Bringing Glory to the Nation

The non-Malays who participated and succeeded in obtaining gold medals for the country at the Asian Games 2010 in Guangzhou China ought to be given the highest accolade and recognition for bringing glory and fame to their motherland.

There is no doubt that these athletes are dedicated and committed to do their best for the country as they so declared before the nation before they left for Guangzhou for the Asian Games.

At the time of writing, Malaysia bagged in 8 gold,14 silver and 33 bronze medals - 55medals in all - which is indeed a hefty and lofty achievement for a a small population country like Malaysia. It ranked No. 8 in the medals tally among the 45 participating countries in the 2010 Asia Games.

The success of these medallists appears so simple. But, behind their success, lies the long hours of painful, gruelling and persistent detraining, training and retraining until they reach near perfection or a degree high enough to earn their crowning glory not for themselves but for the people of Malaysia as well as the nation.

Their selfless sacrifices for the nation cannot be doubted nor can they be adequately compensated by mere words or monies alone. They must be duly recognised as true heros of the country. This small number of citizens of the country belongs to a special group of nationals who are not only patriotic and loyal but also are exemplary and effective ambassadors of Malaysia.

In fact, they are special citizens of the world where their special qualities are greatly needed in most if not all countries of the world. They are always welcomed to live in any part of the world.

I regard these athletes as special class of people in that they are generally humble in their victories and gracious in their defeats. Besides, they have a recently high degree of emotional stability towards good and bad publicities from the media.

Many a time, when they emerged victorious in a game or a match, they were praised highly but when they are defeated they faced the ire of the merciless press who could not care a damn whether they were human beings or not. They were treated like humanoids when they failed to win the competition.

This group of athletes is a microcosm of what a truly united Malaysia is or should be. A great lesson can be learnt from them. They are friendly, not racialistic and moderate in their dispositions. When gathered together, they are truly united for the attainment of a common goal - that is, to succeed for the nation. The verve they possess and the tenancity that they manifest in their determination to succeed speak volumes of the key to success in human development and achievements.

So let us not question the integrity of these athletes comprising loyal citizens of all races. This is truly Malaysia. What can it be otherwise?