Looking back & looking forward....

Development of our youth for the future... or... development of the future for our youth? Where does our nation stand? The latest election shows the results which I feared the most. Not in terms of BN losing its majority votes...not because of the govt losing 5+1 states to the opposition. Not because of Anwar's mangled mind & twisted tongue seeping through the rakyat's ear & blackened their hearts... why then??? What is my greatest fear? The lost of malay traditions. The lost of its' culture & heritage. We're experiencing the wind of change. Change for the better or for worst??? We've yet to know. What is certain...is the lost of our culture. Others might wonder...what the hell am i talking about? Or even.... "mamat ni dah mengarut or merepek or merapu". Fret not.... the explanation is here...

Information Technology (IT) is here to stay. IT is here to change the way we live. IT changes the way we think. IT changes the way we act. Who is "WE"? The answer is.... our youths! The new generation. The so-called 'idealistic' generation. The voice of tomorrow which shouted today & roared on 8th of march 2008. This new generation would rather spend most of their days in front of their computers for news, spend hours in cybercafes for fun & chat in cyberspace to make friends. Whereas during my time which is 15-25 years ago... we spend most of our days in the outdoors for fun & make new friends. The generation today plays "COUNTER STRIKE" & shoot each other down from the computer screen, whereas, during my time we shoot each other down by playing "chopping" (throwing wet tennis ball...which is similar to dodgeball). We play "police sentry" or "kejar-kejar", "galah panjang", "konda kondi", "teng-teng", guli & congkak & the generation today plays Grand Theft Auto, Winning Eleven & Need for Speed. We write letters which is personalised through hand-writing where nowadays its thru email which is for the masses. We used to anyam daun-palas for ketupat & now u can buy it instant at tesco. We play masak2 & kawin2 play-acting... & now its cybersex, youtube & porn on the net.

Traditional games, arts & even recipes are fading. The youths rather go to fast food rather then learning to cook or appreciate home-made tumis asam or masak lemak. The youths rather do graffiti art on walls & design through Adobe softwares rather then crafting or carving or weaving. Youths listen to mainstream western influenced music rather then irama melayu asli. Malays are running out of poets & sasterawan which was mentioned by A Samad Said recently.

This is the evolution of Malaysia. The era of globalization is here. Soon all the world will speak in 1 language & 1 culture. And all the culture, arts & heritage of the malays, chinese & even indians will be but a page in our history books. To most of the people... they will think this is the new dawn of the world which we have to grasp in order to keep up with the world. To some, it is a distraction, which may come & go... but to those few (which includes me)... thinks that is the beginning of the end for Malaysian culture.

What has happened to BN in the recent election is a reality check. Which to me is a wake up call! To both our fathers & grandfather's generation and to the new generation now! It is not too late... to ponder.... it is not too late to realise... it is not too late to change... it is not too late to fight on! Fight for survival. Survival of our culture! The new generation only focus on the present & of course the future...but they totally neglected about the past. To them, the past is irrelevant. The past is Barisan Nasional...the past is UMNO. Which to me is so... "wrong!"

I am caught in between the old generation & the new. Both have ideals which I feel would benefit both the county & her people. I would like Malaysia to be ready for the globalization era & yet strong in culture, traditions, heritage & arts. That is why, UMNO can't remain to rule the way it used to rule if they intend to maintain in the political scene as the government. It's gonna be a long winding road uphill for UMNO now as the wind of change is here to stay.

Mark my words... in 15-20years time... if this new generation doesn't realise the EFFECT of this changes NOW...then there will be no more Wau filling up the skies, batik will only be an artform, case of obesity will rise, because the lack of outdoor activities for kids. The sound of rebana will only be a sampling in a DJ remix of a hip-hop song. Baju Melayu will only be worn in wedding ceremonies only...& so on & so forth.

Sigh..... remember the struggles of our fathers & fore-fathers & ancestors. Remember enjit-enjit semut. Remember how to tie your kain sampin. Remember all the Prosa Klasik. Remember where you used to be. We can still move forward & yet maintain our image is malaysian...therefore I STRONGLY believe.... we give the past a chance to blend & lead for the future...once again! Amin.....