THE Mid-Autumn Festival contains political elements that Malaysians can reflect on, said PKR Wangsa Maju head Andre Lai Chen Heng. He stated that the moon cake festival takes place in September almost every year, where we also celebrate Malaysia Day.“Not to be forgotten, this month is also the anniversary of the beginning of the reformasi movement in 1999. The crescent moon (the original version of the eye symbol) has become the symbol of the PKR logo, and the full moon in September is synonymous with Moon Cake Reform for the sake of aspiration for a better Malaysia.“According to a legend, mooncakes began as a method of secret communication to launch a movement against Mongol rule during the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368),” he wrote in Suara Keadilan.While there are many versions of the origin of the festival itself, he said orders to rebel were inserted into moon cakes and distributed among the Chinese people with the message to riot on the night of the waxing moon.“Ultimately, the rebellion was successful and the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) was established. This legend shows that the ancient Chinese people did not easily submit to the colonialists and always tried to defend their sovereignty and identity.
“This also reminds us that the struggle for independence and democracy is never easy, requiring sacrifice and cooperation,” he claimed.Moreover, he then tried to link the festival with his struggle as a PKR politician.“As a PKR politician, I think that we need to emulate the patriotic spirit of the ancient Chinese people who dared to rebel against the Mongols.“We need to unite and be brave against any effort to usurp the power of the people and mortgage the country’s future. We need to uphold the principles of democracy, justice, and transparency in the administration of the country. We need to fight for the rights of the oppressed people,” he added.Speaking on the formation of the first-ever unity government in Malaysia, he pointed out that the reform agenda is still far from complete.Furthermore, he mentioned the horrible ‘tarik balik’ incident in Parliament a week ago as a signal that the country is still in turmoil with the former government unwilling to give way to the Malayasia Madani government to govern well. – Oct 1, 2023
