Banding the nation together
The #AnakAnakMalaysia campaign got Malaysians to declare their love for the country.
THOUSANDS of Malaysians from all walks of life came together this year to declare their love for the country through the #AnakAnakMalaysia campaign.
An initiative by Star Media Group Bhd and Eco World Development Group Bhd, the campaign was held in conjunction with Malaysia’s 59th National Day and 53rd Malaysia Day.
It kicked off with the first-ever #AnakAnakMalaysia Walk on August 14.
A crowd of some 6,000 patriotic Malaysians turned up early that Sunday morning at Bukit Bintang City Centre for the 3.4km walk.
“It was great seeing Malaysians of all backgrounds come together regardless of race, age or social standing,” said participant Aris Mokhtar, 26.
“It was heartwarming to see so many Malaysians come together in the spirit of togetherness, despite the extremist sentiments that have plagued the world of late,” he said.
Aris, who is an airline pilot, said the most memorable moment of the #AnakAnakMalaysia Walk was when the crowd sang the national anthem at the start of the Walk.
“It was a really powerful moment, and I feel that our shared love for Malaysia really brought all of us closer together,” he said.
Throughout the campaign period, many Malaysians took to social media and the #AnakAnakMalaysia website to show that no matter where they were, their hearts would always be with Malaysia.
Close to 33,000 pictures and videos of Malaysians showing their support for the campaign can be seen on the website.
Besides the #AnakAnakMalaysia Walk, EcoWorld continued to promote the campaign by running activities to foster unity among Malaysians.
They organised cultural dances by the orang asli, Iban and Kadazan; wau and mural painting; and made the largest batik painting in Malaysia, measuring 25m by 25m.
EcoWorld also organised two mini #AnakAnakMalaysia Walk events at its project sites in Iskandar Malaysia, attracting thousands of participants. As part of the campaign, a total of 850,000 #AnakAnakMalaysia wristbands were distributed nationwide.
Taiping-born actress Sarah Lian proudly sported the wristband back in August, even though she did not attend the walk.
Although she grew up mainly in Vancouver, Canada, Lian said Malaysia is her home.
Lian, 33, left her family in Canada to explore Malaysia and career opportunities in 2008. She moved to Malaysia permanently in 2014 and proudly declares herself to be an “Anak Malaysia”.
“I have so many friends of all races, and I think that one of the biggest lessons that I learnt in Malaysia was a cultural one and to respect everyone’s beliefs.”
Lian said it is important for Malaysians to “stand up and support one another”.
“The #AnakAnakMalaysia Walk was a great way to walk in unity, celebrating all Malaysians under the sun,” she said.
“Although I wasn’t able to attend, I’m glad to hear about such an event that promotes love and all of us as equals,” said Lian.