Before we start work, everyone has to stand together and sing Merdeka songs before we disperse into our workstations.
More often than not, Merdeka celebrations in corporate offices are part of HR's ‘to-do’ list rather than actually taking the time to appreciate all the achievements we've had as one nation in the past 69 years. There'll be some flags hung around the office, and half a day of townhall followed by a buffet lunch - which honestly, everyone's just here for the free lunch.
There's no excitement of what Merdeka means any more as we age - we forget what it's like to dress up proudly in our traditional costumes to show off to each other, to sing Jalur Gemilang or Keranamu Malaysia at the top of our lungs (and to end the song with the little Merdeka hand gestures) or even bring kuih muih to share with each other. The colors that appear during August were so off-chart compared to the rest of the school year.
Back in my primary school days, there's definitely a class decorating contest - where the prizes honestly aren't great at all, but it's the fun of doing something other than studying, that builds togetherness and unity among students of different races.
As we are no longer bound by the rules of school, we do just enough to get by, which builds indifference - and very slowly, erases the pain of the sacrifices that our ancestors made for us to thrive today. You may not see it directly, but sikit-sikit lama-lama menjadi bukit.
If anything, Merdeka is the one occasion that gives us all the reason to be outrageously and undeniably patriotic. Hey, 69 years of harmony in a country with so many different races and cultures is something we should all be SO proud of!
Yet, it's rendered to just another ‘must-attend’ ‘celebration’ by HR. How sad, how sad,
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