PUTRAJAYA, Aug 31 — Like thousands of other people here today, Lim Bee Yuen and her husband Lim Teck Long left their home in Kajang, Selangor early in the morning to come here for this year’s Merdeka Day parade long before dawn today.
This is their second time experiencing the independence day celebrations in the federal administrative capital after attending last year’s festivities.
The couple told Malay Mail when met that they are regular attendees of the annual Merdeka Day celebrations wherever it is hosted, and will continue to do so for as long as they are healthy and able to travel.
“It is so, so important for us to be united with no differences. We are after all Orang Malaysia.
“If we can all think like this, then I am very sure we will be fine, no one can harm us and I'm saying this because I really really love my country Malaysia you know,” said Bee Yuen who arrived here at 5am.
In his speech marking the 66th Merdeka Day this morning, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah spoke of the importance of racial unity to Malaysia’s harmony and the wellbeing of its people.
The 60-year-old Bee Yuen agreed wholeheartedly with the King.
“I don't want us to think of each other as different when we were all born in the same country,” she said.
She shared that she had been all over the world for work when she was younger to find jobs that paid well in which to raise her family as she had struggled to make ends meet in Malaysia.
“But in the end I still love my country and I hope in the future we can have more people working here in Malaysia instead of looking for jobs overseas.
“So on this day I hope for the wellbeing of all Malaysians. I don't care if they're Malay, Chinese, Indian or others. If you know me, you will know I have tons of Malay friends and they know Chinese people are harmless and rather jovial and ever willing to help someone else,” she said.
Malaysia’s prized stability has been shaken by a series of political events in recent years that have resulted in a quick change of prime ministers and by extension, the government.
Coupled with the Covid-19 pandemic that crippled the economy for the past three years, there has been an increase in political speeches that champion the “rights” and interests of certain communal groups, but what do regular Malaysians really think of such messages?
With citizens from all over the country attending the festivities today, Malay Mail was able to speak to Malaysians from Kelantan, Pahang and Melaka among others.
To Yacob Anthonysamy from Ipoh, Perak, being a citizen of Malaysia is the common denominator and Malaysians must unite and present a harmonious front to the world so they are not taken advantage of by its enemies.
The 56-year-old manager who drove from Ipoh early this morning to attend the 66th Merdeka celebrations here told Malay Mail that unity is the only thing that mattered if the nation is to prosper as a whole.
“Like the PM said, respect all races and religions and reject religious extremisms or it'll cause havoc here,” he said, referring to the current and 10th Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“Being tolerant is a crucial component of living in a multiracial country and as long as we have mutual respect that's where love comes in.
“Then it'll be easy to work together and we can bring the country up again without identifying as Indian, Chinese or Malay. We are all simply Malaysians,” Yacob said.
Others like students Ahmad Hazzim Luqman and Muhammad Khairul Irfan told Malay Mail they have plenty of non-Malay friends whom they cared about deeply and thought that fighting over race and religion was silly.
“We don't want to argue or have conflict because of race, a waste of time. It's so much better to just get along. Life's a happier place,” said 15-year-old Khairul.
“I would suggest programmes like gotong-royong or these Madani programmes mooted by the prime minister. They actually do enlighten us of other races’ cultures and I feel this is a good initiative. We need more of these sorts of programmes now,” said 17-year-old Ahmad.
Writer Rahmah Tahir, 38, said that holding a national day parade annually is important to remind everyone of the diverse cultures in Malaysia.
“I love these vibes, everyone on the same page you know? I love the show of patriotism among Malaysians and even though it's done every year it never gets old. Did you notice or not everyone came out this year? Huge crowds unlike other years.
“It shows we are all supporting each other and as rakyat Malaysia unity must be at the forefront of our thinking and without it we will crumble so let's get together,” she said.
Multiple Malaysians who spoke to Malay Mail during this year’s celebrations spoke highly of the ease in using public transport to get to and around Putrajaya.
Others praised the vibrant colours, activities and music played by the plethora of military bands this morning.
The call for unity comes at a pivotal moment, echoing the sentiment expressed by both the heads of state and its government to respect the diverse customs and religions in the country that are integral for a harmonious society.
The heart of this unity lies in the rejection of racism.
Being known as “Orang Malaysia”, which was repeatedly mentioned by the various people interviewed by Malay Mail today, was what regular Malaysians strongly identified as first and foremost, regardless of their age, ethnicity, or creed; and what they saw as colourful threads woven together to form a tapestry of their shared heritage and common future.
This year’s Merdeka Day celebrations is themed “Malaysia Madani: Tekad Perpaduan, Penuhi Harapan” (Determination in Unity, Fulfilling Hope).
