Roar together: in tough times, our Malaysian community spirit becomes our safety net

A spirit-lifting scene seen at the 'Ola Bola Merdeka Tour' performance at Majestic Theatre in Penang in August 2019. Photo: Filepic

It's another Aug 31 in lockdown. I’m in a nostalgic mood, reminiscing the days we used to celebrate this occasion with much more fervour... I miss the old Merdeka day magic. Granted, we’re living through a unique moment in world history with Covid-19 still dominating the narrative, and then there is the continuous drama of our political landscape. I can understand some of us feeling ambivalent about being patriotic at this time, as the nationwide dialogue advances around how to adapt to the "Next Normal", with the finish line still nowhere in sight.

Indulge me for a moment as I revisit some of my memories of Merdeka growing up as a child in the 1980s. Throughout each month in August and September, there would be patriotically-themed advertisements and telemovies on TV, and nationalistic songs would play over the radio. Buildings would be draped in the Jalur Gemilang, and you would see flags flying proudly from houses, shops and cars.