Sunday, February 08, 2009

The Mind Trap

I am a former "Putra", that's the current term for "Budak" when I was in the Military College in the sixties, the only institution of it's kind. We have an association called OPAand it's members are known as "Old Putras".

Our motto is "Serve to lead" which of course was coined by the British when they set up the College. Just like their former colonial administrators, they were only looking forward to have people who served their interests.

The sad thing is that many of those who passed it's portals still continue to be in the mind trap, that is they are caught in some sort of a spider's web.

I thought when we have gone through half a century of Merdeka, they would have been able to think on their own, but some remained chained.

In the recent events kicking up the furore in the country, some have gone back to days of yonder trying to relive the kind of values which one would have thought to be relevant in the past, not for Vision 2020. Alas, they still languish in antiquated norms and mores, where the splendour of Royal untouchables reign the many parts of the Peninsula.

Today the Royalty are mere symbols of power, to give assent to Bills and to provide legitimacy, nothing more. But to some they still talk about as if we are in the days of absolute monarchs. I think we should get out of this mind trap.

3 comments:

mem-Besar said...

salam!! saya tak nampak pun apa yang raja2 melayu hari ini buat untuk memertabatkan Islam dan bangsa melayu itu sendiri.

raja-raja melayu hari ini sekadar menurunkan tanda tangan dan cap mohornya saja.

ini pada pandangan peribadi saya, seorang rakyat biasa yang cetek ilmunya.

abdulhalimshah said...

Mem-Besar,
Waalaykummusalam Mem. Sebenarnya peranan mereka sudah tidak relevan dengan zaman sekarang. Tetapi masyarakat dihujani dengan media yang mengharapkan habuan dengan menghidupkan kayu lapuk.

aofuad said...

OP Halimshah,
The Brits has visions. They invented the Royal Military College, with it's objective of creating leaders for the Independent Malaya, so that when they ultimately leave the country, they will have a local representation who will safeguards their interest, i.e. looking after the produce of Malaya so that their supply chain will not be broken.
If they had not done so, the country would have been left to the hands of an ignorant lot and hence, they would have been turmoil, thus distrupting their supply.
Likewise they set up the Civil Service, which we ignorantly called Pegawai Kera-jaan, and not Pemerintahan, as what a literal translation of Governtment should be, on Governt of Men....Memerintah..instead we called ourselves Kera-Dalam- Jagaan or monkey in a cage!!!!
So what do we expect of such wrongfull name....(Kerajaan).
I am amused that they are concerned of Derhaka to a person, wheras when they Derkhaka to Allah Taala, they don't amok on the street!!!!
I think they got their priorities wrong...
As much as i am not a keen follower of the Alternative Parties, i think the BN has fouled up in this case....
A question that has yet to find an answer is " What good has the Raja raja done to us?"
Even in England, the role of the Royalty has been curtailed, to suit the present time.
Are we going backwards?