Kuala Lampur, Sept. 11 -- Nations, like people, grow awkwardly. But that's still growth.

Some days it's obvious: a new MRT line, a policy that finally makes sense, a younger leader speaking with quiet wisdom. Other days, it's clumsy and contradictory. We move forward and stumble back. We say all the right words and then forget how to listen. We rise in unity, or in protest, but rise all the same. And maybe that's the point. Nationhood is not a product. It's a process.

I've lived long enough to see the contradictions-progress that feels delayed, unity that feels fragile, decisions that inspire one week and confuse the next. Yet I've also seen what remains steady: our spirit to rebuild, reimagine, and try again. Over and over. This Merdek...