69 Years of Independence

A Reflection on Unity, Solidarity, Understanding and the Malaysia We Share

Tomorrow, on 31 August 2026, Malaysians will once again raise the Jalur Gemilang and commemorate 69 years of independence.

There will be parades, celebrations, speeches, patriotic songs and messages reminding us of our shared history.

But perhaps this year, we should pause for a moment and ask ourselves a more difficult question:

Why, after 69 years of independence, do we still need to speak so much about unity?

Why are we still repeatedly reminded to tolerate one another?

Why do we still discuss racial harmony as though it is an aspiration rather than something that should have become the natural character of Malaysian society?

And perhaps most importantly:

Are Malaysians really divided or have we simply been repeatedly encouraged to believe that we are?

WE ARE, AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN, MORE UNITED THAN WE THINK

The truth is that ordinary Malaysians are remarkably tolerant.

A Malay Malaysian, Chinese Malaysian, Indian Malaysian, Iban, Bidayuh, Kadazan-Dusun, Murut, Bajau, Melanau, Orang Asli, Eurasian, Sikh, Punjabi, Siamese, Peranakan or any other Malaysian may have different traditions, languages, religions and cultural practices.

Yet we have something extraordinarily powerful in common:

We are Malaysian.

We grew up eating one another’s food.

We attended the same schools.

We played together.

We worked together.

We married across communities.

We celebrated one another’s festivals.

We visited one another’s homes.

We shared nasi lemak, roti canai, char kway teow, banana leaf rice, laksa, rendang, satay, chicken rice, nasi kerabu, nasi dagang, yee sang, dim sum, thosai, kuih, lemang, ketupat, hinava, tuhau, manok pansuh and countless other dishes that have become part of the Malaysian culinary identity.

Our food itself tells the story.

Malaysia’s greatest cuisine is not Malay, Chinese, Indian, Sabah or Sarawak. It is Malaysian. Our culture is exactly the same.

We borrow words from one another.

We learn each other’s customs.

We visit mosques, temples, churches, gurdwaras and places of worship with respect.

We say Selamat Hari Raya, Gong Xi Fa Cai, Happy Deepavali, Merry Christmas, Vaisakhi, Kaamatan, Gawai and Happy Thaipusam to our friends and neighbours because their happiness becomes part of our happiness.

That is Malaysia.

JUST LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE LEAVE MALAYSIA

There is perhaps no greater demonstration of Malaysian solidarity than what happens when Malaysians meet one another overseas.

Put a Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban, Kadazan, Murut, Bidayuh or any other Malaysian in London, Melbourne, Dubai, Tokyo, New York, Istanbul or somewhere in the middle of nowhere and something remarkable happens.

The first question is rarely:

“What race are you?”

It is usually:

“You’re Malaysian?”

And suddenly there is a connection.

We talk about Malaysia.

We talk about our food.

We talk about where we come from.

We talk about the weather.

We complain about traffic.

We laugh about Malaysian habits.

We compare favourite restaurants.

We talk about how much we miss teh tarik, nasi lemak, roti canai, hawker food and our mamak stalls.

For a few moments, there is no racial calculation.

There is simply:

“Ah… another Malaysian!”

And that feeling is genuine.

It is spontaneous.

It is not manufactured.

It does not require a government campaign.

It does not require a political speech. It comes naturally from within us.

WHEN MALAYSIA PLAYS, MALAYSIA BECOMES MALAYSIA

Look at what happens when our athletes compete internationally.

When our badminton players walk onto the court, Malaysians of every background cheer.

When Harimau Malaya plays football, Malaysians stand together. When our athletes compete in the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games or SEA Games, we do not ask whether the athlete is Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban, Kadazan or anything else.

We simply say:

“That’s our Malaysian.”

When Malaysia wins, we celebrate together.

When Malaysia loses, we feel disappointed together.

The Malaysian flag does not ask for our ethnicity before it is waved.

The Jalur Gemilang belongs equally to every one of us.

That is perhaps one of the greatest lessons our sporting heroes continue to teach us.

Unity is not something Malaysians have to be taught.

It is something Malaysians already possess.

AND WHEN DISASTER STRIKES, WE REMEMBER WHO WE REALLY ARE

There is another powerful demonstration of Malaysian solidarity adversity. When floods devastate communities, Malaysians respond.

When families lose their homes, Malaysians donate.

When communities are cut off, Malaysians bring food, water and supplies.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, ordinary Malaysians helped one another in countless ways.

Neighbours helped neighbours.

