It's the time of the year again when the jalur gemilang is furled proudly from car antennas, balconies and windows. Reminders of patriotic pride resonate from the lips of political leaders and radio DJs, and Malaysians are reminded once again of what it means to be citizens of a free nation. But what does Merdeka mean to most of us? Has its meaning dwindled to a mere public holiday and a colourful parade?

Perhaps some of us will feel a twinge of pride as we recollect the recording of Tunku Abdul Rahman's resounding "Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka!" on that August Day in 1957. Incidentally, there is another reason to celebrate. Hari Wanita, or Women's Day, was also inaugurated on this month in 1962, to celebrate and acknowledge women's contribution to the nation's history. This is especially in relation to the groups Kaum Ibu and National Council of Women's Organisation (NCWO), who were both playing significantly active roles in developing a newly independent country.

So what does it mean to be independent? Why is it so important to set aside two national dates to celebrate this symbolic reality? Most of us are too young to remember what it was like to be under colonial or Japanese rule. Reading about it through textbooks somehow fails to translate it into meaningful reality. Perhaps an easier analogy can be drawn from when we were adolescents living under the rule of our parents. Of course, this is not to say that parents are the same as a foreign power controlling our lives with force and oftentimes, violence. But the feeling of being under another's apparently unquestionable authority may arguably be likened.

Remember the anxiety gnawing at our soul that yearns for liberty and social interaction with our peers as we timidly ask our parents for permission to attend a New Year's party? Remember how it felt like trying to carve an identity for ourselves that was not approved of by our elders? Remember having dreams and ambitions that were prematurely thwarted through disapproving stares and arguments about its impracticality?

Now, remember how good it felt to be free? Taking the first breath of adulthood and the liberty in living our own lives as we deem fit. However, with freedom came responsibility, and the need to make responsible decisions about our lives. Making choices about how we want to shape it, what kind of lives would we want to lead, and the ways in which to complete it.

This is the freedom that Malaysia achieved after 31 August 1957. Through a democratic system, each and every one of us has a say in what kind country we want Malaysia to be. Whether we want to live in a nation that respects principles of justice and equality, and that promotes harmony, integration and development in all aspects. Essentially, if we want to be able to feel safe in learning new knowledge, stating our opinions, giving to the community, find a job, be with the person we love, go shopping, have a hobby etc., we are able to do so by playing an active role as a citizen in an independent democratic country. By exercising our right to vote - fortunately for us, both men and women of legal age were given the right to do so without need of a suffrage movement in our first election in 1955 - we can ensure that these freedoms are protected responsibly.

So what have we achieved thus far?

To not forget women's contributions as we fly our patriotic flags, let's take a quick look at some of the milestones the women's movement have carved in Malaysia's herstory.

In 1969, the government implemented equal pay for equal value and we had the first women Minister, Tan Sri Fatimah Hashim, who was appointed to head the Welfare Ministry. The National Advisory Council for the Integration of Women in Development (NACIWID) was formed in 1976. In the same year, the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act, implemented in 1982, made polygamy for non-Muslims unlawful. In 1989, the National Policy on Women was accepted by the Cabinet, which explicitly states for women's participation in all levels and aspects of the nation's development. The Malaysian government ratified the Convention on All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1995, obligating State intervention in ensuring the equality of women in all aspects of civil society. The Domestic Violence Act was implemented in 1996, officially recognising spousal abuse as a crime. Women's Agenda for Change called for 11 major issues to improve the status of women in Malaysia, endorsed by 76 different organisations in 1999. In the same year, the Guardianship Act 1961 was amended to give mothers equal guardianship status with fathers on matters concerning their children. 2001 saw the formation of a national machinery to ensure the protection of women's rights through the Ministry of Women and Family Development. In August of the same year, the Federal Constitution was amended to include sex as a ground for non-discrimination.

There are of course a lot more work to be done to ensure that complete equality and non-discrimination is provided for all of us. Nonetheless, this month, as we prepare for Malaysia's 46th birthday, let's have a good think about what kind of nation we would like to live in. Then claim the freedom that Independence has given us into voicing it out without fear, and shaping it into reality.

Jaclyn Kee
24th August 2003

Fortnightly Column by WAO on Sunday Mail (Reprinted with permission from Sunday Mail)