On National Day....

Note: I wrote this post on National Day, 13th January, but I was waiting to get the pictures so that it would enhance the post. But then, I decided to take this post to a whole new direction. Sorry it took me this long to post it!

Firstly, I convey heartfelt warm wishes to all the Maldivians on this auspicious occasion. I may not be so patriotic, but this day brings forth a mixture of emotions.
As all Maldivians are fully aware, "In the year 1558, Portuguese attacked Maldives and killed the then Sultan of this country and established their own rule. It was later in 1573; Muhammad Thakurufaanu arrived here along with his companions and succeeded in ending the fifteen-year colonial rule. " We celebrate our National Day to remember the bravery of Mohamed Thakurufaanu and his companions.

While we remember the devotion and dedication shown by Mohamed Thakurufaanu to our country, we must also think about our current situation. We might not be under the colonial power of any country, literally, but I fear that our minds are being controlled by other cultures and beliefs altogether. This may or may not be an exaggeration, but how many of us would be patriotic enough to give our life defending this country? Only a few! Because we do not love our nation like we should, we are not proud of our motherland like we should.

We have valid reasons for that too. We have ex presidents who claim Maldivians are terrorists, we have politicians who portray the great House of Parliament as a circus, we have corruption everywhere, and we have surprisingly high crime rates for a country that supports only 350,000 people.

Sure, the generation before us gave us reasons to be ashamed of our country. But isn't it upto us now, to change that? If all the youth joined hands and work hard to bring changes, we can make a difference!

As individuals, we can refrain from selling our votes to the highest bidder. Instead, we can decide who would make the best president, who would serve our country best, who would save our country from this downfall and who would return the patriotism to the hearts of young Maldivians. We can elect Parliament members who would put the people's needs before theirs, who would work for the greater good, who would try and make a difference. We can hold the people in high positions accountable for their actions, we can question them, we can make them more responsible, as per our rights!

Youth united can strive for bigger things. We can strengthen our ongoing campaigns against crimes like murder and rape, help to bring out friends who are lost in drug back on the right path, fight against corruption, and demand the policy makers to be more responsible.

There is so much we can do, only if we cared enough. Everyone thinks, that's not my problem, that is for the government, for the Police, for the institutions. But the truth is, nothing would change unless we start at the grass root level, that being us, individuals, at our homes, in our schools, in our society!

I think that these thoughts are worth considering seriously, when we are celebrating our National Day. By finding our latent patriotism, we have to strive to bring changes so that on National Days our children celebrate, they can actually feel proud of their nation, and they would actually be willing to sacrifice themselves for their country! Let's be heroes of the Maldives, who made it a better place for the future generations!

Happy National Day to all Maldivians!