Niki Cheong

Changing Malaysia

Aug 31, 2008 Rantings

On Friday morning, I had woken up a little earlier than usual (having taken the day off work) to go for my final run around the neighbourhood before heading to Singapore.

Then again, had I not set the alarm, I would have been woken up by the wailing of banshees. Actually, it wasn’t that bad. Still, I was wondering who was karaoke-ing at 9am in the morning before I realised that it was coming from the school a couple of hundred metres down the road from my house.

It was only when I ran past it that I realised that it was Merdeka Day celebrations.

I don’t remember any sort of celebration like that in school. My memory is blur - I think most probably we sang some patriotic songs and that was it. This one was different. There were performances of songs and dance from the various major races (although I’m not sure Kris Dayanti’s Menhitung Hari was a very Malaysian choice). There was also a dance from Sabah and Sarawak.

Well, I think it’s great. And instead of the uniform, students wore their respective traditional costumes - some wore their own, some wore costumes from other races. It was quite a sight that I had to grab that picture of it.

Today is Merdeka Day and I think that it’s an apt time to celebrate the country. Not so much of the independence (although it is important) but also to celebrate who we are, what we have become and where we can go (not where we appear to be heading now, mind you).

That is why I really enjoyed reading the editorial in today’s The Star “Changing Malaysia” Merdeka pullout. I’m not plugging it ‘cos I’m employed by them but I really think it’s time to move on, stop looking at the present and focus on our potential for the future.

It reads:

EACH time Aug 31 comes around, the tendency is to look back to where Malaysia was in the 1950s and at where it is today.

And rightly so – an understanding of where we came from and the elements that have gone into shaping the country is vital if we are to have a true sense of identity as a people.

This act of remembering our history was obvious when we marked the golden jubilee of the country’s independence last year.

The last 12 months, however, have seen us taking our first steps into the next half century of our existence as a nation.

I, too, contributed a story to the pullout - I spoke to four local writers from the performing arts scene to see where the arts in Malaysia is going. Not sure if everyone agrees with me, but I’m happy to listen to your point of view.

In the mean time, Selamat Hari Merdeka again folks. :)

10.44am Malaysian time (+8 GMT)

Tags: Merdeka, The Star