Petronas’ Merdeka ad: What foundations are we laying for Malaysia?
By VINCENT LIEW
The video is a Petronas advertisement commemorating Malaysia’s 50th Independence Day. In the light of Namewee’s controversial song and Nathaniel Tan’s arrest, the question that Petronas’ poses in the ad is very timely - Can what we build today bring us tomorrow?
The ad shows a man who was asked to build a boat before he leaves his village. But he doesn’t have the determination to do it. He fixes his old rotten boat with scrap metal and repaints it. It looks beautiful and sturdy.
The man goes on to speak to his friend. They chat about the future and how he’s a “free man now.”
After their conversation, the man returns to his boat only to find that it’s lodged with water.
His boat is sinking.
This is where things get subjective, I believe in freedom of speech and therefore will share with my peers how I interpret the ad.
The ad acts as a friendly reminder and poses a big question to Malaysians. Think of the boat as our beloved country.
We are each given opportunities to build Malaysia. It’s no easy task. And we need to do it right.
We are not supposed to cover our mistakes. We need to acknowledge it. Only then will we be able to turn over a new leaf. Covering the ugly side of our nation and beautifying it cosmetically will do us more harm than good. We need to lay strong foundations so that Malaysia will be a developed country by year 2020.
We still have time to build a strong and a powerful “boat,” equipped with THE “engine.” Think, “Can what we build today take us into tomorrow?”
–
VINCENT LIEW is a contributing writer for theCICAK.
Vincent Liew recently completed his A-Levels and is currently interning at MindValley and bumming around before university begins. He is also working on an entrepreneurship project. Visit his site.
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