.jpg)
By Mihar Dias
(C) Copyright September 16 2022.
There is a disconnect between what the older generation felt about the true spirit of Merdeka and what the younger generation feels today.
It was very real to us when we were at a book discussion on "Expressions of Merdeka Malaysia" by Dato' Mutalib Razak at KLGCC organised by Institut Masa Depan Malaysia on 15 September 2022, the eve of Malaysia Day.
We were invited to hear a discussion led by the author Dato' Mutalib Razak himself, on how valuable the book is as a historical collection of memorabilia of Malaysia's past.
It's an excellent compilation of photos how Merdeka was celebrated on 31st August 1957.
The book which contains an excellent collection of old photos on arches, buildings and stamps depict the way Malaysians celebrated Merdeka then.
It is indeed a heroic effort by the author to put these into an atractive coffee table book that will be long treasured by generations to come.
However, in the discussions that followed the younger generations gathered at the event did not really seem to share the same spirit of Merdeka that it evokes among the few elderly ones present. It was clear that the spirit or "semangat" of Merdeka is absent from the minds of the new generation.
The oldest gentleman at the event is Dato' Syed Ahmad Idid who stood up to say he was the only one present who attended the first gathering at Stadium Merdeka to usher in the independence of the country on 31st August 1957.
The shouts of Merdeka then came very much from the heart, he said. It was really a true feeling of freedom when everyone shouted out the word that morning with Tunku Abdul Rahman at the stadium.
This contrasted sharply with what another participant who was at the event. To her and her generation Merdeka is a day to get together with friends and have a meal. Or in her own words a day for us to "makan-makan".
This prompted the MC to remark that it has become similar to what Americans now do on their independence day, having a small barbeque in their backyards with neighbours.
For this participant there was no spirit of Merdeka as felt by the older generation and as reflected by someone like Dato' Syed Ahmad Idid or his close friend Dato' Mutalib Razak who were in their teens when Merdeka arrived on our shores.
But more importantly it was clear to us that in many ways over the last 65 years we have lost the true spirit of Merdeka or how we should be celebrating the event.
One school teacher stood up to tell us that it was sad to see children putting down the flags distributed to them on the floor when they sang the anthem "NegaraKu" to celebrate Merdeka Day. He said, they did not see the connection between the anthem, the flag and what it means to be Merdeka.
Although this was later corrected but the image that is embedded in the mind of the teacher is that the youths are not sure what it means to be independent and free or how to show respect or love for the country as symbolised in the flag and the anthem
By the time we ended our discussion on the book "Expressions of Merdeka Malaysia" it was clear that Malaysians must retake ownership of the day be it Malaysia Day or Merdeka Day in order to rekindle the true spirit of Merdeka and what it means to be independent and free Malaysians.
Otherwise, generations to come will only think of Merdeka as a historical event that took place a long time ago and celebrated away from their own homes once a year, organised exclusively by the Federal government with parades of marching bands and soldiers in uniforms shown on television while they have "makan-makan" with friends.
Join our #MalaysiaKita campaign and stand a chance to win prizes worth up to RM9,000 - including a 4D3N stay at Royale Chulan Cherating! Find out how you can participate here.
Mihar Dias is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav.
Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
Newswav is solely an aggregation platform and hosts the content. The views expressed and content above including media (pictures, videos, etc) were provided by the author. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.
