Malaysia, here and now
FOR about six hours in May, my colleagues were vigorously engaged in picking out and rooting for their favourite beauty pageant contestant. It was the Gawai Festival, and we were watching the Kaamatan Festival beauty pageant live in Petaling Jaya on Facebook, entertained too by the comments from other spectators wherever they were.
This year’s Unduk Ngadau (Harvest Queen) is Francisca Ester Nain who impressed the judges with her strong command of her native Kadazandusun language, but there were many other contestants who got us riveted to the event. From learning new names to seeing different looks to hearing various languages, it was a spontaneous foray into one of Sabah’s most iconic social highlights.
It was a most pleasant integration exercise, all thanks to social media and the Internet.
Since the formation of Malaysia in 1963, the talk has always been on integration between East and West Malaysia, and how to bridge the divide of distance and embrace diversity. It’s a kinship that shapes and is shaped by sociopolitical events, with politics very much in play.
In September last year, a Special Cabinet Committee was formed to review the Malaysia Agreement 1963 as part of the federal government’s efforts to restore Sabah and Sarawak’s status as equal partners in Malaysia.
A bill proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Malaysia was tabled in Dewan Rakyat to amend Article 1(2) to restore equal status and rights to Sabah and Sarawak. But the federal government failed to get the two-thirds majority needed to pass the bill.
Subsequently, the government set up a special task force, Taskforce MA63, to remedy breaches of the Malaysia Agreement. In July, the task force reached a joint agreement with Sabah and Sarawak on seven issues, which includes export duties, gas distribution, manpower, agricultural and forestry matters.
Legislative and policy matters take time. But on the ground, social changes are happening rapidly and continue to shape and define Malaysia.
We are marking Malaysia Day this year by exploring the various manifestations of social change in our lives now, and how we have seized the opportunities they present.
Technology, the Internet and social media continue to leave their indelible imprints, pervading all levels and aspects of our lives – in our communications, connections, transactions and identities.
Everywhere in Malaysia, people are leveraging on this new resource to break barriers, such as an entrepreneur and beadmaker in Sarawak marketing local products to a wider world (pages 2 and 3). Ordinary individuals are also taking personal responsibility to address climate change, such as promoting more sustainable, zero-waste lifestyles (page 8).
And from this alternate universe called the Internet, new vocations have emerged – being an influencer with millions of followers on Instagram means wielding immense power (page 4), and playing videogames could lead to a lucrative career in esports (page 12).
The way things are done have also changed tremendously, from how much more accessible travel is between Peninsular and East Malaysia (page 14) to how we hop on the food delivery bike wagons (page 10). Even the path to reach for the stars has been repaved (page 6).
But technology and the Internet are ultimately merely tools and platforms. It is invariably the individual Malaysians who aspire to lofty ideals and ambitions that are changing the country for the better, from the doctor who advocates for inclusive learning for special needs children long before it’s a formal government policy (page 13) to community groups articulating how grassroots initiatives are driving the arts forward (page 16).
The ground is always shifting but Malaysians are robust and resilient. We continue to nurture the strength of our diversity and stay united as a people as we strive towards a better future.
Happy Malaysia Day!