My Independence Day speech

I was cleaning out my shelf and found my speech, the one I had to present in front of the school in conjunction with National Day last year. So I decided to post it up.

Good morning. Allow me to quote John F. Kennedy, the 33rd president of the United States during his inagural address on January 20th 1961, "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world; ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man".

How many of us ask ourselves this question? What can we, as citizens of Malaysia do for our beloved country? In my opinion, we don't have to all be politicians to make a difference for our nation. Simple acts of kindness like helping a tourist by giving him directions to his destination or even offering your seat to an elderly person in the bus potrays the the simple love we have for our country. We should all be thankful to God that we love in a peaceful nation where we can go about our daily routine without worrying if a bomb fires in the air or get shot for no reason.

Besides that, the other way to show our love towards our country is to love one another. Be it Malay, Chinese, Indian or whatever heritage you come from. Being considerate and respecting one another's beliefs will create a multi racial society that understands one another, therefore building a network of patriotic citizens. Learning and experiencing different cultures also creates a platform for us to appreciate our country that is rich in heritage and traditions. Don't you think that its so interesting that we live in a country full of colours and culture from long ago?

To love our country is to first love our neighbour. And you may ask yourself, "Who is my neighbour?". Well, look around you and you'll see the essence of what Malaysia is to us.

Thank You.

Selamat Hari Merdeka.

27th August 2009

:)