We are united for unity. You can call us United Malaysians or UM or MU, Malaysians United. Either way you describe us, that is who we are, and that is what we stand for (and against!). We were the first squad of the 50th Anniversary march-past last Friday. Why then did they (our elders) march, led by non other than the minister of home affairs? Yes, all 50 of them, why did they march? That was our way of saying thank you to the nation.

We have always been and always are proud Malaysians. We were trained and nurtured to \’Serve to Lead;\’ our defining motto. The older FMC was not just another boarding school. It is the most unique multiracial school ever developed and designed in the last 50 years of the nation\’s history; or even in the world. In fact, the founder-originator and visionary was the then British high commissioner and field marshal Sir Gerald Templer who called it then as the \”answer to the challenge of independent Malaya.\” He may have known something we still do not. The two promoters of the Federation and later the Royal Military College project, were therefore the late Gerald Templer and the late Tun Abdul Razak, the then minister of defence.

The founders framed our charter as \”The Federation Military College has been established with the object of preparing young Malayans to take the places as officers in the armed forces of the federation, in the higher divisions of the public service, and as leaders in the professional, commercial and industrial life of the country.\”

We moved to Sungai Besi to our own location in 1961. This charter, and the location, we pray will and can carry us into the next 50 years as well. The new Malaysian vision and new Royal status arrived in 1966 and we became \”Puteras\” in 1971. In fact, it was in my year of intake, 1965, that we had three members who joined us from Singapore although not Sabah and Sarawak. In 1981, the RMC received the Regimental Colour from the Yang DiPertuan Agong.

Therefore, on display for the nation to see and appreciate on her 50th anniversary were the best of the best from both the FMC and RMC. All 50 of them: Many secretaries- general, directors- general, military generals and many others. They were the living empirical proof that the older RMC had lived up to the dreams and hopes of their founding fathers! They have served therefore to lead Malaya, and then Malaysia; and there we were to lead again by example in our special style of marching before the nation. We thank the government of Malaysia for the opportunity for us to show all our true colors! Daulat Tuanku and congratulations Malaysia! And thanks also to Dr Rais Yatim and the Cabinet for giving us the double honour of being the very first squad! That was truly a surprise.

National pride

Therefore, it is not by chance that there were 10 Tan Sris and 22 Datos\’ and one serving minister and the current armed forces chief and a former chief secretary from our alma mater who marched on that auspicious day of the 50th anniversary of our country\’s independence. It was independence from socio-cultural, political and economic dominance of weaker states in a world of power and might. It is our freedom to be who we really wanted to be. It was for our \” maruah negara , (national pride)\” as the former PM always called it. It is for dignity and destiny of precious human life.

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Premised on theme of the 50th anniversary of \”developmental history and leadership philosophies of the past prime ministers which were showcased,\” the organisers could not rightly fit us anywhere else. We had to be part of the pre-independence history. After all the college was set-up in 1952 and not 1957. By the way, I understand there were even 10 originals from the 1952 intake. After all, the college was set up to ensure the future of independent Malaya. We were united for unity. So, again, why did the 50 old Putera seniors voluntarily march when most others (of same vintage or even younger) chose to watch it on TV instead?

Or, even more importantly, why did two of the currently serving officers, get off their stage, change, and still march on behalf of the college and the alumni? That is true leadership by example. We were united for the unity of Malaya and now, Malaysia. We wanted to showcase one example of a successful model of multi-racialism and demonstrate leadership by example of a quality of camaraderie unmatched elsewhere in the world.

And why is all this important for this nation? You see, such Malaysians will always salute the Malaysian flag and we were trained always to do so. We know no other human loyalty. We will always fight to defend the lowering of the flag by even one inch; especially by enemies of the flag, whoever they are! We were trained for this. On Aug 31, 1957, the Jalur Gemilang was raised and the Union Jack lowered. Let it be so. Let us not try to change that history. We did it voluntarily and our forefathers did it within the realities of their historical context. We cannot change that fact and history; neither will we allow that social contract to be revisited, revised or changed. That is our promise.

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We did exactly that on July 7, 2007; when about more than 600 of us gathered at Port Dickson, the founding place of the original FMC/RMC and celebrated what was called the double golden anniversary. To others this may not compute. But, to those who attended, every bit of it did. We were united for unity. The 1957 intake of FMC boys decided to \”host all the other intakes for a grand party to celebrate our 50th anniversary of the nation and 50th anniversary of their intake! The chief host and organiser was none other than our own minister of home affairs, jointly with Dr Ling Liong Sik, G Gnanalingam and Mohamed Razali Abdul Rahman, the current president of the Old Putera Association as co-hosts.

