The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Gagalkah Malaysia sebagai negara? Posted: 14 Sep 2013 05:18 PM PDT
Esok genaplah 50 tahun Malaysia berdiri sebagai sebuah negara. Pada 16 September 1963, Malaya, Singapura, Sabah dan Sarawak bersetuju untuk bergabung menjadi satu negara. Dua tahun selepas ianya ditubuhkan, Singapura keluar. Tarikh keramat 16 September baru dua tiga tahun lalu dianggap sebagai hari penting dan diberikan cuti umum. Apa yang berlaku selepas 50 tahun menjadi sebuah negara? Kita masih lagi berbincang tentang masalah hubungan diantara kaum di Malaysia. Sabah dan Sarawak yang pada satu ketika dahulu bersama-sama bersetuju menubuhkan negara ini, masih merasa dipinggirkan dan tidak dimajukan selari dengan Semenanjung Malaysia walaupun hasil kekayaan negeri mereka dikongsi bersama. Rakyat Malaysia masih lagi diklasifikasikan mengikut kaum dan agama malahan ramai yang dianggap sebagai "lain-lain". Allah hanya untuk Melayu dan Islam, walaupun kita difahamkan Allah itu tuhan untuk sekalian alam. Media arus perdana masih lagi dikawal ketat oleh parti yang memerintah. Media milik negara seperti RTM masih belum memberikan laporan yang adil dan seimbang walaupun mereka didanai oleh wang pembayar cukai. Anak-anak kita masih lagi tidak bersekolah di bawah satu bumbung. Semuanya mahu ke sekolah eksklusif masing-masing dan sekolah kerajaan tidak menarik minat kaum selain Melayu kerana dasar 'Islamisasi' atau 'Arabisasi' yang agresif. Selepas separuh abad masih belum jelas apakah Malaysia ini sebuah negara Islam atau sekular. Kalau tanya mantan perdana menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, beliau akan kata Malaysia adalah negara Islam. Tanya Pengerusi DAP Karpal Singh pula, mati-mati beliau akan kata mereka sekular. Jadi apakah sebenarnya Malaysia? Berikut adalah sebahagian daripada pelbagai persoalan yang timbul dan sering diperkatakan. Awal minggu ini semasa menjadi moderator dalam satu forum anjuran The Malaysian Insider, penulis diberitahu oleh salah seorang ahli panel yang merupakan pengarang majalah, terdapat 40,000 rakyat Malaysia menetap di Melbourne, Australia. Menurutnya, 40,000 ini merupakan rakyat Malaysia yang masih memegang passport negara dan belum dicampur dengan yang sudah melepaskan kewargenegaraan Malaysia. Jumlah ini juga belum dicampur dengan rakyat Malaysia yang menetap di bandar-bandar lain di Australia. Apabila memikirkan kembali apa yang dikatakan oleh pengarang majalah tersebut membuatkan penulis berfikir. Pada ketika negara ini "dihuru-harakan" oleh orang yang memegang tampuk kekuasaan, sedikit demi sedikit rakyat meninggalkan negara ini. Bukan sahaja kaum Cina dan India, ramai juga orang-orang Melayu turut bersama. Kata pengarang itu lagi, di Melbourne, rakyat Malaysia yang menetap di sana tidak membezakan antara satu sama lain mengikut kaum dan agama. Semuanya berbangga kerana datang dari negara yang sama. Esok negara kita akan berusia separuh abad. Fikirkanlah kembali apa yang sudah dan akan kita lakukan untuk memperbaikinya. Sekurang-kurangnya, mulakan dengan diri kita terlebih dahulu. Kalau kita tidak mempunyai kawan dari kaum lain, mulakan mencari. Berkenal-kenalanlah antara satu sama lain. Kata orang tua-tua, tak kenal maka tak cinta. Lebih baik lagi jika kita bercinta dengan orang dari kaum berbeza. Banyak kebaikannya. Sekurang-kurangnya kita mula merapatkan jurang antara kaum selepas terpisah sekian lama. Selamat Hari Malaysia ke-50. - 15 September, 2013. * Ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili pandangan The Malaysian Insider. | |
| Posted: 14 Sep 2013 04:43 PM PDT
I always thought that I managed to make a living in the communications line not because I was so good but because so many people were so bad at it. Of course, after that come industry training and work experience which has proved to be invaluable. I was having a conversation with a friend when I realised this thing called "knowing thyself" is sometimes rare in people. While it is fine to have lofty ambitions, people must also be aware of what their strengths and weaknesses are and work within those parameters. I know someone who yearned for fame and prestige; hence not being able to make up his mind whether he wanted to be a lawyer, pilot, flight attendant, model, runner, swimmer, actor or businessman. Kinda varied ambition, huh? Makes you wonder what his true passion in life was. People have a tendency to either think they can take on the world in anything or the exact opposite, that they are not good enough. I feel people should embrace their own strengths and weaknesses in assessing what they can and cannot do. In business terms - a SWOT analysis is needed. Take my friend, for example. Not everyone excels academically. But that does not make them stupid. Rather, they have great talent in other skills. Hence, pursuing courses which requires a lot of memorising and studying may not be everyone's cup of tea. Instead, vocational courses may be the way to go. In that regard, it may not be everyone's route following a career via the academic achievement road. Some excel at hands on training or learning on the job. No doubt, a real world experience can teach us more than what a classroom could in some occasions. And having a fancy piece of paper does not guarantee we can do the work required. Working is not everyone's idea of "enjoyment". The majority of people see a "job" as something they "have" to do for a paycheck. They think that they would love to do something they're really passionate about on their weekends and in their time off. Maybe that is why we love to say "Thank God it's Friday". But isn't there a saying somewhere that goes, "Pick a job you love and you never have to work a day in your life". Fame and prestige are just luxuries that you get if you are good at whatever you do - regardless of whether you are on the silver screen or not. Youths must remember that happiness does not come from fame - think of all the great actors who overdosed or died after complaining of paparazzi. Rather, the trick is to find what we love to do in our spare time, acknowledge our skills, seek retraining if needed and expand on our strengths as opposed to trying to beat down our weaknesses. Everybody has weaknesses - do not even bother trying to be someone without any weaknesses. The young, seeking to make a career for themselves, should not be too bothered with how much one can make in that particular industry. Especially, when one is still learning the trade. Likewise, it is never too late for someone in their mid-careers to make a drastic change into something else altogether if they have ever harboured a dream. Sometimes, you need to seek the academic route for training. Other times a mentor can help you. And there is always work experience to help get you by. No doubt, it can be daunting to gain work experience by starting at the bottom. You may start out making coffee for the boss, before eventually climbing and being the boss yourself. But not everyone takes this route as it requires a certain tenacity and willingness to soak up knowledge rather than be spoon fed in schools. So, back to my friend - he asked me what he should do with his career plans. I suggested, looking within himself. Sometimes, the answer is in the mirror. - September 15, 2013. * This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider. |
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