NST's Merdeka video
The ‘New Straits Times’ records the blessings of being a Malaysian
TWENTY-SEVEN years ago, a young man in volatile Arakan, Myanmar, was desperate for survival. He knew he had to escape the clutches of death in his own birthplace.
Faridullah Dudu Miya, then 22, was sure that had he stayed on, his two young children and wife, would have been slaughtered, along with him.
He left his village with only the clothes on his back to seek refuge here.
A holder of a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ card, which allows him to stay in the country legally, Faridullah, 49, yearns for the day that he will be recognised as a citizen of the country his ancestors called home.
Mohmed Shafie Sharif, 12, from Somalia, speaks in hushed tones as he recalls the night a few years ago when his parents grabbed him and his two siblings, terrified and bleeding, and ran for their lives when his home and his village in Mogadishu, came under attack from warring factions.
Although he has found peace and calm here, his only hope is to one day be able to go back to his ravaged country and be reunited with his grandmother, who was shot in the stomach that fateful night.
Palestinian, Basheer Ghanam, 40, recalls the day opportunity presented itself for him and his family to flee the Zionist regime, two years ago.
“I left (the Israeli port city of) Haifa with my wife and two children... there was no future there for them.
“There’s perpetual violence and murders and killings (by the Israeli Defence Forces) every day.
“In Malaysia, I feel happy when I see the Malays, Chinese and Indians living together in harmony.
“When I first came to Malaysia, I was dumbstruck to see all this,” said the father of two young sons.
Like the many citizens of nations ravaged by war and neverending strife who found their way here, these foreigners have to be content with just sharing the joys of Malaysia’s annual celebration of independence.
As Malaysia celebrates her 60th year as a free and sovereign nation, the New Straits Times records the deepest thoughts and hopes of those scarred by the physical and emotional wounds of hardship and despair on the blessings of be- ing a Malaysian.
In its special 60th Merdeka video entitled “#treasurewhatwehave”, NST takes Malaysians back to the day the country shook off the shackles of colonialism and tasted independence for the first time, 60 years ago.
The video opens with a poignant and heartfelt message by the first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, that calls for us to ensure that this young nation continues to be blessed.
“We are the only na- tion in the world to have defeated communism.
“With the blessing that has been bestowed upon us, it is up to the people to protect and preserve the nation’s sovereignty till the end of time.”
Foreigners here to enjoy the beauty of Malaysia share the view that Malaysia is the place to be, and that she possesses a uniqueness found nowhere else.
John Blox, from England, said in the few days he had been in the capital, he was amazed by the warmth and generosity of Malaysians, and felt safe.
“It’s nice. Kuala Lumpur is very safe... I think it is safer than my country,” he said before making his maiden visit to the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.
Spaniard Valentin Tordesillas congratulated the country for having preserved its independence and wished the country well.
Chrislynce Siregellugu, an Austrian tourist who had just landed in Kuala Lumpur the day the NST met her, said she thoroughly enjoyed her first taste of the local cuisine and couldn’t wait to explore other gems the country had to offer.
Ahmad Oumar, a foreign student here, said Malaysia was among the countries that had been truly blessed.
“I would like to say to all Malaysians that you have a beautiful country and that you should treasure everything you have.
“Selamat Hari Merdeka, Malaysia.”
The video “#treasurewhatwehave” can be viewed on the NST Online Facebook page and on the website www.nst.com.my.