Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!
Those are the words that were uttered from the one and only, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia’s first ever prime minister on the 31st August 1957, exactly 62 years ago, marking the end of an era, and a beginning to a new one.
Hari Merdeka, or Independence Day in Malaysia is celebrated every year on the 31st of August. It marks the day Malaysia (previously known as Malaya) gained its independence, or freedom from the British Empire. The effort of gaining independence was led by Tunku Abdul Rahman, alongside an army of ministers and political leaders of Malaya, who flew to London to negotiate and finally agree on the terms for Merdeka.
Every year, on this historical day, Malaysians of all races and ethnicity unite and celebrate Merdeka as soon as the clock strikes 12 with colorful fireworks everywhere. The morning after, it is a tradition to have a massive parade at the Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur where there would be a lot of performances including a flypast of the Royal Malaysia Air Force, together with the Malaysian Army Air Force and Royal Malaysia Navy, followed by a military and marching bands march past.
Prior to Merdeka, living in Malaya was nowhere near as lavish as it is now. There was always a shortage of food, forcing people to start planting vegetables, tapioca, and sweet potatoes which later became their staple food. Besides that, the surroundings then were so chaotic that a curfew had to be imposed thereby restricting people from leaving their homes. With such mayhem going on at the time, many people were traumatized and this left little to no space for peace and harmony.
Today, thanks to all the hard works done by the Malaysian leaders back in the day, Malaysia now has the privilege of living a life of peace and harmony, with the freedom of ruling the country on their own terms.
From all of us here at MY Evolution Sdn Bhd, we would like to wish every Malaysian Selamat Hari Merdeka!