In recent months, we seem to come across numerous letters and opinions in the mainstream media from the older generation of Malaysians expressing real anxiety about what is going on in the country. By older generation, I am referring to those in their forties and especially in their fifties and who are products of the previous system of education.

These fears and anxieties of the older and more experienced generation of Malaysians are not appreciated by the present younger generation who are in control of administering the nation. As members of the earlier generation, we have undergone numerous trials and tribulations which moulded our lives and contributed to the present peaceful situation in Malaysia. Our fear is that the peace and harmony which we have built and treasured over the years is in danger.

We know our experiences are invaluable but we are not able to effectively transmit them to the younger generation as the latter are shaped by a new set of facts based just on modern technological advancements alone. Traditional moral, ethical and human values seem to have no role anymore in shaping the destiny of the nation.

It is this failure to pass over our inherited and cherished values that is causing a breakdown of established social, ethical and moral norms. This explains high rate of sexual crimes like rape and incest, the inconsiderate and reckless behavior on our roads, the loss of respect for elders, racial and religious segregation at all levels of society, loss of respect for people of other religions and ethnicity, the lack of civic consciousness, vandalism etc. The list is endless.

We blame misguided politicians who, for political power and wealth, have succumbed to the temptations of greed. Laws are changed on the pretext of nationalism and patriotism. The divide and rule policy is enhanced under a concocted name of restructuring society.

We are willing to bend all rules and regulations to achieve our misguided ambitions. The vast majority of the rakyat, the so-called silent majority, are helpless against the abuses dished out by the rich and powerful figures of giant corporations.

We witness today the very laws that were so dear to us being blatantly abused without any reprisal by the governing enforcement authorities. The very politicians who are elected by the rakyat to protect their rights fail them miserably.

The final outcome of all this is that we see today a whole generation of Malaysians growing up as strangers. This generation of Malaysians will not embrace diversity and will be less tolerant of each other.

We, too, the earlier generation of Malaysians who belong to the silent majority are slowly but surely becoming strangers in our own country.