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Next week, Malaysia will celebrate 50 years of nationhood. I guess if you are an optimist, you will find plenty to celebrate about. It is true that if compared with many of the less fortunate countries in the world, Malaysia can be considered quite well off. I mean, we are not in a war, and there is no famine, the economy is doing comparatively well, and we are reasonably free to pursue our dreams. So we can’t really complain.

But for most of us that live in the state of Sarawak, there is much less to be celebrated. While our West Malaysia counterparts have tall skyscrapers, four-lane highways and gigantic strip malls to brag about, our state (the largest and the most resource-rich mind you) remains largely underdeveloped. And the economy and politics are firmly in the clutches of the infamous ‘Old Man’ and his cronies.

The circumstances have made me ponder, did Sarawak made the right choice by joining up with Malaya to form the country of Malaysia back in 1963?

No, I did not Photoshop this flag up. This is really the flag of the Crown Colony of Sarawak.

Think about it. We were once a Crown Colony of Britain. Had we not joined Malaysia, we Sarawakians would be British citizens by now. We will be using the British Pound, one of the highest valued currencies in the world, rather than just barely getting by with the measly Ringgit.

Imagine having the British’s legendary administrative prowess coupled with Sarawak’s strategic geographical location and abundant natural resources. Things would have turned out quite differently. We could have become another ‘Asian Tiger’, right up there with the likes of Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea.

But of course, things did not turn out as I envisioned. Sarawak remains to be the backwater state of Malaysia. With most of its precious resources either diverted for development in West Malaysia or monopolized by a few corporations owned by the ruling oligarchy of Sarawak.

I am left wondering, is our so-called ‘Independence’ really as such? It seems that our fight to rid our land of the exploitative colonial powers only resulted in creating an inferior form of government. Leaving us with an unequal society governed by an oligarchy of a wealthy few. They blatantly exploit the land and the people for their own short-term gains and in the process, squandered the potential of Sarawak. Ultimately, leaving us worse off than we started.

I am going abroad for an extended period and will need to drive to get around. So I got myself an International Driving Permit.

I paid RM160 for the permit and to my surprise what I got is a cheap-looking, beige-colored booklet. One would expect a proper driving permit to be in the form of a plastic card or something. Why do us Malaysian have to settle for an International Driving Permit that resembles a primary school report card? Because “Malaysia Boleh” lor.

If I ever get asked for my driving permit when I’m abroad, I hope I don’t have to convince them that the dodgy-looking paper booklet is REALLY my driving permit. And I didn’t made it up myself by stapling a few piece of paper together and printing my name on it.

Fingers crossed.