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.

You would hear pakciks (uncles) of different races having coffeeshop conversations about the upcoming Pestabola Merdeka, which used to be held in conjunction with Merdeka Day. Families looked forward to the thrill of cheering our national team along with other Malaysians at Stadium Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur.

That was when the united Malaysian spirit would be at its strongest, when people from all walks of life would unequivocally roar together when watching our Harimau Malaya play against other football powerhouses of the world.

The days when our team would play and win against South Korea, Czechoslovakia, Kuwait, Japan... we even beat Arsenal 2-0 in 1975! Oh what proud times to have been Malaysian, back then.

Negaraku, tanah tumpahnya darahku

I can imagine people singing our national anthem with so much pride in their hearts.When I had the chance to direct OlaBola The Musical in 2018, I wanted to bring back that nostalgia and the spirit of Malaysians celebrating together again. My brief to each person on the production team was that this would not just be a performance, it was also a movement; to re-light the nationalistic spirit in each member of the audience.

I dare say we were pretty successful in achieving that goal. Throughout two seasons at Istana Budaya, the cast would receive standing ovations from emotionally aroused audiences. In 2019, we took the show on a Merdeka Tour to Penang, Kuantan, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. I will never forget the euphoria of seeing a multi-racial audience waving hundreds of flags, and hearing their cheers and thunderous applause every time Malaysia scored a goal.

'Find more reasons to be thankful and to celebrate, rather than fostering negativity,' says Tiara.

The theatre was filled with the "Stadium Merdeka" roar all over again. Just earlier this month, we got a glimpse of that same national spirit, when Malaysians from all walks of life came together to watch our national athletes strive for glory at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Our athletes carried our national pride as they walked into the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, competing in the name of Malaysia with a unified purpose.

Last Saturday, our inspiring powerlifting champion and Paralympics record holder Bonnie Bunyau Gustin won us our first gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics. Whatsapp chat groups and social media were abuzz with news of this incredible young man from Sarawak who proved that even with a disability, nothing was impossible.

Ahh, there’s something so uplifting whenever Malaysians feel connected to a common sense of pride and aspiration; when differences of race, religion or political beliefs would take a back seat, and we would bask together in every victory.

When we ROAR together! This Merdeka and Malaysia Day, let’s continue in the same spirit we had during the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Fly the Jalur Gemilang high and proud on our homes and in our hearts. Celebrate our Olympians and Paralympians.

Find more reasons to be thankful and to celebrate, rather than fostering negativity. Let’s set aside our differences and think about what we can all do to make this nation great again. May we find inspiration in the lyrics of our national anthem.Malaysia, it’s time to roar together once again.

Award-winning producer, director and actor Tiara Jacquelina is the Chief Dream-Maker of the Enfiniti “Creative Universe”. But above all, a proud Malaysian.