by Richard Loh
October 5, 2011
My dream comes true in a dream within a dream. I woke up to find a total different Malaysia that most Malaysians have been waiting for even though we have yet to attain the developed status. But, is being a developed nation that important when the rakyat are just as happy and living a peaceful and prosperous life with a matured democracy?
Home Front
My daily routine after waking up is to stand at the balcony of my 900 SF apartment, breathing some fresh air generated from the greenery’s not far away. This apartment was bought by my daughter who can afford to do so because it was reasonably priced and an income that allows her to do so.
On my breakfast table there were three newspapers, Utusan, NST and The Star. I read through them one at a time and feel happy reading them. Utusan headlines “Timbalan Perdana Mentri, XYZ, di- arah ka MACC untuk siasatan korupsi”, The Star front page news ‘A top NGO leader was sentenced to five years imprisonment for calling other ethnic groups ‘pendatang’ while NST reported that an opposition MP was disqualified after he was declared a bankrupt. All the papers were reporting exactly what is happening around us and I could not find a report about religion or racial conflict.
After breakfast I took a drive to the market,(usually I would take the MRT, which is nearby and directly stop at destinations where I wanted to go) about 10km away to test my new 1.6 Protonsia. This Protonsia is 100% Malaysian make, body and engine designed by local engineers and safety test approved by the international automobile association. This car model was even exported to the United States with the same price tag as other imported cars like Toyota, Nissan or Mazda of the same engine capacity.
Traffic was smooth, not many cars on the road as most people took the MRT to work. Finding a car park was not a problem at all. This market was huge which cater for the local population of over 100,000 and of three levels. The ground level for the wet market produce, 2nd level for groceries and dry products while the 3rd floor is the hawker center where you can find all kinds of food prepared by the locals from all races. Here you can see how the people of all races mingled together, sitting at the same table having their food while some older folks playing chess at another table.
As I drove out from the car park, a policeman stopped me. He spoke to me in English and Malay. “sir, please drive carefully, today jumaat, many people going to pray at a mosque nearby. Kalau Enche ada senang, Enche boleh pergi ka mosque selepas sembayang, sana ada jamuan untuk semua orang. This Sunday ada pun satu jamuan di church, panggil lah kawan kawan ramai datang.” He then handed me a leaflet, highlighting all my constituency communities events and functions for the month.
Before driving home I have to make a stop at the gas station. At RM1.20 per litre, our gas is the cheapest compared to most countries. Petronas dealings are no longer held in secrecy but in the open, managed by a team of qualified Malaysians selected and endorsed by parliament from both sides of the divide. Needless to say, food prices are also cheaper with the chain reaction originated from cheap gas.
Upon arriving home I saw my grandchildren playing with their schoolmates comprising of Malays and Indians at the apartment playground. I told all of them to come back to my apartment for some light snacks and clean up before they go home.
This is the Home Front that I am dreaming of, all communities of different races and religions living together, helping each other and leave religion and race on the back burner, only to be discussed and talked about as and when necessary only.