A Nation in Peril

A poem by Nasir Hashim.

Witness our

   crisis-oriented

   Nation adorned

   with reactionary

   cycles of hate

   and betrayals

A Nation emulating

   Fire Brigade

   straddling into

   action only when

   places in flames

Or installing traffic

   lights only after

   untold accidents

   and deaths at 

   crossroad

   junctions   

Exposing dearth of

   monitoring systems

   with flaccid

   preventive

   measures

So, Nation’s pride

   and identity

   withers away like

   crumpled dead

   leaves

   disintegrating

   into ashes of

   nothingness

Yet, people worship

    human parasites

    plundering and

    bleeding the

    Nation dry

Yet, activists being

    harassed for

    confronting

    corrupt racial,

    religious and

    power-hungry

    zealots

So, we witness

   unscrupulous

   leaders brewing a

   poisonous ‘culture

   of dependency’

   through economic

   bait, enforced

   subservience

   and spectre of

   siege mentality        

Slowly but surely

    they

    self-destruct,

    denigrating and

    decimating their

    kind with

    unabated

    blame game

So, many recuse

    into domains of

    deafening silence

Glorifying their

    ill-rated expertise

    and propping

    illusory dreams

Failing to

   differentiate the

   root cause from

   its ensuing effects

So, the resonating

   drama of curing

   the symptoms but

   not the disease

   itself

Dear netizens of the

   moment

The children of

   timeless self

   and time-bound

   self

Rise up from the

   ashes of your

   slumbering

   existence

Seize and overhaul

   this convoluted

   exploitative

   system and

   cleanse our

   beautiful Nation

   from such

   treacherous

   scums of society.

 – Nasir, September 2022

The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.

AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama

1. Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
2. Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
3. Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
4. Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
5. Lawan rasuah dan kronisme

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