MENCARI PENGISIAN KEMERDEKAAN (7)

The year the country celebrated its 50th independence; I took to the streets together with my officemates to participate in the parade. It was my second. The first time I took part in the Merdeka Day parade was a few years after I joined the NST. I remembered wearing a white T-shirt with newspaper cuttings printed on it.
Since that parade in 2007, I have been on a lookout for something fulfilling to do on Merdeka Day.
For as long as I can remember, our Merdeka Day celebrations centred around parades. In Kuala Lumpur, it would be in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, taking advantage of the Dataran Merdeka for the field display.
Then, it moved to the other states. For the past few years, it returned to Kuala Lumpur.
It was no different this year.
Only this time around, because of the Ramadhan and Syawal months, the Merdeka Day parade/celebration was pushed to September 16, which is Malaysia Day and a public holiday.
I had googled for information on the programme for this year’s Merdeka Day celebrations and I came across this government website of Malaysia Merdeka.
There is a portal on facebook too but when I wrote in, first in English and a follow-up in Bahasa Malaysia, for a listing of Merdeka events nationwide, it gave me the programme for the parade in Kuala Lumpur!
So, when TPJ told us at Iftar in Kuala Lumpur in the final week of Ramadhan that he has a 45-minute video on Merdeka that he obtained from Filem Negara, members of The Patriot Foundation brainstormed an open-air event as our tribute to the 54th Merdeka slated for September 17.The idea was to create a carnival-like atmosphere surrounding the event and at the same time instill and keep patriotism alive.
And the best thing of all, there was no speeches, no politics, “just an organic show of patriotism and great fun,” as TPJ had written as an invite on his Facebook posting.
We wanted it to be an educational programme, one aimed at helping the government disseminate public information and facts on Merdeka to the general public especially among school children and youth in and around Johor Bahru.
The Patriot Foundation members with Facebook and Twitter accounts blasted the invite on the two social networks while invite letters were also sent to schools in and around Johor Bahru and Pulai.
The event traced the history of the country pre and post-Merdeka.
The Patriot Foundation members in Johor Bahru worked doubly hard considering the time constraint they faced to source the materials and exhibits for the various segments.
These were several galleries showcasing the country’s history – the Japanese Occupation, the British era and pre- and post-Merdeka period to the present day.
The Johor Classic Bicycle Club displayed the old bicycles during the Japanese Occupation. There was a man, wearing a Japanese soldier uniform, cycling around the football field and honking the bicycle horn. This I was told was reminiscent of the days of old. Many took the opportunity to have their photos taken.
Two things took my breath away that night.
One was when The Patriot Foundation members paid tribute to 86-year-old Haji Abdul Rahman Khamis, who had killed seven communists during the guerilla insurgency, one of who was Malaya Communist Party leader Chin Peng’s bodyguard.
The other was the Merdeka video. When it was aired, I felt I was back in history class; only this particular class was in open air under the starlit sky.
As I was watching the video, I asked myself why any of the television stations had not aired videos of such kind especially since the issue over the nation’s independence had cropped up recently.
Was it difficult for them to get the old footages from Filem Negara and aired it on their stations or piece together a new documentary based on it? Couldn’t they find those who fought against the Japanese and the guerilla insurgency prior to the Independence to tell their side of the stories?
It’s best that we get them for their stories before its too late. They lived through the Japanese Occupation, the guerilla insurgency, the British era and the Independence. My only regret is my grandparents didn’t live long enough for me to document what they went through then.
They have stories to share and if no one takes the initiative to find them, they will bring their stories to their graves.
They don’t need rewards in terms of cash or kind but a little recognition goes a long way.
Haji Abdul Rahman had tears in his eyes when he received the commemorative plaque from TPJ. Children and teenagers rushed to shake and kiss his hand later.
Those who stayed the entire duration of the programme and those who came later joined us in the recital of the Rukunegara and the cry of “Merdeka” seven times.
The Negaraku reverberated throughout the football field. A friend later SMS-ed me, saying that it brought chills down her spine.
That night ended with fireworks.
It was a night to be remembered, if not for anyone, but for me.
You know, The Patriot Foundation put this together within a short period of time. Could you imagine if they were given a longer time to plan and execute the programme?
The mainstay of the inaugural event was to keep patriotism alive.
And we pulled it off without having Siti Nurhaliza, Faizal Tahir or any known faces as the anchor of the programme.

Check out the video of the event here