60-YEAR-OLD MERDEKA CARRIES HIS NAME PROUDLY
He was once teased but now is a celebrity
THERE was a time he was ashamed of his own name, but that is not the case any more. Born on Aug 31, 1957, Mohd Merdeka Ismail now carries his name proudly.
The name has also provided him with the opportunity to meet members of the royal family, as well as public figures during National Day celebrations.
As Malaysia is set to celebrate its 61st anniversary of independence, for Merdeka it has always been a double celebration.
The 60-year-old, however, never dreamed that the name which used to earn him bouts of insults had inadvertently turned him into a celebrity.
The name was given by a village midwife in conjunction with his birth on the very same day Malaysia gained independence from the British Empire.
“When I was small, I was ashamed of my name because I was often teased, but later on, it injected a sense of pride into me as I got to celebrate my birthday on the same day Malaysia celebrated its independence.
“This is something not many people get to experience.
“Even more amazing is that because of this name, I had the opportunity to set foot in Istana Negara when I was invited by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 2007 through the Anak-Anak Merdeka gathering,” he said at his home in Kampung Dua Puluh, Penaga, here yesterday.
Merdeka said after attending the gathering, he no longer cared about those who teased him as he realised that it was his name that opened opportunities to meet with the country’s top leaders and members of the royal family.
“Apart from my name, it is also easy to remember my birthdate and I get to celebrate on the day Malaysians became free from the grip of the colonisers.
“With this name, it has instilled in me a love for my country.
“I hope that the harmony we have achieved will remain forever,” he added.
Merdeka said the uniqueness of his name had almost caused him to be thrown out into the open sea sometime back.
At the time, he was working for a shipping company in Terengganu.
“It is funny when I reminisce about it, my friends planned to throw me into the sea as a birthday surprise.
“Thankfully their plan failed because someone leaked it to me and I found out before they could carry on with their plan,” he said, adding that his friends wanted to surprise him in a “unique” way because of his name.
Meanwhile, Merdeka’s only daughter, Izzatunnabila, 24, said she felt lucky as she could share her father’s spotlight.
“Like my father, I used to be ashamed when friends at school teased me, but the feeling changed when everyone began recognising my father after he appeared on the news during National Day celebrations.
“They also know he was invited by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.”
She said there were many people, including those from other races, that had the same name as her father.