Strangers helped strangers.

Food was delivered to families who were struggling.

Volunteers stepped forward.

Medical workers served everyone.

People donated whatever they could.

And nobody stopped to ask:

“What race are you?”

They simply asked:

“How can I help?”

That is the Malaysia I know.

That is the Malaysia I believe in.

SO WHERE DID WE GO WRONG?

Perhaps we should have the courage to acknowledge something uncomfortable.

Our divisions are not always created by ordinary Malaysians.

Over the decades, there have been individuals, political interests, institutions and opportunistic voices that have discovered that fear, suspicion and identity politics can be powerful instruments of influence.

Sometimes it is race.

Sometimes it is religion.

Sometimes it is language.

Sometimes it is education.

Sometimes it is history.

Sometimes it is culture.

Sometimes it is a deliberately provocative statement designed to create outrage.

And sometimes it is the repeated suggestion that “they” are a threat to “ us”.

The mechanism is remarkably simple:

Create fear.

Create suspicion.

Create an enemy.

Create division.

And then position oneself as the person capable of protecting one group from another.

This is not unique to Malaysia.

It is an old political and social technique used in many parts of the world.

But Malaysia must be mature enough to recognise it when it happens here.

WE MUST NEVER ALLOW INDOCTRINATION TO REPLACE UNDERSTANDING

Education should teach our children how to think, not whom to fear.

Religion should teach us compassion, humility, morality and responsibility, not become a weapon for judging the worth of another Malaysian.

History should teach us where we came from, not become a permanent source of resentment between generations.

Politics should provide solutions, not manufacture enemies.

And leadership should unite citizens rather than constantly reminding them of the categories that separate them.

There is nothing wrong with preserving Malay, Chinese, Indian, Indigenous, Sabah, Sarawak or any other heritage.

On the contrary we should preserve them proudly.

Our differences are precious.

Our languages are precious.

Our traditions are precious.

Our religions are precious.

Our ancestral histories are precious.

But preserving one’s heritage should never require diminishing somebody else’s.

You do not make your culture stronger by insulting another culture.

You do not make your religion stronger by creating hatred towards another religion.

You do not make your race stronger by convincing yourself that another race is your enemy.

And you certainly do not make Malaysia stronger by making Malaysians afraid of one another.

OUR DIFFERENCES ARE NOT MALAYSIA’S WEAKNESS

They are Malaysia’ s extraordinary advantage. Imagine a country where Malay, Chinese, Indian and Indigenous cultures have existed alongside one another for generations. A country influenced by Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Taoism, traditional Indigenous beliefs and many other traditions.

A country where the cultures of the Peninsula meet the extraordinary indigenous heritage of Sabah and Sarawak.

A country where hundreds of communities, languages, traditions and cuisines have contributed to one national identity.

That is not a problem to solve.

That is a civilisation to celebrate.

Malaysia should not merely sell “multiculturalism” to tourists while allowing Malaysians themselves to become increasingly suspicious of one another.

We should live our diversity authentically.

Every day.

Not because foreigners are watching.

Not because it looks good in a tourism brochure.

But because this is who we are.

MALAYSIA DOES NOT NEED LESS DIVERSITY. IT NEEDS MORE UNDERSTANDING.

I have often said to those around me:

When we genuinely try to understand one another, we begin to accept one another.

When we accept one another, we learn to tolerate the differences that may conflict with our own beliefs, traditions or feelings.

And when we learn to tolerate our differences, we create the foundation for genuine solidarity.

That is the journey Malaysia needs.

Understanding → Acceptance → Tolerance → Respect → Solidarity → Unity.

Unity does not mean that we must all think alike.

Unity means that we can disagree without becoming enemies.

We can worship differently without hating one another.

We can speak different languages without being suspicious of one another.

We can preserve different traditions while sharing one national identity.

We can disagree politically while still sitting together for dinner.

That is maturity.

That is democracy.

That is civilisation.

And that is the Malaysia our children deserve.

WE MUST STOP ASKING “WHAT DIVIDES US?”

Perhaps the question we should ask instead is:

What do we share?

We share the same flag.

We share the same land.

We share the same rain.

We share the same roads.

We share the same schools.

We share the same economy.

We share the same challenges.

We share the same aspirations.

We share the same hopes for our children.

We share the same desire for safety, dignity, prosperity and opportunity. We share an extraordinary love for food.

We share humour.

We share music.

We share sport.

We share festivals.

We share neighbourhoods.

We share memories.

