Merdeka is deeper than just celebration - Dr M

SHAH ALAM - Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad believes that young people nowadays celebrate independence with lots of cheers and joy, but its actual content is deeper than just mere joy.

He said what the country is enjoying at the moment was not enjoyed by the people before independence.

"What it is today is not what it was before. Can this glory last forever?

"Will the race be marginalised? Will our homeland be lost again?" he said in a poem and video posted on Facebook on Wednesday.

He said Merdeka means free, not confined and freed from the shackles of foreign parties, and it requires a long struggle.

Without the struggle of our forefathers, it would be difficult to achieve the freedom we have today, he said.

"The power of Tuah and Jebat's rebellious souls does not die down in time. Flowing fast with Malay fighters from Mahajara Lela to Tok Janggut, Datuk Bahaman, and Mat Kilau.

"The same goes for Tunku Kudin, who was martyred. Datuk Onn, Tunku Abdul Rahman, and Tun Razak welcomed the struggle. We celebrate independence as a sign that we are no longer colonised," he said.

Dr Mahathir said the independence paid for with blood, sweat, and tears has freed the country from continued oppression.

He explained that after experiencing independence, Malaysia has excelled in many areas and developed more rapidly.

"We are free to decide our direction. We join and form Malaysia and are responsible to our country and to our people.

"We developed the country and succeeded. So with peace and prosperity, we develop the country rapidly. We are called the Asian Tiger. Freedom," he said.