Malaysia still has a long road ahead to achieve genuine freedom, prosperity and harmony portrayed in the recent Merdeka media commercials which are merely illusion at present, says DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang.
"Are we truly free and independent Malaysians or are we swayed and blinded by the illusion of independence and freedom perpetuated by government-controlled propaganda of the traditional mainstream media?" he said in a statement today.
On the eve of Merdeka Day, Lim highlighted the #IfMerdekaAdsWereReal phenomenon on Twitter where netizens used the hashtag to express their frustration over the illusion portrayed by such advertisements.
"The ads try to portray a false image of Malaysian life, when in reality we are facing an environment of fear and a sense of intolerance amongst each other due to racial, religious and cultural differences.
"After 57 years, Malaysia is still struggling to build a society capable of living in harmony without regard to one's race, creed or political leanings," Lim said.
Among the Twitter remarks, he said, was one user stating that if Merdeka advertisements were real, the 1Malaysia campaign would have been unnecessary.
"As of now, the 1Malaysia slogan by the prime minister is nothing less than a branding exercise with little or no meaning," said Lim, who is also Gelang Patah MP.
He added that even though Malaysia is now free of British rule, the divide-and-rule policy of the colonial masters is still present.
"We still have draconian laws inherited from the British in force to deny the right of speech and expression and democratic liberties such as the Sedition Act and other oppressive laws," he said, pointing out the slew of opposition leaders charged under such laws recently.
Lim urged Malaysians to come together to forge national unity in the country even though it has never been "so divided and polarised" since independence.
"This is the greatest challenge not only to all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region and politics but also to the leaders in the various spheres in the country," he said.
"Are we truly free and independent Malaysians or are we swayed and blinded by the illusion of independence and freedom perpetuated by government-controlled propaganda of the traditional mainstream media?" he said in a statement today.
On the eve of Merdeka Day, Lim highlighted the #IfMerdekaAdsWereReal phenomenon on Twitter where netizens used the hashtag to express their frustration over the illusion portrayed by such advertisements.
"The ads try to portray a false image of Malaysian life, when in reality we are facing an environment of fear and a sense of intolerance amongst each other due to racial, religious and cultural differences.
"After 57 years, Malaysia is still struggling to build a society capable of living in harmony without regard to one's race, creed or political leanings," Lim said.Among the Twitter remarks, he said, was one user stating that if Merdeka advertisements were real, the 1Malaysia campaign would have been unnecessary.
"As of now, the 1Malaysia slogan by the prime minister is nothing less than a branding exercise with little or no meaning," said Lim, who is also Gelang Patah MP.
He added that even though Malaysia is now free of British rule, the divide-and-rule policy of the colonial masters is still present.
"We still have draconian laws inherited from the British in force to deny the right of speech and expression and democratic liberties such as the Sedition Act and other oppressive laws," he said, pointing out the slew of opposition leaders charged under such laws recently.
Lim urged Malaysians to come together to forge national unity in the country even though it has never been "so divided and polarised" since independence.
"This is the greatest challenge not only to all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region and politics but also to the leaders in the various spheres in the country," he said.
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