We share a national history that is far more intertwined than many of us realise.

And ultimately: We share Malaysia.

THE QUESTION IS: WHO BENEFITS WHEN MALAYSIANS ARE DIVIDED?

This is perhaps the question we should have the courage to ask more often.

Whenever someone deliberately creates racial or religious tension, we should ask:

Who benefits from this?

Whenever someone creates fear between communities, ask:

Who gains from our fear?

Whenever someone tells us that another Malaysian is our enemy, ask:

Why are they telling us this?

Whenever someone deliberately creates a controversy that divides society, ask:

What problem are we being distracted from?

And whenever someone claims that only they can protect us from another group of Malaysians, we should be especially careful.

Because a united population is difficult to manipulate.

A frightened population is much easier to control.

WE OWE OUR CHILDREN A BETTER MALAYSIA

Our children did not create the divisions of the past.

They should not inherit them.

They should inherit the best of Malaysia.

Let them grow up knowing that their Malay friend is Malaysian.

Their Chinese friend is Malaysian.

Their Indian friend is Malaysian.

Their Iban friend is Malaysian.

Their Kadazan-Dusun friend is Malaysian.

Their Murut friend is Malaysian.

Their Bidayuh friend is Malaysian.

Their Bajau friend is Malaysian.

Their Orang Asli friend is Malaysian.

Their Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh or other-faith friend is Malaysian.

And that none of these identities need to compete with the word “Malaysian.”

Our children should be taught that identity is not a weapon.

Religion is not a weapon.

Race is not a weapon.

Culture is not a weapon.

History is not a weapon.

They are parts of our collective human story.

MY DREAM FOR MALAYSIA

My dream is not for a Malaysia without differences.

That would not be Malaysia.

My dream is for a Malaysia proud of its differences but united by its common identity.

A Malaysia where a person can be proudly Malay and proudly Malaysian.

Proudly Chinese and proudly Malaysian.

Proudly Indian and proudly Malaysian.

Proudly Iban, Kadazan-Dusun, Murut, Bidayuh, Bajau, Melanau, Orang Asli or any other heritage — and proudly Malaysian.

A Malaysia where religion is respected rather than weaponised. A Malaysia where culture is celebrated rather than politicised.

A Malaysia where education creates bridges rather than walls.

A Malaysia where leaders compete over ideas rather than identities.

A Malaysia where disagreement does not automatically become hatred.

A Malaysia where patriotism means loving the country and every Malaysian who calls it home.

And ultimately, a Malaysia where when someone asks:

“What are you?”

our first answer is simply:

“I am Malaysian.”

69 YEARS LATER - LET US CHOOSE UNITY

After 69 years, perhaps the greatest challenge facing Malaysia is not convincing Malaysians that we should be united.

Perhaps the challenge is ensuring that nobody is allowed to convince us that we are enemies.

Let us stop looking endlessly for what separates us.

Let us start celebrating what connects us.

Let us protect our cultures without diminishing another.

Let us practise our religions with humility and respect.

Let us educate our children without indoctrinating them into prejudice.

Let us question anyone who deliberately seeks to create hatred.

Let us refuse to be manipulated by fear.

Let us demand better from those entrusted with leadership.

And let us remember that Malaysia belongs to all Malaysians.

Not to one race.

Not to one religion.

Not to one political party.

Not to one generation.

It belongs to all of us.

From Perlis to Johor.

From Penang to Kuala Lumpur.

From Kelantan to Negeri Sembilan.

From Sabah to Sarawak.

From the cities to the kampungs.

From the Peninsula to Borneo.

From every community, every heritage, every faith and every family that calls this beautiful country home.

Happy 69th Independence Anniversary, Malaysia.

May we have the wisdom to understand one another, the courage to reject division, the humility to respect our differences, and the solidarity to stand together.

Because our diversity is not the reason Malaysia is weak.

It is the reason Malaysia can be extraordinary.

And my hope, my sincere hope is that one day we will no longer have to keep reminding Malaysians to be united.

We will simply be united.

ONE PEOPLE.

ONE NATION.

ONE MALAYSIA.

With sincere hope for a Malaysia that is united, peaceful, prosperous and proud of every one of its people.

69 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE:

The Malaysia We Must Never Allow To Be Divided

Contact

Dr. Zarif Menon

Founder, President & CEO

Pacific Alliance Group (PAG)

Email

Phone

admin@zarifmenon.com

admin@pacificalliancegroup.my

+44 7888 438570 (UK)

+60 16 666 7898 (Malaysia)

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