Nation’s strength lies in its people

Our unity and combined efforts have made the Malaysian economy prosperous and resilient.

SOMETIMES, we have to peer into our past to be gracious and grateful about our present.

I spent my early years, in the 1960s, in a rubber estate in Merlimau, Melaka. My parents would wake us up in the wee hours of the morning. My brother and I would scramble through the estate, collecting milky latex from tree to tree under the cover of darkness as children were actually not allowed to work in the estates! But we did so because we wanted to help our parents make ends meet. It was a tough time for many Malaysians then.

During the holidays, we would scour for rubber seedlings to earn RM1 or RM2. We would save this for the days we didn’t have pocket money to spend during recess at school, when we would otherwise stay in class knowing we could not afford to buy meals.

On days when we had a little bit more, we packed food from home. After school, we would hurry home for mum’s dinner of plain rice and egg drizzled with soy sauce before we rested on the bare-soil ground, listening to our parents’ old-time stories. They told us about the British, the Japanese and the threat of communism, including our own national implosion.

I was only eight during the events of May 1969. To see the police come to our community, arresting youngsters and other suspects involved in the sectarian violence was shocking for a young boy my age.

I recall the images of burning cars and houses that we passed as my parents rushed my brother and I by car to safety at a relative’s house amid the rioting.

Those were volatile times. It was then that I realised the importance of education as a means to free us from the vicious cycle of poverty. I am eternally grateful to my parents for making the tough choice of foregoing my sister’s education so I could continue to secondary school, as they could not afford to put all five of my siblings and me through school.

Eventually, I enrolled in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, an opportunity that was hard to come by as we only had a few options then for higher education. Today, our children have numerous universities and schools to choose from, as the government has made universal access to education a key priority throughout Malaysia’s development.

In fact, I believe the diversity of

Recently, for the first time in 20 years, we stepped out of the middleincome trap. It is this transformative approach that has allowed us to evolve from an agricultural economy to the competitive serviceoriented economy that we are today.

our schools is one of Malaysia’s advantages. This includes our vernacular schools, which some have argued create disunity because of the different languages used. On the contrary, these schools are an extension of the heritage of our various ethnic groups, which is the bedrock of the Malaysian identity.

Taking away the vernacular schools will not lead to stronger unity. Furthermore, the rise in the number of students from other ethnic groups enrolling in vernacular schools is further evidence of the cross-immersion of cultures among Malaysians.

This is just one aspect of the richness of the Malaysian identity. Despite our differences and far from the turbulence of Malaysia’s early years, we have continued to progress. We are fortunate to live in this era of wide access to education and healthcare against the backdrop of a robust economy.

Our economic resilience is the collective outcome of all Malaysians, as well as the long-standing commitment of the Government to transform Malaysia.

Recently, for the first time in 20 years, we stepped out of the middle-income trap. It is this transformative approach that has allowed us to evolve from an agricultural economy to the competitive service-oriented economy that we are today. This has also resulted in better opportunities, incomes and standards of living for all Malaysians.

It is a testament to the strong Gov- ernment that the rakyat has consistently elected for over 60 years. Governing a multi-racial country is not an easy task and neither are the efforts flawless. Still, the Government has relentlessly addressed the needs of the people and remains committed to doing so.

We just have to look at our achievements at the recent SEA Games, where Malaysians of different ethnicities came together to pursue the single goal of making Malaysia an overall winner of the Games. This is true unity.

As we celebrate Malaysia Day tomorrow, I am proud that Malaysia has come this far and achieved so much. This measured success and stability demonstrate what continuity in government can bring. And a strong and stable government can only be built from the support of the people.

I would like to thank all Malaysians for their role in making this happen over the last 60 years since Merdeka and I am confident that together, we will continue to prosper.

Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai is Minister of Transport Malaysia and MCA President. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.