Yesterday, while driving my 11 years old niece back from school, she was exited to see some Malaysian flags at some houses along the way. On reaching home, she asked me why aren’t we putting up a flag too as some of the houses. She knew it is because of the “51st Merdeka” celebration as they were generally informed by their teachers in school .
It took me sometimes before I can give her an answer to her question. Deep inside me is whether to tell her the real history or just being like a donkey and follow what they were taught in school. In the end I took the decision to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth! Sabah did not achieved it’s independence on 31st August 1957 BUT 16Th Sept 1963. Only Malaya at that time achieved their’s from the British. Not Sabah and Sarawak. After that you know lah…strings of questions from my niece that I can hardly see the Olympic in the TV in peace. I would have groan and irritated from the marathon of questions that I have to answer. If she had gone to the Olympic, I guess she would have got herself a gold medal. NO…I did not groan nor irritated over the questions poured out to me. I took the liberty to try to explain and paint in her young mind the true picture about the formation of Malaysia.
Am I wrong and being unpatriotic? Is it wrong to tell the true picture to the youngs about the real history? I believe we shouldn’t distort history and confuse the young people especially the young children of Sabah and Sarawak on the formation of Malaysia.
I am not being unpatriotic but facts is facts. I can’t change history nor anyone in Malaysia or the world. The facts remain no matter what our education policy or system is trying to psyche the mind of our youngs. It is morally and etically wrong! We cannot and should not distort history! But in Malaysia, it seems that the Education Ministry is trying to do just that.
Did I put up a flag in the end or did my niece insisted? No…we did not as I feel that we might be just celebrating it for the sake of celebrating without any significant meaning to the word MERDEKA. One thing for sure we do put up one on 16Th September.
i think that is what is called as patriotic. history is regarding facts. and fact cannot be changed no matter how we tried. and it is a fact that sabah and sarawak gained independence on 16th September. which means that it is not the 51st merdeka for those states. although i am a selangor resident, i always have a belief that the government should:
1-declare that 16th September is a public holiday
2-it is to be called as Hari Malaysia
3-Sabah and Sarawak have their own Malaysia Day parade held at that date every year and the host is to be in turn between sabah and sarawak
4-that besides 51st merdeka day, there will also be 45th malaysia day
(^_^)…