COMMENT Everything has a cycle. Using the human age as a yardstick, Malaysia has reached the age of a teenager.

If we use Maslow’s pyramid of needs to gauge the Malaysian society, trapped in the middle income level, we are inching towards attaining ‘self-actualisation’, compared to the more mature democracies.

This is not an economics or history dissertation, but merely a layman’s attempt to interpret the sentiments of the people. The former would require years of studies, and comparison of data, but I am just an ordinary man of the street trying to understand what we are going through and where we are as a nation.

I am going to stretch Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs beyond what it is intended for originally; so, just enjoy my musing and hopefully, there are some jewels that could be gleaned. Some economics or history professor may then wish to attempt more in-depth studies into the way how nations ‘mature’.

Teenage turbulence

The nation has come to a stage where it is neither an adult nor a child. We have not arrived at the stage where we can consider ourselves like one of the other more mature democracies in the First World.

We are also not a young democracy where people hardly gave much thought to the political development of the nation. People listened to their governments, and cared for nothing else but to make ends meet.

Those were the early years after Independence, where our parents were still struggling to meet the ‘physical’ needs (if I may borrow from the terminology used in the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs) of the entire family.

The television and air-conditioning were still a luxury in life back in the sixties and seventies. In the eighties, the nation was like a child and his toys, being pampered with the luxuries of life, one after another.

The television and air-conditioning, along with the big shopping malls, became part and parcel of life. From being a luxury item, the air-conditioner, for example, became another ‘must-have’ for offices, and subsequently homes.

The ‘child’ that Malaysia was began to accept that modernisation was part and parcel of growing up in a sheltered environment. As a nation, we were mainly caught up with the ‘economic success’ in the country. We were one of the five Asian economic tigers that were roaring.

Most of us were looking beyond just meeting the physical needs, and pursuing what Maslow called the ‘emotional’ satisfaction. This is the second level from the bottom.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad built the Petronas Twin Towers and used huge funds to kick-start other mega projects that drove the gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

The average person in the cities was still relatively ignorant like the young child, despite a handful of opposition leaders and dissenters already starting to question Dr Mahathir regarding his mega projects.

Neither here nor there

Sixty years down the road since Independence, we are still nowhere here nor there. If I may put it, the nation is somewhere at the second level on Maslow’s pyramid of needs.

In more more mature democracies, where economic success has contributed to the excess disposal income, people would prefer to attend a Beethoven symphony orchestra concert rather than work overtime. I do not think we have reached that level of maturity or self-actualisation as a society yet.

Our relatively young democracy is, at this juncture, at the crossroad of ‘adolescence’ where the young person is most rebellious.

The advent of the Internet resembles the ‘exposure’ that the young person finds himself in. It is no longer the ‘sheltered life’ at home. The growing up child is rudely awakened to the harsh reality that shocks him.

At an age where opinions are also formed, the teenager will not listen to his parents. At all points there will be defiance. Is this not where we are as a nation?

There is a lot of emotional energy in the adolescent. If wrongly handled, it could lead to years of resentment against the parents.

The level of cynicism that is there amongst the Malaysian public (writers like me happen to put in words the sentiments on the ground) is high enough that, if the wrong approaches are used, could lead to greater repercussions for many years to come.

You do not use the rod any more on the teenagers, nor can you as a parent still tell the white lies that you used to tell when they were young.

Even telling them what they can or cannot read will no longer work; it will just arouse more curiosity and create a greater distrust or chasm between the teenager and his parents.

The teenager’s curiosity will will unfortunately be viewed as ‘defiance’ by the unenlightened parents. As a result, we have so many ‘parent-child’ relationships that have gone sour, because parents failed to understand that using the same methods they have been using when the young person was still a child will not work.  

Instead, the parent should learn to understand the emotional turmoil that the teenager goes through, and respect that the young person is maturing into an adult. Nothing is more reassuring to the teenager than the parents showing their respect for the need for space and discovery of their self-identity.

No difference

There is no difference in how the government of the day handles this ‘adolescent’ nation. The characteristics of the teenager are all there with this ‘adolescent’ Malaysia.

The use of the rod will only cause further rebellion. Pressure can only be capped for a while. When it gives way, I dread to think what might happen to the country after reading up more on the storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution, that even heads of powerful kings had to roll.

Given Home Minister Zahid Hamidi’s iron fist approach, if this ‘teenager’ nation is not handled properly, it may take several decades to come before a resentful generation would ever give Barisan Nasional and Umno the chance to be in power again.

This is not what most of us would like to see happening to Malaysia, because most people want to have two equally strong coalitions to maintain check-and-balance.

Both Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Zahid should realise that leaders come and go, and as a close friend puts it, there is no guarantee that you will ever get to wake up to enjoy tomorrow’s sunshine.

Life is in the hands of God. Fear of the Almighty should therefore lead us in the way we live our lives as God alone determines whether we live and remain in office!

Whatever you sow, that you shall also reap many times in return. This is the indisputable law of the universe taught in nearly all the major religions in the world.

Those who put former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in prison, for example, may end up languishing in prison for the rest of their lives.

The only fools in the world are the people who fail to learn from the lessons in history. You may think that you will remain in power for as long as you like, but as the proverbial saying goes, “As good a climber as the squirrel is, it still falls to the ground.”

No one will sympathise with you when you fall as a leader who fails to do what is right, as leaders will be judged harsher than those who follow them.

So, to move forward as a nation, be wise and read the signs of times. It would be better to handle the teenager nation with care and respect, than to try to revert to the Mahathir era and hope that you will be able to rule for another 22 years.  

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.