What Merdeka means ...

31 August .... It's Merdeka day today. A flag flew proudly on my car windscreen. I usually attach one every year for the month of August just to show my pride and patriotism. What does Merdeka mean? I guess it is cliche if I say it means that we are out of colonisation (are we?) and to show love for our country, once peaceful and really, honestly and simply 1Malaysia. Not as it is now where we are so divided in race and religion. Everything is so sensitive and politically correct. Just toe out of line an inch and a hullabaloo is created through all mediums of the media available.

Does speaking English at home made me less of a Malay? Does having other races as your best friend made you less loyal to your own race? Does not being brought up in a traditional Malay culture made me less a Malay too? Does going to a missionary school and being exposed to Christianity made me less a Muslim?  Where do I belong? Where does my family belong? Being so Westernised but oh, so Malaysian. Where the language is so English but the expression so Malay. Wearing skirts, jeans and T-shirts but still reflecting the demure Malay culture. How would you define being Malay and Malaysian? Being of mixed parentage made me realised more of our culture where two cultures are infused into one. Having the best of both worlds, I appreciate being a Malaysian more than being a Malay. It does not matter what language we speak, what food we eat, what attire we wear, what culture we follow .... it does not make anybody any less or any more a Malaysian. We are proud to be one. We are honoured to be one. And we treasure the peaceful existence of such diverse culture, races, languages, food and religion.How can you define Malaysian since most of us are of mixed parentage either local races or foreign races?

When the boys were about 2 or 3 years old and all through their primary school years, we exposed them to the meaning of Merdeka to instill in them the love for this country called Malaysia. We attended every Merdeka night celebration every year and waited for the fireworks until they left for boarding schools. We shouted "Merdeka" along with the thousands who converged to the site near Masjid Zahir every year. I made sure I flew a flag on my windscreen. We learnt and sang the Merdeka song together and our favourite is and was "Kerana Mu". The new song "1Malaysia" is also very catchy even though some quarters call it a Christianity hymn. To me, it is just a song. It does not affect my faith and belief. It is just a song to show love and patriotism for one country. I guess being exposed to hymns and gospel songs all through my school years especially in my primary school made me immune to its genre.

Thus, I guess Merdeka means a liberation of the mind. Acceptance. Tolerance. Respect. Give and take. Peaceful co-existence of our diverse races, cultures and religions. We may have differing opinions but that does not make us less a Malaysian. We may argue but that does not mean it is going to spark a racial war. We may be diversified but that does not mean we cannot unite.

Last year I was in KL for Merdeka. Do you know what my sister and I did? Since we had no intention of joining the thousands at Dataran Merdeka nor brave the traffic and crowd, we sat in front of the TV early in the morning. We watched the parade, sang the songs and listened to the speeches and waved at the TV when the Agung left the site. We looked at each other, grinned happily and felt satisfied that we had done out duty as a Malaysian. Does that make us any less a Malaysian???? It does not mean that we have to be there physically. We are there with the thousands that thronged  Dataran Merdeka in spirit.

Happy 56th Merdeka Day!!! My wish this Merdeka - peace, acceptance of each other and less sensitivity on each other's differences. Allah bless the country and us. Aamiiin.