Mat Indera and Mat Silam

A debate is raging between Umno and PAS politicians on the role of Mat Indera. Was Mat Indera a hero or a ruffian?

Mat Indera played a prominent role in the 1950 attack on the Bukit Kepong police station. The incident was eventually immortalised in a movie played by the legendary P Ramlee. In the movie, the policemen were portrayed as heroes who fought against the communists.

Mat Indera was allegedly a communist cadre. A book by the Johor government in 2004 names insurgent Mat Indera as a freedom fighter and lists him as a celebrated Johor hero.

Who really is Mat Indera? Apparently, both Umno and PAS want a debate on this issue.

Both parties idolise Mat Silam (historical past) more than what's current and urgent. It is a fact that politicians and their inability to move forward and take the society through a quantum leap are to be blamed for a lack of vision, vigour and good ideas in the country.

Both PAS and Umno should start a more poignant debate and discourse on what form and shade the country should take in the next three to five years. How can Malaysia recapture its lustre?

I am sure politicians in this country should be contented by keeping silent on an allegation made by an Indonesian envoy that Malaysia has lost its lustre.

Both Khairy Jamaluddin and Mat Sabu should put their talents to use by debating on the best ideas and solutions to address the country's economic woes and its fading competitiveness.

It is difficult to accept that politicians are so keen to debate the past but allow the future to slip away from our grasp.

Contentious issues that refuse to go away

Most of the contentious issues that refused to go away, such as race supremacy, basic constitutional freedom and nationhood, are directly caused by the refusal of our politicians to accept a steady change and evolution of a society.

There is little surprise why some ethnic communities are still being considered as migrants - after being here for more than 500 years.

The social lenses they used to view interracial relations, nation-building, fundamental rights and governance are causing stagnation and a lack of direction in the country. Malaysia is a nation without a soul.

Our socio-economic progress and development are based on raw natural resources and not through a synergy of skills, ideas, determination and positive humanistic values. This type of development has a limitation because natural resources are finite but human spirit is not.

A lack of appreciation for humanistic contribution is evident in our political discourse and debate. We debate over who should have more birthrights than others, which is prime evidence of total disregard for diversity and humanistic contribution.

It is sad to note that other countries that had the same destructive tendencies and practices have moved forward and embraced diversity and values beneath the skin.

At the rate our politicians are going about in conducting their business-as-usual façade and the fact that our people condone this behaviour, we can rest assured that more soft and intangible assets are going to flow out of this country.

These assets may not find their reward and worthiness in this country but they are being highly sought after by our neighbours, including Singapore and Australia.

Our politicians' fixation over Mat Indera and Mat Silam is to ensure that we continue to live in a bubble, away from but not safe from reality and the future challenges that await us.

Quo vadis, Malaysia?

KHOO KAY PENG is an independent political analyst and corporate consultant. He can be contacted at kpkhoo@gfworld.com.my