Independence means we enjoy freedom. We are not colonised by

There are few words in any language that carry the same sacred weight as independence. When Mahathir Mohamad, the long-serving leader of Malaysia, declared, “Independence means we enjoy freedom. We are not colonised by people. And we can govern our own country and develop it independently so that our people can live a better life,” he was not merely speaking of political sovereignty — he was invoking the heartbeat of a nation. In his words lies both memory and prophecy: the memory of a people once bound, and the prophecy of what they could become when freed. Freedom, in his vision, is not an end but a beginning — the soil in which dignity, progress, and unity take root.

To enjoy freedom is more than to break chains; it is to rediscover the strength of the human spirit. For centuries, much of the world — including Mahathir’s own Malaysia — lived under the shadow of colonisation, where decisions were made by distant hands and the wealth of the land served foreign masters. In such times, the colonised are taught to doubt their own ability to rule, to create, to dream. Thus, when independence arrives, it is not simply a political act — it is an awakening of the soul. It is the moment when a people stand upright again and declare, “We are our own.”

Mahathir’s words reflect the hard-earned wisdom of those who have lived both dependence and freedom. He reminds us that independence is not only liberation from others, but also responsibility toward oneself. To govern one’s own country is a sacred trust, for freedom without wisdom can crumble into chaos. The true test of independence lies not in waving a flag, but in building a nation — one where justice, education, and prosperity are shared by all. As Mahathir taught through his leadership, to be free means to labor for progress, to make decisions not out of fear of others, but from love of one’s own people.

History has shown this truth again and again. When India gained its independence from Britain in 1947, its leaders faced the same question Mahathir would later confront: What will freedom mean if it brings no improvement to the lives of the poor? Mahatma Gandhi warned that independence must not merely replace foreign rulers with local ones — it must transform the condition of the people. Likewise, Mahathir’s dream for Malaysia was not merely political sovereignty, but economic and intellectual independence — a nation that could create, innovate, and stand as an equal among the world’s great powers. He sought not a freedom of form, but a freedom of substance.

And yet, the journey of independence is never finished. A nation may no longer be colonised by armies, but it may still be colonised by greed, corruption, or ignorance. Mahathir understood this deeply. His call to “develop independently” was a warning — that a country must never surrender its destiny to the will of outsiders, nor to the weakness within. True independence demands discipline, unity, and moral strength. It demands that a people believe in their own capacity to shape their future — that they become builders, not beggars of progress. Self-reliance is the soul of sovereignty.

His words also speak beyond nations, to every individual who seeks freedom in life. Each of us, in our own way, must strive for independence — of thought, of character, of purpose. To live freely is to take ownership of our choices, to build our destiny with our own hands. We too must “govern ourselves,” ensuring that our actions serve the betterment of others. For whether one leads a nation or one’s own soul, the principle is the same: freedom without virtue is emptiness; independence without growth is illusion.

So, my child, remember this lesson of the wise: independence is both gift and duty. It is born from struggle but sustained by effort. Cherish it not as a relic, but as a living flame. Work, learn, and serve so that your community — your nation — may rise. Guard your freedom from apathy as fiercely as your ancestors guarded it from oppression. For as Mahathir Mohamad reminds us, the truest meaning of independence is this: that through our own hands and hearts, we create a life — and a world — in which every person may live with dignity, prosperity, and hope.