To be truly Malaysian, we must be torchbearers for the most marginalised

 

GLOBALLY the world is becoming nasty and ugly to the downtrodden. The naive, innocent, illiterate and ignorant are the victim of the polarized world. Malaysia is not an exception, if we were closely observe the country’s political rhetoric.

If we call ourselves truly Malaysian, compassion cannot stop at slogans or seasonal charity. It must extend deliberately to the downtrodden of the downtrodden, those rendered invisible whether they live in our cities or far beyond them.

A nation’s moral credibility is tested not by growth figures, but by how it treats those left behind by growth.

In urban Malaysia, marginalisation wears a different face. It appears in low-income families squeezed into ageing flats, struggling with rising rents, stagnant wages and access to childcare.

It is seen in urban poor children who fall through gaps in the education system, in the elderly living alone without adequate support, and in undocumented or stateless individuals who exist in the shadows of our cities close to opportunity, yet excluded from it.

In rural Malaysia, the challenges are quieter but no less severe. In parts of Sabah and Sarawak, access to clean water, healthcare, and reliable education remains uneven. Indigenous communities often face land insecurity as development advances faster than consultation.

Rural youth migrate to cities not by choice, but necessity, leaving behind ageing parents and hollowed-out communities.

Being a torchbearer demands that we acknowledge these realities honestly. Charity alone cannot resolve structural exclusion.

True patriotism requires the courage to question whether policies designed in Putrajaya fully reflect lived realities in PPR flats, longhouses, fishing villages, estates, and FELDA settlements.

At a time when public discourse is increasingly polarised along racial, religious, and political lines, empathy must become a conscious national discipline.

When society fractures, it is always the poorest, urban or rural who bear the heaviest cost. Malaysia’s plural foundation reminds us that dignity is not divisible by postcode.

Ordinary Malaysians already practise this instinctively. We see it when city residents mobilise during floods, and when rural communities share limited resources in times of crisis. What is missing is the systematic translation of this social instinct into national policy.

Malaysia must embed inclusive thinking into governance by strengthening targeted urban poverty interventions, accelerating rural infrastructure and service delivery, resolving documentation and citizenship gaps, and ensuring that development decisions are evaluated by their impact on the most vulnerable first.

Only then can Malaysia credibly claim to be a nation that uplifts rather than overlooks.

KT Maran is a Focus Malaysia viewer.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.

- Focus Malaysia.