Merdeka Month: The nation is free but are we ourselves free?

August is our Merdeka month, the month in which date we gained our Independence, 31st August.
Our nation is now independent and free from colonisation.

But are we ourselves free?

There are other forms of bondage and slavery.
Political, economic, social, mental.

In politics, one aspect of bondage has been broken.
The rakyat are now not afraid to change government.
Previously, there was a kind of paralysis or fear that changing the government will lead to chaos or collapse of the nation.
So much so, that it appears like we do not have political freedom.
Hopefully, this new freedom is here to stay.
If the new government does not perform, the rakyat should be politically free and brave enough to change them again, if needed.

But there is a long way to go.
Many people are still beholden, even enslaved, to their political ideologies, to the point of ignoring their good moral values.
Their support are unconditional.
Any wrongs or immoralities or illegalities are justified in the name of the political cause.
The political cause trumps everything, even throwing good moral judgement into the dustbin.
This is a form of slavery, an ideological slavery.
You do not give yourself freedom to judge right and wrong by yourself according to clearly established moral codes.
You defer to the political leaders to tell you what is right and wrong, even when the truth stare at you straight in the face.

In economics, freedom to do business are severely restricted.
Monopolies and oligopolies are abound and propped up.
Questionable bureaucracies and red tape are set in place for various reasons, many to support the political cause of the government of the day.

Did you know that not everyone can import sugar into the country? (link)
What is the point of restricting sugar import?
What is the strategic value in that?

There are also restriction in import permit for steel. (link)
What is the point of this restriction?
The usual excuse of protecting local industries (like local padi farmers and batik/fabric SME's) does not hold water since we do not have a vibrant steel industry in Malaysia.
This restriction causes steel price to be high causing housing price to be high which directly impact consumers.

Apparently there are AP requirement for import for almost everything under the sun.
(Yes, not just for cars.)
What about restriction in signboard for your shop front?
You already have a business license and yet you have to apply a different permit to put up a signboard for your shop front.

All these unnecessary restrictions are a form of economic enslavement.
The rakyat are enslaved to the government in order to make a living.
In trade and economics, we are not fully merdeka yet.

What about social security?
Do you know that in May 2019, the Bantuan Sara Hidup recipient numbers were 3.6 millions? (link)
That is more than 10% of the Malaysian population.
This means more than 10% of Malaysians are poor, to such an extent that they need government aid.
Relying on government handout are a form of enslavement of the people by the ruling elites.

The only segment of society that should receive government aid are the severely handicapped (quadriplegic and similar), orphans, and mentally retarded.
And the only form of government aid to the poor, if any, should be non-monetary, for example in the form of skills training and assistance to find jobs.
The only acceptable financial aid should be in the form of scholarships to deserving students geared towards nation building by ensuring sufficient human capital development.

All other forms of aid, especially free cash handout, are a form of enslavement.
If you rely on the government to put food on the table, then you are not free.

Then there is mental bondage.
The restriction that you yourself imposed on yourself that inhibit independent and critical thinking.
It is the most devious of all, because most of the time you do not realise that you have this.
There is an invisible wall within your mind that limits your thought, your potential and personal freedom.
It is different for each person.
How to recognise it?
Well, that is for another post.

But the short answer is the level of your support for free speech.
If there are no speech that can offend you, then you are free.
Any speech that you say are offensive is nothing more than the speech "knocking" at the "walls" within your mind.
It is annoying (or offensive) because you are not willing to break that "wall".
(Don't get me wrong. You let the speech, or an idea, in not to accept them blindly, but you let them in, in order to engage the ideas and evaluate critically.)

For now, assess for yourself.
The nation is free from colonisers.
But are you free from the tyranny of your own government machineries?
Are you free from the mental bondage of your own making?


Think!