Was it not the best celebration of our OP lives? Yes, I can say, as one of the organisers of the 25th anniversary of the RMC by the OPA in 1977 and the \”Salute the Nation\” dinner we organised with Dr Mahathir Mohamed as the guest of honour in 2001. At the 2001 event, the then prime minister publicly described and declared the RMC as a successful experiment in multi-racialism. We are united, in fact, united for unity.

Crucial years ahead

What then of the next 50 years for Malaysia? I believe that the next six years will be extremely crucial and critical. These \”interim years\” must make up for the difference between the meaning of Merdeka for the Malayans and that of Malaysia for the Sabahans and Sarawakians. Merdeka must begin to mean real independence for all the states (as renegotiated and agreed legitimately) and all Malaysians, as originally defined and clarified both in 1957 and again in 1963. Currently it does not seem to be so yet; especially for the bottom 30% of Malaysians, regardless of ethnic heritage or religious origin. It does not for many single mothers in Malaysia. Even for many who are physically disadvantaged or disabled and the many rural and urban poor. Now, it is also more so the case for the many elderly, who have no homes (not houses), resulting from modernity and the break-up and migration of families from rural to urban living.

The rich are in fact getter richer and the poor poorer; our disparity maybe the highest in Asia today. This is nothing to be proud of, especially after 50 years. There are many who are filthy rich; but unfortunately are products of a kind of ugly capitalism, or by being beneficiaries of a \”rentier system of economics.\” No real value added; only stealing the nation\’s wealth because of their connections, or legacy interests of advantage, or even setting up gates to collect at the wrong places.

Can Malaysia sustain herself with this type of socio-political-economy into the future? I doubt it. We must therefore change the course of our direction and move towards real knowledge economics of what you know and not anymore who you know. We must again become united for unity; in the spirit of the original merdeka. That was the primary over-riding thrust of even the NEP. And poverty eradication without regard to ethnic or religious preference was one of the two primary objectives of the NEP also. Why have we ignored all that?

Uniting and including each and every other Malaysian into the meaning of independence and the freedom of living a life of dignity and destiny; as God would have intended for each and every one of us, must become the ultimate goal of the real Merdeka. For that is what independence meant and means, even now! That was the real reason why the many British Commonwealth soldiers died to defend Malaysia against the militant communists who had a different vision for the formation and foundation of Malaya. They included the British, Australians, maybe even New Zealanders but especially many Gurkha soldiers. They also included our own military and police officers, and many volunteer civilians; of all races, classes and creeds.

We cannot forget their deeds. They are gone so that we could enjoy the peace we do. Let us not forget them or their deeds. Let us not forget the history of our nation. It is too easy to begin a revisionist view of history when we have short memories. We cannot and should not. The RMC Old Puteras; 50 of them marched to remind Malaysia that we are both 50 and 44 years of age. That we are half a century but maybe parts are only 44 years old. Our growth and development will take a little more time for full maturity; let us not lose heart in our process of maturity. Even democracy of the form we have adopted in Malaysia is an experiment in multi-racialism; never before has it been tried anywhere else, except in India. So, both India and Malaysia are in fact good and true experiments in multi-racialism within a multi-religious, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural context. But, we are in fact one better. We have one more sub-experiment in Malaysia, which India does not have.

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We have the RMC as the actual and real empirical evidence of 50 years experimentation with multi-ethnic nurturing, growing and living. On Aug 31, 2007, 50 of those people who were anak Malaya, and then anak Malaysia show-cased their lives, and contributions right before our very eyes. Please study and examine each of their lives and you will have a fantastic lesson in multi-culturalism; with all the dos and don\’ts quite candidly and honestly. We are the United Malaysians for Unity or the Malaysians United for Unity! May the nation learn from the lived lives of each one of them; for they served to lead Malaysia; every step of their lives till today! God bless Malaysia.

( The writer was a founding committee member of the Old Putera Association from 1971 and Secretary from 1972-1977. He served the Committee again twice between 1983-1985 and 1996-1998. He was at the RMC between 1965 and 1968. Photos by Che Aris .)