Skip to main content

Merdeka! Malaysia Independence Day













It was 31st August 1957, 52 years ago, that Malaya achieved independence from British colonial rule. In Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, the first Prime Minister, Tuanku Abdul Rahman, led in the famous proclamation, "Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!", which means freedom/independence. Since then, this multi-ethnic country in South East Asia was renamed Malaysia with the addition of Borneo states Sabah & Sarawak in 1963.

Today, Malaysia has a population of under 30 million mainly of Malay, Chinese & Indian ethnicity, with the major market centres in the Klang Valley (which includes the capital Kuala Lumpur & Petaling Jaya), Penang (Dell's factory is located here) in the north & Johor in the south. It enjoys good diplomatic relationships with neighbouring countries Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore.

For tourists, among the places to visit would be the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur (until recently the tallest building in the world) and Melaka (our historical state). The main attraction to our country, apart from the diverse cultures, would be the food. This is the place to be if you enjoy exploring different types of cuisine. The currency exchange rate also makes Malaysia an attractive and affordable tourist destination for many.

To Malaysians, I wish you a Happy Merdeka! We have a long way to go, but let's strive for a better Malaysia for all Malaysians (and visitors, too!).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Something Special About Music

I think I am happiest when I am singing and maybe performing. Sometimes I love the sound of my own voice and I enjoy expressing myself in song. I sing mostly Christian songs and I want the singing to be for the Lord. I pray that my worship will be acceptable to Him, and also that my faith and love for Him will increase. May I be a good witness for Him as He continues to work in me. May I be obedient to His will. My singing days are limited. The voice will give way, little by little every day. One day, I might not be able to carry a tune properly and I might just sound unpleasant. That's the day I want to look back and be pleased to know that I have sung while I could, and to be sure that I didn't waste many opportunities to do that.

First Day In School

The first day of school for many kindergarten children in a Chinese medium school. There were many who were crying. I know some of the teachers felt like crying, too. It was chaos! And some just getting used to the environment, or not. People of all races seem to think Mandarin is an important language to learn. Meanwhile, I'm learning more and more that I don't know much about photography. At least I'm having fun!
I've watched a lot less football over the past 5 years since I moved to my current home. Unsubscribed to Astro because the only main reason to have it is to watch football. So I get my weekend nights back, plus a couple of hours of sleep during the midweek. Some people can be so passionate and worked up over matters they have very little influence over and regardless of how they may jump, scream and cross their fingers and toes, the results would be unaffected. It does put some things into perspective. I've had the privilege of observing and enjoying the reign of Arsene Wenger as manager of Arsenal Football Club for about 20 years and it was indeed a glorious era. I'll always be a gooner and as I focus on other pursuits, it's always good to hear when Arsenal wins.