Birthday wish for our nation
Fellow Malaysians in the Philippines got together to celebrate, with local food and in national costumes.
IT WAS a sight to behold on Sept 5 at Makati Shangri-La in Metro Manila, as Malaysians, in our Kadazandusun costume, baju kurung, baju Melayu, batik, kurta, kebaya and cheong sam came together with much camaraderie – alongside our Malaysian Armed Forces – to celebrate our National Day and Malaysia Day, as organised by the Embassy of Malaysia, Philippines.
Maybe some had come for the satay, roti canai, murtabak, nasi goreng kampung, curry chicken, beef rendang, sambal udang and teh tarik (only Malaysians living abroad would know how much we miss the food back home). But I believe some had come to feel at “home” again. The sense of “missing Malaysia” was obviously felt among us, as we shared the joy and celebration of our nationhood with fellow Malaysians living in the Philippines.
For me, I had come to be part of a celebration of the New Malaysia, of the milestone that Malaysia achieved on May 9. Malaysians had shown to the rest of the world how far we had come since independence, to have reached such maturity in exercising our democratic rights in a peaceful manner. A new definition of “people’s power” was born, a pride that every Malaysian could call our very own.
The very next day, I had my own potluck celebration of National Day and Malaysia Day at my condominium unit, with my fellow Malaysian friends in Metro Manila. It had been planned way before I knew about the event of the previous night.
It did not come with a fancy backdrop, carpeted floor and emcee, but with a big flag of Malaysia (and a flag of Penang, too), buntings on the walls and across my living room windows, the Malaysia Day atmosphere was very much present, nonetheless.
My friends had come wearing the colours of our national flag and in simple national costumes (as I had asked them to).
New friendships were forged. We could not have asked for more.
Though there was no nasi lemak and satay, we did have nasi tomato, ayam masak merah, acar, fried bee hoon, pav bhaji, otakotak from Muar, and rojak from Penang! With all the Malaysian classic songs playing in the background (thanks to The Star’s recommendation of the #LaguMalaysiaKita playlist on Spotify), coupled with our Manglish, Penang Hokkien, Malay and Cantonese “flying” around, it was definitely a joyous and a very Malaysian way of celebrating National and Malaysia Day.
I wish there are more opportunities for all Malaysians living in Philippines to come together, to forge new friendships, to share a sense of belonging, to provide and find support, or merely to enjoy the company of fellow Malaysians. I believe our government bodies here could do much more. With the New Malaysia in place, I hope there will be more such opportunities in time to come.
With this, I wish for our beloved nation, many years of growth, prosperity, happiness, peace and harmony, that Malaysians will continue to march forward together in unity, with love, perseverance, dynamism, justice and integrity.
Sayangi Malaysiaku.