Two years on: "I have a dream..."
Technorati tags: Anniversary, myAsylum, Peace, Harmony, Martin Luther King Day, Malaysia
Today, January 21, 2008, the United States observes Martin Luther King Day. It's a day dedicated to a man who gave his life fighting for a more just and equitable America. And as if by some strange, almost cosmic synchronicity, this year's MLK day happens to fall on the very day that myAsylum celebrates its 2nd anniversary.
Like the late Dr. King, Walski, too, has a dream...
(click here to view original MLK image source)
Yes, myAsylum turns 2 today. Time flies, doesn't it? While nowhere even close to the same class and stature of the Malaysian heavyweight blogs, Walski feels that myAsylum has managed to carve a niche for itself - a blog, which like Walski, is somewhat difficult to compartmentalize. And Walski is more than happy with that.
Granted, over the last couple of years, myAsylum inadvertently has evolved into a blog that increasingly focuses on Malaysian socio-politics, this was never Walski's intention when he started it back in 2006. But it's still eclectic and unique in its own way... Walski is, after all, someone that has a varied spectrum of interests... someone that's also difficult to compartmentalize. After all, you blog what you are... and not vice versa (hopefully).
It's just that the past 24 months has seen our nation, Malaysia, become progressively worse off... rising crime, rising cost of living, rising conservatism that's driving a stake through the heart of this nation, rising state intimidation of its people, rising feeling of hopelessness to some extent... all because of a government that has exhibited a rising level of incompetence, with political self-preservation becoming more important than service to the very people who voted them in.
And yet, Walski is optimistic that things will look up. They may get a whole helluva lot worse in the process, but Walski believes that things will get better. It's this optimism that keeps Walski going, and makes living here in Malaysia tolerable still.
Like the late Dr. King, Walski, too, has a dream. It's a dream that's not very much different, in spirit, from the one that Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about on August 28, 1963 - in a speech that, to many, has become synonymous with the struggle for human rights, justice and equality.
Walski has a dream...
(a blog-birthday wish, in the full post)
... that one day, we will stand shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, truly as one nation.
... that one day, the most important thing that binds each person is their citizenship of this great nation.
... that one day, we help our brothers and sisters, not because they are of the same ethnicity, religion and have the same political ideals, but simply because they are in need.
Walski has a dream...
... that one day, we shall live freely as Malaysians, with only ourselves to police our conscience, and not live under the imposition of a religious state we seem to be fast becoming.
... that one day, everybody below a certain income level enjoys discounts on housing, and not just certain groups based on their ethnicity and religion.
... that one day, the term bumiputera shall mean anyone born on Malaysian soil.
Walski has a dream...
... that one day, political rhetoric will revolve around the ability of a given party to best serve the entire nation, and not how specific parties must champion the interests of only specific ethno-religious groups.
... that one day, our politicians enter politics to serve the nation, and not become self-serving leaches, robbing the nation dry of its aspiration and resources.
... that one day, our politicians realize that it's not easy to buy our mindshare, and that we are not so cheap as to be swayed simply by granting us public holidays (we have too damn many as it is).
... that one day, our government serves the nation because it fears it's citizens, and not it's citizens living in fear of a repressive regime.
... that one day, discrimination will be but a concept read about in history books, and not the way of life we struggle through in present times.
Walski has a dream...
... that one day, respect is something we give mutually and willingly, and not something we demand others to accord us.
... that one day, religion will no longer be used as a political tool to divide us.
... that one day, our ethnic background becomes irrelevant, and not the main criterion of how we are treated.
... that one day, when we talk about race, we mean the human race.
... that one day, we can, once and for all, hold our heads up high, and proudly claim to be Malaysians - one nation - with peace, prosperity and justice, for all.
And that, God-willing, Walski's dreams will become reality... within his lifetime.
Because of this dream, Walski will continue to speak against the wrongs, but also remember to celebrate the rights. Our lives are, after all, a yin and yang - a balancing act that constantly needs a little adjustment - something Walski sometimes forgets himself.
And myAsylum shall continue to be a thorn in the side of those who seek to selfishly take what belongs to all Malaysians, and a respite for those who believe in playing nice, and sharing what we have with our fellow sisters and brothers.
So here's to another year of blogging ahead... with fond greetings of Peace, Love, and Rock 'n Roll... towards a dream that Walski would love for everyone to share, one day...
