysia as we know it today.

Despite Singapore’s departure from the Federation just three years after joining, Malaysia continued on an upward trajectory to economic prosperity.

According to the World Bank, since its independence, Malaysia’s economy diversified from that of an agrarian and commodity-based society to ‘a leading exporter of electrical appliances, parts, and components’.

The lush beaches and national parks brought in tourist interest, particularly soaring amidst the ‘Malaysia, Truly Asia’ campaign that launched in 1999.

Increased trade and globalisation aided the rapid development of the nation’s landscape into an urban jungle of towers and skyscrapers.

However, Malaysia has been no stranger to nation-wide unrest or scandals, such as the racial riots of 1969, or, more recently, the 1MDB kleptocracy case in 2016 - coined by the BBC as ‘one of the world’s greatest financial scandals’.

It’s far harder to define Malaysia today than in the past.

At present, the nation faces a fair share of political turmoil and social unrest, further heightened with the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis.

The onslaught of the pandemic has placed a strain on the economy and social stability, claiming more than 18,000 lives of citizens, according to Reuters.

To add insult to injury, political infighting amidst the health crisis has led to the appointment of three prime ministers in the span of the past three years - most of whom have been unable to curb the spread of COVID-19.

International relations student and Sarawakian native, Valerie Momas, 21, claims that democracy in Malaysia is ‘dying’.

“I know democracy has never really been Malaysia’s strongest suit but at this point we’re headed towards authoritarianism.”

She mentions how the arrest of activists, in reference to the #LAWAN protests, have skyrocketed in the past year.

In the past they would try to at least divert public attention or come out with excuses but now they don’t even try to cover it up. At this point they’re not scared to do anything if it means staying in power”, says Valerie.

Activists at the #LAWAN protests | Source © Sadiq Asyraf @ the vibes.com

The #LAWAN protests, mainly organised by youth members in late-July, reflected public frustration towards the government's inefficiency by rallying and making several demands, including for the resignation of former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Although carried out peacefully, more than 20 activists were rounded up by the authorities in the weeks that followed, on the grounds of breaking SOPs and violating the Sedition Act, according to Amnesty International.

Citizens had taken to Twitter to voice their discontent.

User Shyam Nair (@shyxmm), expressed how the recent events had led to his initiative in being more politically-aware.

Another user, Reuben Kang @reubenkang, reveals his pressing concerns about Malaysia’s future.

With the rise of negative public opinion amidst the continued chain of turbulence, hope seems to be dwindling away.

Yet, all isn’t for nought, as progress has still been made.

Law student Emma Chee, 18, admits that while Malaysia may not be ‘perfect’, the beauty of the nation’s diversity and its people, is ‘unshakeable’.

“We’ve been seeing the rise of youth activism where dialogues are being exchanged on social media, more questions being raised on practices that we’ve repeated for years,” says Emma.

“What I hope for our future is for the youth to continue to immerse themselves in these dialogues, open up on the stigmatised topics, practice fairness, where ultimately, all of Malaysia will be both fair and free”.

For Malaysia Day, it’s crucial to honour the sacrifices of those who fought to make Malaysia what it is today, and yet, still continue to support the fight for Malaysia’s tomorrow.