The restoration of Indigenous heritage through collective nationalism.

This certainly is the era of the 21st century where the advancement of mass media expands the utilisation of various information reaching every household throughout the world through in the form of the world wide web. I see this as a blessing. Nonetheless at the dawn of such technologies, we often hear misleading connotations of 'the global citizen' and the erosion of cultural and national borders as a good thing. While it reduces cultural friction hereto how information is now shared and not simply emitted from one station to the other, just how prepared are local cultures facing the impending juggernaut of popular culture?

I never can quite fathom the idea about the global citizen unless of course if based in certain circumstances. Indigenous cultures face the indirect gradual erosion
of their identities as larger forces threaten to overwhelm. As a result people come together and rally around each other in unity to protect their way of life from the more dominant and influential bombarded almost daily by radio, tv and mass media. Unfortunately, indigenous people often find themselves in scattered pockets of resistence against the unplanned and planned systems that are in place in this new
age. This unpreparedness and failure to utilise new forms of technology and creative reinvention of their cultures has taken its toll in the form of migrating workforce leading towards the leaching of skills and knowledge of a particular country to another. I personally do not believe in the erosion of national borders as
touted by supporters of globalisation or the global citizen who pries about the world declaring his/her liberation from nationality. As more leave through the front door for greener pastures, large corporations enter the back door often buying vast resources to expand its commercial empire.

Globalisation has made democratic nationalism all the more relevant to uphold the
sovereignity of a people as well as restoring the rights of indigenous culture. Nationalism does not necessarily mean wearing ethno-centric colours and declaring superiority over another but what im trying to stress here is focusing on using collective democratic nationalism that acts as cultural silos overseeing the restoration of cultures, heritage and civil rights. Seeking greener pastures.... While there is nothing wrong with travelling and seeing the rest of the world but with decreasing local population, are we opening the back door to multinational companies and outsiders to grab our lands, and to acquire our natural resources? Lets not forget that such events has happened before, I refer to the land grab attempt in Kunak, Sabah where the perpetrators even employed foreigners to try and intimidate the local
smallholders.

Nonetheless I think that local business, communities,religious groups and even hobby groups must begin to realise the importance of corporatism by uniting their members and by organising persatuans but all organisations could stand in National solidarity. Fortunately semangat kenegerian in Sabah is still very strong but it cant hold on forever and therefore a national unification is needed allowing indigenous cultures breathing spaces to independently reinvent themselves protected under the wings of nationalism. Voices of many but speaking as one only then we can afford to create a greater impact in the region that demand (not beg) for attention from the greater powers that be.