COMMENT | Will the next 60 years see more of the same disturbing scenarios for Malaysia or will there be change that will see the nation grow without fear or favour and attain the Merdeka Dream?

The ancient Chinese and Indians believe that human life goes in 60-year cycles. Will life begin at 60 for Malaysia or see her regress under the yoke of another foreign power - or even one home-grown one? Will she continue to see hordes of sons and daughters of the nation desert her for other lands? Or will she see them labour to free her from the besetting evils?

When the country achieved her independence six decades ago, it ushered in the hopes of the people that a new nation under self-rule would be a nation of the people, by the people and for the people. It would be a free nation.

The late Merdeka prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman had raised the hopes of the nation and exhorted everybody to play their parts in building the fledgling nation. But he died disappointed.

The country is not short on diagnosis.

Over the years, many have written and spoken on what has gone wrong in the country. In fairness, the country has made enormous progress and I marvel at the development that I witness in the country, especially in the major cities. Still, progress is selective and pockets of poverty exist in rural and urban areas, and it is a symptom of the malaise.

Many credit former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for the country's big-picture development. I give credit to the many enterprising Chinese entrepreneurs and foreign companies, the traditional backbone of the national economy. Today the nation is not touting her 'past economic miracle' but concern for the state of the nation.

In a Malaysiakini report, Perak ruler Sultan Nazrin Muizziddin Shah (photo) cited the 'Four Tun Razak Disappointments' as scenarios that ran counter to the vision of the late leader.

The loss of unity due to the divisive activities of political parties, the failure of the education system to foster racial interaction, the abuses in the implementation of the New Economic Policy (NEP) and the many top-level cases of corruption and loss of national integrity were the described scenarios.

Such lamentations, among others, are what Malaysians have been harping on for many years and some have been prosecuted for exposing alleged acts of corruption. How this happens in a democratic and religious state is bewildering. Should not a righteous nation condemn wrongdoing? Should not more politicians be active in the politics of righteousness?

We see a true patriot like Pandan parliamentarian Ramli Rafizi unfairly prosecuted for exposing high level corruption. The list of persecuted and prosecuted law-abiding and concerned citizens is a long one. Even an independent online like Malaysiakini is prosecuted simply for being the messenger of public concern news that merely state the facts.

What is there to fear if there is nothing to hide?

Loss of hard-won ideals

The scenario of loss of liberty and freedom to expose fraud and corruption by the people is a lamentation that is not lost among the people. It is a freedom consistent with the ideals of Merdeka. Those hard-won ideals can be lost when laws stymie those freedoms on the pretext of national security, often a euphemism for political expediency and covert politics of survival.

In fact, I dare say all the past and deceased prime ministers of the nation would be appalled to see the disturbing scenarios described by the Perak ruler and others not mentioned in the country today.

And one past leader who is still alive today is working hard to save his nation. Love or hate Mahathir, no one should doubt the man's courage and consistency in being involved in doing something for his nation, for better or worse.

Merdeka and the freedom of a nation is not won by apathy.

He is not only diagnosing the nation's ills but prescribing the desired cure. But as we know, some chronic sicknesses may not be cured and others may take time to heal. There is no instant cure for a sick nation but taking the bitter medicine is the start. And quarantining the infected is a sound strategy. Corruption is an infectious disease.

It is a bitter pill for leaders to swallow but the most patriotic act of a leader is to step down from power when it is in the interest of the nation. Mahathir, despite his long tenure, did eventually step down, but not out of the political picture.

Harapan, the 'alternative government' he leads, offers the nation hope that if there is a change in government and BN is evicted from Putrajaya, things will improve. That is the hope of change. But hopes have been dashed - as the world saw with former US President Barack Obama - who failed to make the world a fairer place. Hope in hype and hope fulfilled are worlds apart.

Still, many may still chant, 'Enough is enough' and 'It's time for change' and any change of the Perak ruler's described scenarios will be received with gusto. It does seem odd that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has pursued corruption among high officials but overlooked the now infamous 1MDB fiasco or fraud. The MACC is now proving what many have been accusing the government of for a long, long time.

The scenario for real change is not only changing the driver but the vehicle. The road ahead for the Merdeka nation was clear, albeit the communist threat and later, Konfrontasi. The vehicle that has brought the nation to where it is, is now old and rusty. The driver is tired and prone to sleeping at the wheel. The country is driven into all sorts of diversions.

The Perak ruler has hit the hammer on the head of many nails sealing the coffin of the nation. A nation consumed in corruption, racial and religious disunity and corruption in high places is one that may soon be in her death throes.

‘Ides of March’

When the aims of a government and its modus operandi are inconsistent with the nation's national aspirations, ethos and constitution, then beware the 'Ides of March.' A nation will be assassinated. And the poem 'First they came for...' will be replayed in the Malaysian scenario as, one by one, the opposition politicians and civil activists are persecuted. And more so as GE14 looms.

The cure of a sick nation is an overhaul of the vehicle's engine or its replacement. The system needs an upgrade. It is one thing to lament but what matters is remedy. Business as usual under such scenarios is the road to bankruptcy. Malaysia risks becoming a debt slave of a foreign power if there is no transparency in its dealings.

Often the corrupt in high office leave a legacy of hardships for the people, as we have seen with failed states. Prevention is better than cure before a sickness like terminal cancer afflicts a nation.

Many now think the vehicle in Malaysia has gone off the Merdeka road and taking the people into a hard place. Civil society has been concerned and many have publicised their concerns. The time for lamentation is long past.

Merdeka is the time to reflect and act to free a nation because that seems the only reason for its celebration. History reminds and teaches. Merdeka Day is the call to all Malaysians to ensure their nation is free from all forms of repression. The system must change for the better, and so too the calibre of leaders and policies.

STEVE OH is the author of the novel ‘Tiger King of the Golden Jungle’ and composer of the musical of the same title. He believes in good governance and morally upright leaders.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.