Merdeka

This Merdeka we celebrated like we always did, shacking up at the Concorde Hotel, in a room with KLCC view so that we can treat the kids with the fireworks without having to bersesak-sesak with the crowds.

We walked to KLCC this year and had dinner at Shrooms. Everything was okay until the time we decided to walk back to the hotel. People were going to KLCC in droves but we were going the opposite way. Because of that, Dan and I could see, apa sebenarnya erti merdeka in the hearts of I would say 70% of the crowd that gathered in KLCC. Merdeka means their freedom to decide not to fully clothe themselves, but just with bits and pieces of kain strung together to cover some parts of their body. Merdeka also means that they can engulf themselves with the putrid smell of alcohol that other people within 2m radius can smell. Merdeka also means that they go out in our blessed country's tropical climate in long leather jacket complete with a necktie. But to me, this merdeka showed, in a way, kita masih dijajah. I am not saying that women should be clad in baju kurung 24/7 and men go to work wearing capal to be truly merdeka... but come on !! Be realistic. Trenchcoats will be un-Malaysian until the day snow started to make its way here. Everything the mat sallehs do is good even if it means we have to sweat like there's no tomorrow in the jacket. That includes being so intoxicated you can't even recognise your mom or blatantly being too affectionate with your partner in public. Holding hands is sweet but hand in the pocket ? Urgghhh......

I usually am not crtical of others, especially of how they dress, of how they talk etc, as siapalah aku ni nak comment2 kan. Lagi pun kita selalu harus bersangka baik ... but oh anak bangsaku... Bangunlah, bangunlah, bangunlah. I am not really asking people to be more Melayu ( except maybe the delusional ones in leather jackets ), but to be more Muslims. I read somewhere that the problem with the Malays is that they use the Quran for the purpose of exorcism only, but not as a guidebook, a guidebook that could shows us the way to succeed and really to merdeka.

For myself, sebagai orang yang lahir merdeka, I couldn't really fathom the concept of merdeka that is being felt by our older generations. You know, the normal story of makan ubi kayu, kowtowing to the Japs and then enduring the discriminations by the Brits. But my meaning of merdeka is..... hmmm.... I don't know really..... Wow... what a let down. Maybe you can tell me your meaning of merdeka ?