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#MalaysiaKita 69 Years and Nothing Much to Do
By Mihar Dias August 2026
There is something wonderfully Malaysian about celebrating 69 years of independence: we have managed to turn a national birthday into a spectator sport.
Today is Merdeka Day. Malaysia is 69.
And what are we, ordinary citizens, expected to do?
Perhaps wake up early, look at the flag, watch the parade on television, send a Selamat Hari Merdeka WhatsApp message, change our Facebook profile picture, complain about the traffic, and then wait for the next public holiday.
That is more or less the Malaysian Independence Day participation package.
I cannot help comparing this with what I experienced in America when I was a student there in the 1960s and 1970s.
July 4 was not something you merely watched. It was something you did.
The Americans seemed to have discovered a rather simple formula: if you want people to celebrate a national day, give them something to celebrate with.
There were flags everywhere. Houses were decorated. Streets came alive. People held barbecues, picnics and neighbourhood gatherings. Families travelled. Communities organised events. There were marching bands, parades, fireworks and concerts.
And there was food.
Lots of food.
Nobody appeared to have received a government circular saying, “Please remain indoors and observe the celebrations responsibly from your sofa.”
The Fourth of July was an excuse for people to get together.
As a student in those days, I remember the atmosphere. You did not need to be an American politician, historian or military veteran to participate. You simply joined in.
You could attend a parade. You could organise a picnic. You could watch fireworks. You could hang the Stars and Stripes outside your home. You could barbecue with your neighbours. You could sing. You could make noise.
You could even do something terribly dangerous by talking to people you had never met before.
That, perhaps, is the missing ingredient in our Merdeka celebrations.
Participation.
We have become extremely good at organising celebrations for Malaysians, but perhaps not quite as good at organising celebrations by Malaysians.
Every year, the centrepiece is a spectacular official ceremony somewhere. The choreography is impressive. The uniforms are immaculate. The floats are magnificent. The speeches are solemn.
But once the parade is over, most Malaysians return to their normal lives.
Merdeka becomes something we watch rather than something we experience.
And this year, being Malaysia's 69th birthday, perhaps we should ask an embarrassing question:
What exactly is there for the ordinary Malaysian to do?
No, taking a selfie with a Jalur Gemilang does not count as a national tradition.
Neither does forwarding a Merdeka greeting designed by somebody else on WhatsApp.
Nor does arguing on social media about whether someone displayed the flag upside down.
We need to make Merdeka more personal.
We need traditions.
Not necessarily expensive government programmes. Not another giant stage, another VIP seating area or another million-ringgit spectacle involving lasers, drones and fireworks visible from space.
Something much simpler.
Imagine if every neighbourhood had a Merdeka Street Party.
Chinese families bring noodles. Malays bring nasi lemak. Indians bring thosai or biryani. Sabahans bring something from Sabah. Sarawakians bring something from Sarawak. Somebody brings satay. Somebody inevitably brings too much food.
Children decorate bicycles with Malaysian flags.
Grandparents tell stories about what Malaysia was like when they were young.
Teenagers perform songs.
Retired teachers conduct quizzes.
Local musicians play.
The neighbourhood football team plays the neighbourhood badminton team — although nobody quite understands why the footballers are suddenly playing badminton.
And everyone, for once, puts politics aside.
Imagine schools organising a Merdeka Day family heritage project, where children interview their grandparents about 1957, 1963, May 13, the formation of Malaysia and the decades that followed.
Not another textbook essay beginning with "Malaysia is a multiracial country blessed with..." but real family stories.
Imagine every Malaysian being encouraged to do one thing for the country on August 31 — clean a public place, plant a tree, visit an elderly neighbour, donate books, help a community, volunteer somewhere, or simply invite somebody from another background to lunch.
That would make Merdeka mean something.
And then there is September 16 — Malaysia Day.
That day deserves an entirely different treatment.
If August 31 celebrates independence, September 16 should celebrate the idea of Malaysia itself.
Perhaps every September 16 should become a nationwide Malaysia Day Open House.
Not just at politicians' residences.
Everywhere.
In apartment blocks. Kampungs. housing estates. universities. offices. shopping centres. schools. villages.
And every community could be encouraged to showcase another part of Malaysia.
A Penang family hosts a Sabah family.
A Kuala Lumpur neighbourhood celebrates Sarawak culture.
A Malay family cooks with an Indian neighbour.
A Chinese family invites a Malay family.
Orang Asli communities are invited to tell their stories.
Sabah and Sarawak are not treated as decorative guests flown in for a stage performance but as equal partners in the Malaysian story.
Now that would be Malaysia Day.
Perhaps we should even have a little friendly competition.
The National Neighbourhood Merdeka Cup.
Best decorated street.
Best Malaysian food table.
Best intergenerational project.
Best original Merdeka song.
Best community service.
Best Malaysia Day open house.
Best children's performance.
And, inevitably, best decorated condominium balcony.
Give Malaysians something to do.
Give us a reason to leave the house.
Give us an excuse to meet people.
Give us memories.
Because national identity is not manufactured by slogans.
It is built through experiences.
When I look back at the July 4 celebrations I experienced in America as a student decades ago, I don't primarily remember the speeches.
I remember the atmosphere.
The people.
The flags.
The food.
The gatherings.
The sense that everybody — regardless of whether they were rich or poor, old or young, immigrant or born there — could participate.
Perhaps after 69 years, Malaysia deserves to develop its own version.
We don't have to copy America.
God forbid.
We can do better.
We have nasi lemak instead of hot dogs, satay instead of hamburgers, teh tarik instead of Coke, kompang instead of marching bands and enough political jokes to supply entertainment for the entire evening.
And we have something America does not have:
a Malaysia made up of Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazandusun, Murut, Iban, Bidayuh, Melanau, Orang Asli and countless other communities, each with their own traditions, food, music and stories.
That is our advantage.
So perhaps the 70th Merdeka should not simply be bigger.
It should be more participative.
Let August 31 belong to the people.
Let September 16 belong to the people.
Let both days become occasions when Malaysians actually do something together.
Because after 69 years, surely we have earned the right to celebrate our country without needing to be told where to stand, when to clap and which VIP to wave at.
And if the government really wants to make Merdeka meaningful, here's my modest suggestion:
Next year, don't just organise a bigger parade.
Give Malaysians a party.
We know how to celebrate.
Just give us a reason.
And please don't forget the muruku.
After all, at 69, Malaysia has reached the age when a little noise, a little laughter and a lot of good food may be precisely what the doctor ordered.
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Mihar Dias (mihardias@gmail.com) 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!
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