"here are of course those who do not want us to speak.
I suspect even now, orders are being shouted into telephones, and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power.
Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth.
And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there?"
- V, V for Vendeta
Independence...
What does that mean to you...?
In my 32 years of life, this year though most uneventful seemed to be the most meaningful...
why? you may ask?...
Because this may be the year that we need it more than ever....
In years gone by, being born after 1957,
freedom from oppression has been something most Malaysians have taken for granted
But in the past year we have had riots (peaceful til the government stepped in), revelation of unimaginable government ineptitude, and I've seen more dissatisfaction from the public than ever before....
Then the worst thing imaginable happened...
Merdeka, or independence day was perverted by the people who should be leading the celebration
And the response was swift and clear...
though it is clear who are the main people involved
"People should not be afraid of their government, the government should be afraid of their people"
I never knew this was a quote from V,
though it has been repeatedly quoted and requoted in the past year
and my ignorance slowly cleared as I understand why some chose to wear the Guy Fawkes masks
Makes me wonder if this all too famous Malaysian video maker
who shot to notoriety by his famous rendition of Negaraku
and even then I thought he was more patriotic than most...
""We will not go quietly into the night!" We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!"
- President Thomas Whitmore, Independence Day
As I conclude my rant,
I wonder if these words from the movie independence day
would be the chant of all Malaysians
as the time of change quickly approaches...
and would we wake up to a new world?...
one of hope?...
"This country needs more than a building, it needs hope"
- Evey Hammond, V for Vendeta
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