SeniorsAloud’s Merdeka Walk celebrates patriotism, friendship and the joy of growing older together
Malaysia will celebrate its 69th National Day on 31 August. But for a spirited group of seniors, the celebrations began three weeks earlier.
On the morning of 10 August, 30 enthusiastic members of SeniorsAloud (SA) converged at Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI Park) for a Merdeka Walk and Picnic that turned an ordinary Monday morning into a colourful celebration of patriotism, friendship and active ageing.
They came dressed for the occasion. Red, white and blue were everywhere. Some carried small Jalur Gemilang, while a large Malaysian flag took pride of place. Against the lush green backdrop of trees and grass, it was a beautiful sight — Malaysians from different backgrounds coming together for one simple reason: to celebrate the country they call home.
The morning began on a meaningful note with the singing of Negaraku. Standing together beneath the trees, the seniors sang the national anthem with pride before three resounding cries of “Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!” echoed through the park.
Flags were raised high, smiles appeared everywhere and cameras came out. For those moments, age simply did not matter. The members of SeniorsAloud demonstrated that while our bodies may grow older, our hearts need never grow old — certainly not when it comes to showing our love for Malaysia.
If TTDI Park could speak that morning, I imagine it might have said: “This is what a park should be.”
Here were enthusiastic and energetic seniors making full use of a beautiful public space — singing, walking, exercising, laughing, waving the Jalur Gemilang, renewing old friendships and making new ones.
The strains of “Sayang Anak Malaysia” added to the festive atmosphere as participants walked proudly with their flags. It was a colourful procession of seniors in patriotic attire, and understandably, we attracted the attention of other park users.
Perhaps there is a lesson here too. Our parks are more than just trees, paths and benches. They are valuable community spaces where people can exercise together, meet friends, celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, or simply enjoy one another’s company in the fresh air. That morning, TTDI Park was very much alive.
There was another important purpose behind the event. As we grow older, staying physically active and socially connected becomes increasingly important. A gathering like this gave participants an opportunity to walk and exercise, breathe in the fresh morning air and, just as importantly, talk, laugh and reconnect.
Some renewed old acquaintances. Others made new friends. That is one of the beauties of SeniorsAloud. We may arrive as individuals, but very often we go home having enlarged our circle of friends. At this stage of our lives, friendship and companionship are precious gifts.
After all that walking, flag-waving, singing, exercising and posing for photographs, there was one Malaysian activity everyone was more than ready for — makan!
And what a spread it was. As it was a potluck, there was more than enough food for everyone, together with specially blended drinks, fruits, chocolates and other treats. Mats were laid out, food was generously shared, conversations flowed and laughter punctuated the morning.
In many ways, this was the essence of the event: walk together, eat together, laugh together and celebrate Malaysia together.
The colourful surroundings also provided a photographer’s dream. With participants dressed in bright national colours against the greenery of TTDI Park, countless group photographs, individual shots and video clips were taken to preserve the morning’s happy memories.
No event like this happens without helping hands. My heartfelt appreciation goes to Cecelia Wang and Petrina Zee, who quietly worked behind the scenes to make everything run smoothly. We were also delighted to have SeniorsAloud founder Lily Fu with us, sportingly carrying the large Jalur Gemilang during the walk. SA committee member Kamil Yusof rounded off the occasion with words of appreciation to the participants and organisers.
There was one final act that may have gone unnoticed but said much about the group. At the end of the picnic, every bit of rubbish was collected and taken out of the park with us. Nothing was left behind for the monkeys to tear open and scatter.
We came to enjoy the park, and we left it as we found it.
That, too, is patriotism. Loving Malaysia is not only about singing Negara Ku, shouting out loud enthusiastically “Merdeka!” or proudly waving the Jalur Gemilang. It is also about caring for our surroundings, respecting public spaces and doing our small part to leave our community better than we found it.
By the end of the morning, the verdict was unanimous: this Merdeka Walk should become an annual SeniorsAloud tradition.
Thirty seniors walking together beneath the Jalur Gemilang may seem like a small gesture. Yet perhaps this is where the true spirit of Merdeka can be found — not only in grand parades and official ceremonies, but in ordinary Malaysians of different backgrounds choosing to come together as one.
For a few memorable hours at TTDI Park, we walked together, sang together, ate together, laughed together and celebrated together.
We went home a little healthier, a little happier, with new memories and perhaps a few new friends.
Here’s the link to the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MaTwXCR9As
Pola Singh (mediaplayer1717@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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