Many Malaysian will be having mixed feelings when they celebrate our 49th year of Merdeka come tomorrow, Aug 31. Are we better off today as compared to yesteryears before independence? This is something that crop up in my minds as life seems to be more difficult due to hike in prices and other expenses which affect the common people.

Corruption and abuse of power by the high and mighty seems to continue unabated and politicians, come their annual yearly meetings, raise sensitive issues merely to raise their political profile. The people's morale is low, businesses seem to move at a snail's pace. Everywhere, companies are downsizing and offering Voluntary Separation Schemes to their staff in order to remain competitive in the global market.

Our education system is in tatters with a lot of graduates unemployed due to their inability to master English which is a prerequisite for finding good employment. Children, from the primary school level right up to varsity, seems to be segregated by race and this doesn't bode well for nation-building.

Greedy government servants expect their palms to be greased in order for files to be moved while enforcement officers who are on the take close one eye to blatant offences. This is something you always hear about and see on the streets with no end in sight.

Our judiciary, which should be free from the executive's influence, seems to be still suffering from the fallout of the 1988 judicial crisis. The revelation by an ex-judge who said he was asked to resign for spilling the beans on corruption and abuse of power by his senior brethren makes one think that justice can be bought at the right price by those willing to pay for it.

Our streets and neighbourhoods are not safe from hoodlums who rule the streets with impunity as our men in blue are to far and few between to keep us safe from these robbers, rapists and other bad hats who are a menace to society. Drug abuse among our young - be it in the rural or urban areas - is a worrying trend and our prisons and drug rehabilitations centres are full of our misguided youth.

The clash between the former and present premiers rattles our political stability and foreign investors would think twice about investing in this country amidst such a situation.

Bad vibes like this makes one nostalgic of the yesteryears when people were more courteous with regardless of their station in life and life was more easygoing. People of the those generations seemed to mixed around more freely with one another and communicating was much easier compared to the present times where material wealth and self-gratification are more important.

So you can forgive me for not being in a festive mood and for not raising the flag at home. Life is getting tougher by the day and my thinning wallet somehow puts a damper on my enthusiasm to enjoy Independence Day tomorrow.

Hopefully, when we reach our half-a-century of independence next year, life will be better for the common people. However, it would be wishful thinking if our nation's top echelons don't change their mindset form this year onwards - change their mindsets to not abuse their power for personal gain as what other Third World leaders have done.

True statesmen should always think about the future of the younger generations when they are in power and they should not involve themselves in any activities that will endanger the well-being of the country. Neither will they abuse their power in order for their families to be enriched by dubious means. We seem to be lacking such strong characters in the political field, dynamic personalities that can lead our nation to greater heights and prosperity.