Our Culture Is Not For Sale

1.

As I drove on the highway today, I began to realize something. I realized that billboards are lining the highway almost all the way through. Most of these billboards are ugly, although they advertise beauty products. Some are offensive (with terrible innuendos). But what all of them did is to obstruct the scenic view of the countryside, distant trees, clouds and mountains. How awful! Aren't we disgusted with such gross commercialization of our public space? 

This is not a new problem for this country - regardless if anyone ever saw it as one. The intrusion of our public space by the private (sectors, companies, invested persons such as celebrities or politicians) by propping up advertisements almost everywhere now is only going further everyday. 

It wasn't enough that the train stations are full of posters, the train themselves are completely covered with advertisement - inside and out - and (sadly for some time already) we also hear passenger announcement for the arrival at almost every station accompanied by a jingle of an advertisement. 

Our radio stations too are choked with commercials for almost every song played. 

Some may say that those ads are there for a reason. They occupy space where there's potential that the public can see them and hear them. And their private sponsors often pay a hefty amount to occupy those spaces, or rather to keep other private entities from occupying those spaces. 

And of course, a lot of these public spaces - highway, passenger trains, radio - are privately owned anyway. So of course there isn't anything illegal about putting commercials at these places - or even putting so much of them. 

2.

But I believe as a society, we have the power to change this for the better. The intrusion of the private into our public space is only a small part of a larger crisis in our society - that of our lost national identity. The problem is that our society has never come to a satisfactory consensus of what makes us a nation in the year 2016.

And please spare us the group pose of multi-ethnic Malaysians in traditional clothing as a guise for our national identity in this day and age. Yes, our traditional clothing, dances, music and architecture are our cultural heritage, and we must preserve them by all means. But to portray the Malaysian society today as a group of dancers in traditional clothing is not enough. 

Then who are we? An image comes to mind. That of the Teh Tarik sipping, Roti Canai chewing, football and badminton junkie hanging out under the night sky at a local food stall. But is this the ideal image we would like to portray ourselves?

How about portraying our society with the most exemplary morals, best working and living environment, most ideal cities, roads, and countryside that best suit us in this day and age? 

3.

This is the definition of culture - of having a shared meaning in a symbol. Our 21st century cultural crisis is that we don't have any meaningful shared symbols. And it's a shame. Our multiculturalism should not prevent us from having a shared meaningful experience together. In fact we have more things in common experience that should become the anchors of our unity.

For example, our geography exposes us to plenty of sun, and drenches us with sweat from the heat and humidity of our tropical weather. We must acknowledge this, and encourage our people to find a cost effective and most environmental friendly way of keeping bodies cool. This of course may include a simple solution such as preserving the trees in our cities to act as shades.

Food is another favourite thing of ours - and commonly cited as an example of what all of us can be proud of. But let's go further, and find ways to improve the national diet. Are we aware that our current dietary habit is not healthy? Perhaps enough has been said about the "epidemics" of diabetes and obesity in our society. 

Instead of being satisfied with the tastiest dishes we can make, let us also find out what could be the healthiest of all. A healthier national diet is in fact a desperately needed innovation that would be a leap forward in the right direction for our well being.

4.

To conclude let us go back to our highways - a common experience we all share is to drive through these roads that cut through hills, cross rivers, and bring us from one city to another. Isn't it a great shame that all those scenic view of the countryside, tropical forest, and hills are obstructed by large billboards that sell beauty products? 

Is this what we've become? For the sake of selling the appearance of natural beauty, we've sacrificed the true beauty of our nature.

If we can shape our identity, let's shape it for the better.

Happy Merdeka 2016.