The value of undivided loyalty to the country is what moves us forward and makes us stronger.

ON Feb 9, the nation was awakened by news of the invasion by a group of foreign gunmen into the land of Sabah.

As part of early diplomacy with the aim of preventing bloodshed, the Malaysian Govern­ment carried out a series of serious negotiations with the self-proclaimed “Sulu Sultanate” army.

In the following weeks, as the police and army entered into military operations reportedly triggered off by the enemies, we were saddened by the loss of 10 security personnel to these ruthless individuals who showed no mercy.

Tears of sorrow accompanied the funerals of our fallen heroes. For most Malaysians who watched and read the news, we could not help but also feel the sadness and anger. Our hearts were suddenly moved by their sheer acts of courage and sacrifice for the nation.

Until this very day, our devoted armed forces are still putting their lives in danger and daily media reports update us on the goings-on in Lahad Datu.

Anxiety also arises as to when this episode will end so that the lives of the ordinary citizens in the affected areas can resume.

For the other citizens of the country, we pray and hope that there will be no more casualties among our heroes and no land in this beautiful country will fall into the hands of our enemies.

As our security forces from the police and armed forces gallantly fight the intruders, risking their lives in the process, one can’t help but ask what can we as ordinary citizens of the country do in order to show our support and also protect the country in the process.

Safeguarding the sovereignty of the country should not only be the sole responsibility of our security forces and our leaders. Individual citizens like all of us must also play our role in ensuring that the sovereignty of the country is upheld.

Sovereignty takes on various definitions for different people. For a country and its international relations, sovereignty here refers to non-interference by external powers or parties in the internal affairs of another state.

As sovereignty is associated with the independence of a state, it is therefore rational that when a country’s sovereignty is threatened, the state will, in all its capacity, use its resources to overcome it. The Lahad Datu intrusion is one clear example of how Malaysia’s sovereignty is being threatened.

In upholding the sovereignty of the nation, one important element that should be the basis of our understanding is loyalty.

The value of undivided loyalty to the country is what moves us forward and makes us stronger.

Loyalty is a value that can only exist when the spirit of patriotism is high as it implies feelings of solidarity, mutual responsibility among citizens and love for the country. Most importantly, being loyal to the country requires us to do our utmost in protecting the country.

This must be done through whatever means available to us, even if it is merely through show of support and acknowledgment of the sacrifices made by our armed forces.

On the contrary, the actions of mocking and levelling insults at them especially through social media are indeed a sign of cowardice and ignorance.

Hassan Al-Banna wrote in Risalat al-Mu’tamar al-Khamis:

“Islam enjoins upon every person to strive for the good of his country and lose himself in its service, render utmost service to the nation (ummah) in which he lives, and to give precedence to kinship and neighbourliness (in acts of benevolence).”

It was also written by Ab al-Wal d al-Azraq, in his his books of Akhbar Makkah wa ma ja’ fiha min aathaarin, that the Prophet Muhammad also shared his feelings of love towards his birth place, the Holy City of Mecca. In Islam, to have a sense of belonging, love and loyalty to one’s country is therefore encouraged.

Another pertinent aspect of playing our roles in protecting the country’s sovereignty is to put emphasis on the importance of national unity. The strength of the nation does not simply depend solely on its economic growth and success but also on how its people, when faced with a threat to its sovereignty as a nation, are able to come together and stand rock solid.

Whatever differences that exist in the society – be it race, religion, culture or even poli-tical preferences and ideologies — Malaysians must come together as one entity to face the challenge.

When the country’s sovereignty is at stake, the message of unity among the people of this country is strong enough to indicate that Malaysians are serious when it comes to protecting their territory and independence.

History has taught us enough that the fall of many nations had been due to the disunity and disintegration of their people.

This approach of disuniting society was used by the Western imperialists during their colonisation of countries in the east. As the famous saying goes, united we stand, divided we fall.

In conclusion, we must realise that the task of upholding Malaysia’s sovereignty actually falls upon the shoulders of each citizen of this country.

Whichever role we choose to play, the question that should linger in our minds is whether our actions would put the country on a better and stronger platform or whether it would just provide our enemies with another weapon to weaken us as a nation.

We need to remember that we should not put ourselves in a position where we will have to be at the mercy of any external parties or powers. > Enizahura Abdul Aziz is Senior Research Officer at Ikim’s Centre for Syariah, Law and Politics.

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