MERDEKA!!!!
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Recent pic of Pulau Redang.
MERDEKA!!!!! I join all Malaysians worth their lemang* in celebrating our country's 47th year of Independence.
From my balcony, I can see fireworks in the copper night sky. On TV, they are singing "Kerana Mu Malaysia" from Padang MPK 2, Kuantan. Yesterday it was called Dataran Kemunting. Oh well.
In 1957, I celebrated Merdeka in Kota Baru, Kelantan. I had to make tanglung (lantern) and joined my school in a lantern procession. The lantern I made was supposed to be a dragon. It turned out like a misshapen arthritic worm. But I had fun making it. It got a lot of laughs from members of my family, my friends and assorted strangers.
I am still proud of Malaysia although I would be prouder still if we were not so proud of having a record -breaking longest lemang in the world but instead concentrate on where that lemang ends up - the toilets. There are STILL horror stories about our public toilets. Why? We don't toilet train our kids? Or we have primeval remnants in our psyche when we use the river, beaches and sundry bushes as our toilet that we dont treat modern toilets with the proper respect. I hope this is not the case. I just hope that it is just a case of bad aims and lack of pride.
(* lemang is glutinous rice cooked in bamboo tubes)
