Patriotism

Malaysia recently celebrated its 51st Independence Day and in light of what has been happening back home, I thought I'd write something about it, something positive, since the negatives have all been posted by fellow 'bloggers' back home.

Being in a foreign land (Singapore), where most of its population are or were Malaysians, I tend to meet people who have strong negative feelings about Malaysia. Yes, the government has screwed up more than it should, and is only making things worse (check out what other bloggers have to say if you don't already know). However, being patriotic has absolutely nothing to do with the government. The government is NOT Malaysia, n Malaysia is NOT the government. Politics is overrated.

Last July, I attended the World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney. Whenever people ask where I'm from, Malaysia would be my proud answer (yeah, I do get some uneducated replies, like "Where?"). I believe that God put us in this corruption-stricken land for a reason. HE could have just as easily gave us Caucasian parents and made us Europeans or Japanese or even Korean. But HE chose Malaysia. There's a reason in everything. We just have to figure out what.

For those of you who can't wait to leave Malaysia for a better country (if there are any), think about this. In the last Beijing Olympics, which badminton player did you support? Sony? Taufik? Lin Dan? Or Chong Wei? Do you feel as 'at home' as you did in Malaysia? Are there better mamak stalls? Is the asam laksa better than back home? Does satay celup even exist elsewhere? Sure, the grass is always greener on the other side, but which country is without turmoil? Every nation has its own problems.

And just for the record, I love Malaysia!