COMMENT | This year no parades. No national celebration. No hoopla and fanfare.

Merdeka Day has come and gone quietly. Of course, that is because of the pandemic and the need for social distancing. But perhaps just as well.

Many in the country are not in a celebratory mood. Many are in despair over the turn our politics has taken.

The coalition that now rules the country comprises those who believe in Malay supremacy and the need for Malays to dominate our politics. And those who believe that we must move towards an Islamic state and that...