……….the actions you took,
Every single day is an opportunity for us to commit to and with one another and together build a better country for ourselves and our future generations.
The deep divisions in the country now show we, ordinary Malaysians, need to bridge the gap urgently.
There is an urgent need for us to understand our fellow citizens’ perspectives and why and each came to interpret our values so differently.
Part of that process is acknowledging that the lens through which we view our country is continually shifting.
Our love for our country requires that we do not just sit there and think how awesome we are, but that we commit to acts, to deeds and are open-eyed about the flaws, the conflicts, the tensions, the contradictions in this country.
When we love our country, we accept the responsibility to hold the country to its purported ideals and values.
To love those ideals is to also acknowledge that we haven’t yet achieved them and it’s going to be a constant process.
No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, it would be ideal if every Malaysian were to open their mind, listen to understand, and find a small way to move forward—rather than labelling fellow Malaysians as stupid or evil.
Research across 26 countries by the Global Identity Leadership Development Project found, in a sample of nearly 7,000 people, those who perceived their leaders as creating a shared sense of “we” behaved more positively toward each other and the collective.
Effectively if every citizen viewed themselves as members of the same country, they are more likely to trust each other.
Thus, let us, together, build this country not only worthy of love, but respect and honor, as well.
A country and a place where the future generations is proud of and pointedly referred back to in their moment of reminiscence.
Presently, there are 34 million of us.
Let us do this thing together.
We are the co-managers of this country called Malaysia.
FLK (leekhean.foo@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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