Malaysians have been reminded that celebrating Merdeka is not just about commemorating our freedom from colonial rule, but true freedom from racism and oppression.

 

"PKR… asks all Malaysians to value independence in the true sense of the word, that is not just about freeing ourselves from the slavery of colonialism.

 

"Not just also to celebrate it by flying the Jalur Gemilang," said PKR president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

 

Instead, she said in her Merdeka Day message today, Malaysians should be encouraged to nurture the spirit of Merdeka fully, that is independence from the "oppression and tyranny".

 

"The independence that we seek is actually in the freedom of our hearts and soul and our kin from the shackles of racist and narrow thinking, and the freedom of our economy,"

Her message comes in the face of numerous challenges to the party, from the ongoing Selangor menteri besar impasse to the many PKR and other opposition leaders who are being probed and charged for sedition.

 

Her husband and PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, meanwhile, is facing obstacles in his appeal against his sodomy conviction following his lawyer N Surendran being nabbed in the sedition dragnet.

'Divide and rule' still rules

 

Echoing this, PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar said the country's leadership appears to have inherited the ways of the colonial masters.

 

"Extreme racism and prejudice plagues various communities in this country and is a sign that the minds of our national leaders are still colonised by the colonial legacy, which imposed a divide and rule policy in the past," she said in her Merdeka message today.

 

She added the government's use of the Sedition Act against opposition leaders recently was also similar to the British colonial masters, which used the same law against local leaders who fought for independence to silence them.

 

"Therefore I urge integration and genuine love among ourselves, which must start with the government by stopping its repressive action against opposition leaders and to engage in discussion about the country's vision that defends those who are oppressed," she said.

 

She added issues such as rising cost of living and the Goods and Services Tax must also be addressed, as independence would ring hollow if the rakyat are still suffering.

Wan Azizah and Nurul Izzah's reminder comes as Umno supreme council member Ismail Sabri Yaakob last night called on Malays to "unite" so that "others would not dare to challenge us".

He lamented Malays were "divided" as "Umno Malays, PAS Malays, PKR Malay', and lately DAP Malays".