31st August 1957 - Malaya 'Merdeka'. I regretted to this day since 52 years ago for not being able to attend The Merdeka Proclaimation Celebration at Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur. I was 16 then and in Form 3 at a Government English School. Being in the most senior class, we were offered special student passes to attend this auspicious and historical occasion. School Principal Chegu Rahim personally encouraged us so, on condition we had close relatives staying in Kuala Lumpur.
The offer inspired me most. For long I had wanted to visit the capital city. I had 2 uncles living in Kampong Dato’Keramat. They had been encouraging me to visit them. The long desire of visiting the cosmopolitan city, the chance to be invited to the newly built Stadium Merdeka and the lure of witnessing ‘Merdeka Fireworks Display at The Lake Garden very much influenced my decision. For once, I had valid reason to take the offer.
‘Kuala Lumpur, here we come.’
However Chegu Rahim adviced that we should provide his office with letter of consent from our parents.
But father was quick to discourage me. Father was more concern of my safety. It was not safe for a 16 year old the long bus journey alone to Kuala Lumpur along stretches of ‘curfew areas’. Then again, one had to change buses 5 times along the route. The total distance from my Kampung to Kuala Lumpur was around 150+ miles. The narrow roads to Teluk Anson, Bidor, Sungkai, Slim River, Tanjung Malim, Kerling, Batang Kali, Rawang right to Kuala Lumpur passed through lonely stretches of vast rubber estates, small villages, unattended orchards, meanding through hilly dense jungles in communist infested areas and were unsafe for ordinary travelling. Father said some stretches were famous for regular occurrences of communist insurgences.
Commuters along those curfew stretches were not to carry foodstuff or medicines. They had to pass many road blocks for their travel documents to be checked by the security forces. The communist terrorists would ambush and burnt vehicles, rob passengers of their belongings, travel permits and identity cards before escaping into the deep jungle. The terrorists needed those documents for their daily movements for foodstuffs and medication.
Mother tried her best to convince Father. Discreetly she told Father that I had been in touch with cousin Ismail in Kuala Lumpur about my attending the Merdeka Celebrations. Ismail was quick to respond and the date of my travel was fixed. Ismail would wait for my arrival at Kuala Lumpur bus depot on the evening of 30th August.
Father reiterated it was a journey not worth taking. Approaching Merdeka the communist propaganda machines had continuously threatened to destabilize the country with force. The threat was serious. I could easily be involved in an ambushed and be killed.
Father’s decision was final. I was devastated.
No Kuala Lumpur trip for me, meaning not attending the Merdeka Proclamation Ceremony at the stadium, or witnessing the fireworks display at the Lake Garden on the Merdeka night.
Alas my desire to be part of our nation’s history shattered. It was a lifetime occasion that I should not missed. The date and the event would be etched in the nation as well the world modern history. And I had the chance to be at part of that history.
Malaya of the Malay Archipelago had been colonised by the western powers for more than 500 years. As of 31st August 1957 we would be a free Nation. ‘Merdeka’ means ‘freedom’, free from colonial rule. Indonesian got its independence in 1945 and had just celebrated its ‘Merdeka’ day on the 14th August. The Indonesian had to take up arms against the colonial for their Independence. For years their freedom fighters struggled and sacrifice their lives fighting The Dutch. Unlike Indonesia, Malaya got its independent from the British through negotiation.
We were lucky.
It’s the communist that had wanted to destabilise Persekutuan Tanah Melayu sovereignty, terrorising the country by taking up arms and staging guerrilla’s war fares. The communist insurgences were real threat to the country’s stability. Communist ideology had influenced certain sector of the population. Likely they had supporters and sympathisers amongst us.
We have to accept the fact that we must be vigilant at all time.
I finally submitted to that notion, and accepted Father’s decision. I wrote a letter to cousin Ismail cancelling my trip. The letter was short and was written in English.
Cousin Ismail in his reply; chided me for still honouring the colonial legacy even on the eve of our Nation’s independent. Ismail wrote: ‘aku malu menerima warkah dalam bahasa penjajah dari anak bangsaku diambang negaraku menerima kemerdekaannya.......’ I was ashamed and felt like being hit by a truck.
Cousin Ismail was a member of the arm forces. After Form II he joined the elite force - The Royal Malay Regiment.
Since then, on every August countdown of our Merdeka Celebrations I vividly recollect my failed desire to be at the Stadium Merdeka for the Merdeka Proclamation by YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj.
Whatsoever since 31st August 1957 I passionately behold my love for the country. ‘MERDEKA’ had since to be my ‘war cry’.
And again it was cousin Ismail’s critique that helps me to be true Malay and strengthened my patriotism to my beloved country - Malaysia.
DirgahyuIbuPertiwi
Note: Cousin Ismail retired from The Malay Regiment as a Warrant Officer. He passed away a couple of years ago after a long bout of Parkinson disease. Alfatihah.
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