Reported by:
Tan Ee Shieng Sr1ScB
Photography by:
Tan Xin Yee Sr3A
On 17th May 2025, the Academic Department of Kuen Cheng High School invited Mr. Koh Kok Wee, an esteemed political commentator, to give a talk titled, “What part do I take in my country?” for all students of Senior Middle One, Two and Three. Mr. Koh Kok Wee is extremely familiar with politics, history and the ongoings in our country, often providing his political views in not only social media platforms, but also published newspaper articles.
Mr. Koh opened this seminar with a thought-provoking question, “what part do we take in our country?” As he allowed us to ponder on that question, he explained in detail the Chinese characters that formed the word “country” (国家) to better demonstrate the meaning of said word. He showed us the evolution of the Chinese character “国”, from the script used in Shang Dynasty to the modern Mandarin characters we use now, reflecting the priorities in a country according to each era. For example, during the Qing Dynasty, the chinese character for “king” was placed in the centre of the word, signifying the supreme authority of a monarch in those times; whereas during the Republican Era of China, the chinese character for “citizen” replaced the former character “king”, showing that the people held supreme power in that era. These two former forms of the character “国” merged together to form the character we are familiar with today, symbolising the balance between monarch, citizen, land, military and territory, all crucial elements in forming a functioning country.
(Photo 1: Mr. Koh explaining the Chinese character for the word “country”)
Mr. Koh then explained the word “家”, which means home when directly translated into English. While explaining, he shared a fun fact regarding the evolution of this word: in ancient times, this character meant “to house a pig”. After the audience shared a few laughs regarding this fact, Mr. Koh elaborated further on it, explaining that livestock were valuable property in ancient times. Valuable property needed to be managed, protected and cared for properly, which perfectly sums up how a home should be managed, and also how citizens should treat their country.
Afterwards, Mr. Koh talked about the significance of constitutional law in a country. It shapes the political system of a country and is the base guideline for the law. Mr. Koh clarified that the constitution restricts the government’s authority, thus preventing abuse of power, and guarantees the free will and rights of citizens.
(Photo 2: Mr. Koh talking about the importance of a country’s constitution)
Contrary to popular belief, Mr. Koh revealed to the audience that there is no such thing as “one who holds the most supreme power” in our government. This is because according to our country’s constitution, which establishes that our country’s political system must follow constitutional monarchy, the jurisdiction of our country is evenly balanced between our government. Our Parliament consists of two houses: the Senate, which holds symbolic significance, and the House of Representatives, the members of which are all elected by the people. The Parliament, which is under the supervision of Yang Di-pertuan Agong, discusses, debates and votes regarding laws and policies to aid the development of the country and the wellbeing of its citizens. Mr. Koh also emphasised the importance of taking part in elections once we are qualified, as this plays an important role in directing the country towards a better future under the influence of a strong and helpful government.
The answer to the question mentioned at the start of the seminar slowly floated to the surface, revealing itself as Mr. Koh talked about how crucial it is for civilians to understand their rights and responsibilities.. He said that it is essential for us as citizens to differentiate right from wrong when surfing the Internet by obtaining news from reliable sources only. As he explained that social media algorithms tend to feed consumers information that may cause unrest and rouse negative emotions, he advised the audience to keep a calm mindset when coming across said propaganda. Other than that, he mentioned that peaceful rallies and protests are effective ways for citizens to express their concern regarding a specific issue and urge action from related parties. One’s concern towards societal issues can also be expressed through posts on social media or comedic approaches in films or short videos.
(Photo 3: Mr. Koh answering questions during the Q&A session)
The talk came to a close with a Q&A session that sparked various interesting questions, prodding the audience to think more about the topics that were mentioned in the past hour. Mr. Koh once again concluded that it is critical for us as citizens to voice our opinions and advocate for rights, thus bringing awareness and positive impact to our country. The seminar ended with a booming round of applause.
(Photo 4: Group photo)