Today, we celebrate Merdeka, but there has been a surprising lack of fanfare in several areas I visited over the past couple of days.
There are hardly any Jalur Gemilang flying, and several friends I spoke to said they weren’t really “feeling it”.
It’s not that we lack patriotism. I am sure all of us are grateful to live in a peaceful, democratic country with few natural disasters.
A long-time friend, Engku Isyamuddin Tuan Losin, said he noticed a lack of excitement, but was looking forward to catching the Merdeka parade on television.
Perhaps the ‘detachment’ towards Merdeka is caused by the fast-paced modern world with its numerous distractions, which has made us forget the true meaning of independence.
Also, ours was a bloodless Merdeka, thanks to the charismatic leaders of yesteryears. Other countries were not so lucky.
Engku Isyamuddin, however, had some wise words to cure my malaise: “Bro, go listen to some Sudirman songs. That will surely put you in the mood.”
I laughed off his suggestion, but yesterday, while attending an event, Sudirman’s ‘Tanggal 31 Ogos’ song came on, and almost everyone present joined in to sing the song. I couldn’t help but smile.
On the way home, stuck in a traffic jam, I played Sudirman’s songs to keep me company. And now, I’m hyped up for Merdeka and Malaysia Day.
To top it off, I received an invitation from the SS14 Rukun Tetangga group in Subang Jaya, to join in their Merdeka celebration.
The event started this morning at 8am, and by the time you read this, I will be waving my mini Jalur Gemilang with the rest of the residents in the neighbourhood.
I can’t remember the last time I attended a Merdeka celebration – even though I used to love watching the parades on television while growing up. There was even a time when I imagined that I would be a part of the parade – back in primary school, when kids usually dreamt of becoming police officers or soldiers!
Malaysia is beautiful in so many ways. I am thankful I was reminded of that yesterday.
Thank you, Sudirman.