Thank you, Lee Chong Wei
Politicians, artists, businessmen, musicians try to do it but they all failed. No one has the power to unite the entire country behind a cause like Lee Chong Wei.
When his Yonex racquet waves in the court of green and white, we can see ourselves in his jersey with tiger stripes that covers everything except the Malaysian flag.
Sports can generally unite people, even more so for badminton which holds a nostalgic place in the Malaysian memory. But Lee Chong Wei is different – he is a towering figure in his own right...
COMMENT | Politicians, artists, businessmen, musicians try to do it but they all failed. No one has the power to unite the entire country behind a cause like Lee Chong Wei.
When his Yonex racquet waves in the court of green and white, we can see ourselves in his jersey with tiger stripes that covers everything except the Malaysian flag.
Sports can generally unite people, even more so for badminton which holds a nostalgic place in the Malaysian psyche. But Lee Chong Wei is different – he is a towering figure in his own right.
For people who know badminton, they recognise Lee as one of the most technically proficient players in history. Those who don’t know badminton, they still recognise Lee as a diligent and hardworking player who always dedicates his best for the country he loves.
To the people of Malaysia, he is our hero. Lee has enough accolades to decorate a museum. He won 69 titles in his career, of which 46 were in the highest flight of the badminton circuit. He is a four-time All-England badminton champion and spent a total of 349 weeks at the peak of the badminton world, including a 199-week streak from 2008 to 2012.
Of course, Lee’s biggest regret was the inability to capture the elusive Olympic gold medal Malaysia longed for, but he was part of the greatest rivalry the sport has ever seen.
Sportsmanship and class
No Malaysian can forget the matches between Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei. I still remember constantly rubbing my sweaty palms against my trousers, my heart pumping in my chest, with eyes glued at every serve, stroke, and smash, and the intense cheers and grief at the end of every play.
And that semi-final in the Rio Olympics 2016 – who can forget that?
No Malaysian wished for Lin to defeat our national hero. But Lee was always gracious at every loss, maintaining sportsmanship so admirable that it put our bitter hatred for Lin to shame.
He taught us that the healthy competition with Lin should not come at the expense of a good friendship. There must be respect for a rival and common decency at every adversary. That’s what class looks like, and Lee is top class.
After Lee announced his retirement, Lin posted on Weibo to express his sadness. He lamented on how he would now walk to the court alone, lonely as one can be – there is no more equal.
Just a few months ago, Lin said the only reason he kept playing was because of Lee. Even at the height of their rivalry, both men appreciated the blessing of having each other as their greatest opponent, paying homage to the badminton gods.
The right formula to unite
But I think the main reason why Lee is so well-loved is that he has the right formula: He is the right ambassador with an inspiring attitude, he is extremely gifted in his craft, and he loves this country deeply.
Unlike many successful people, Lee is always down to earth. People closest to him and people who only met him briefly always talked about how approachable and friendly he was.
When he thanked his fans, you can sense his sincerity and generosity shining through.
Lee is also extremely gifted in his craft. He is focused and obsessed in becoming a better player. Although he has irreplicable natural talents, he is a believer in the process of hard work. The underlying philosophy is that nothing comes easy; you have to work with discipline to be the best in the field.
In training, Lee is known to be the first to arrive and the last one to leave. When most players take the weekends off, he hits the gym to build strength and stamina. Being excellent, to Lee, was a full-time job.
Most of all, Lee is a player who is genuinely patriotic. In his goodbye note to his fans, Lee said that his main ambition growing up was to represent the country in badminton.
Through physical and mental challenges, one after another, Lee carried his best self whenever he dons the jersey with the Malaysian flag. He wears with him the spirit of the people behind him, and the whole country knows that he never wants to let the country down.
It is this formula of being an ambassador with the right attitude, being gifted at his craft, and genuinely loving the country that made him a national hero. He proved that all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, and creed, can unite behind a single cause.
Malaysians will unite behind a cause if the cause unites them.
Politicians want you to believe that Malaysians are different from one another and they ought to hate each other. Psychologists want you to believe that it is innate within everyone to be divided into in-groups and out-groups. Historians want you to believe that the racial divisions in Malaysia have always been there and they will continue to be there.
But Lee Chong Wei proved them wrong, didn’t he?
James Chai is a legal consultant and researcher, working for Invoke among others. You may reach him at jameschai.mpuk@gail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
