Memories of Merdeka

Published by simon on August 28, 2005

We’re a few days before our Hari Kemerdekaan (48th National Day). It falls on Wednesday this week, a lot of people are taking Monday and Tuesday off to continue their holiday from school holidays.

When we were young, we would never fail to watch the national day parade on telly, usually starting early in the morning. This was years ago, when we only had two TV channels to watch (and one of which was totally un-watchable). No Astro, no private TV channels, no DVDs. Those days every year they had it in that court house road in KL, I can’t remember the name.

The cabinet ministers with our PM would be there in their dark blue uniforms and caps (according to Lat, there was a punch clock at the back of the podium), clapping politely at every single moving thing, in the meantime probably sweating gallons in the stifling heat. Then on parade on the road were the military, the police, flag-waving school kids in their shiny new national costumes (those poor suffering KL school kids), government departments, and lots of other uniformed groups and marching bands (‘march past’).

Then on the field, there would be fan dances, rhythmic gymnastics (where they form patriotic words and giant flags which the cabinet ministers have no way of seeing) and other traditional dances. In between there would be helicopters and military airplanes and parachutes (to the support of the spectators screaming hysterically).

My parents were both government servants, and their departments would participate in the district level national day celebrations and parade at our local stadium. Miraculously, every year both my parents managed to get out of participating (each department were required to send one or two reps only, usually the most junior staff), usually not without much effort. Except one year my mom had to go. And that year it rained. Heavily. All I remember was her coming back and telling us that while everyone sang ‘Negaraku’ the national anthem (old version), the flag went up the pole soaking wet clinging to the pole in a lump. Did I mention everyone was standing on the field under the rain?

These days, most of my friends and colleagues can’t wait for Wednesday to take a break from work. For me these past few months have been incredibly hectic without any rest (regular readers will be able to tell from my blog). So come Wednesday, I’d probably sleep in, read the papers in relative peace, eat a late brunch, run a few miles and read a few chapters of Gaiman. And if there isn’t anything else to watch on the idiot box, I my catch the national day parade in Putrajaya.

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