I think Merdeka is now a nightmare because Malaysians are more divided than ever before, with Umno leading the racial and religious segregation under the guise of special privileges as mentioned in the Constitution which is greatly misunderstood, misinterpreted and manipulated to rob the minority and fatten the majority at will.

I was born in 1952 and I vaguely recall how small towns were administered to the extent that drains were cleaned and sprayed with pest and disease controlling chemicals regularly. Uniformed personnel of any kind were highly disciplined and respected. Teachers were highly respected and honoured.

Hospitals were very clean, strict, efficient and caring for all those who wanted medical attention. People of all races and religions were close to each other, caring for each other, visiting each other regardless of religious and racial differences.

The situation today is very different and not in a good way. You can see glimpses of what I mean by the good old days in P. Ramlee movies.

The 2009 Budget was recently tabled but I am afraid it will discriminate the non-Bumiputera, which means that all the so-called goodies will be divided according to racial and religious lines.

If national unity and peace is to prevail in Malaysia, this racial and religious discrimination, bigotry and bullying must be outlawed at every single level of governing. Yes, I mean outlawed because to treat someone differently based on one’s race and religion is an absolute sin against humanity.

The Constitution has been changed several times for less deserving causes so the noble deed to reconcile all past miss-deeds of the BN can be boldly corrected by a new generation of leaders who genuinely wish to see all Malaysians feel equal and be united in every aspect.

God’s law is in spirit so leave it to the conscience of individual freedom to believe as one chooses but man’s law will surely see to it that all men and women are equally responsible for his or her own actions within civilised laws in a civilised society.