Keretapi Sarong flash mob a hit this year

KUALA LUMPUR: About 4,000 participants took part in this year’s Keretapi Sarong flash mob to mark Malaysia Day in the most colourful way.

Organised by Locco and the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac), Keretapi Sarong 2019 highlights the traditional attire of the South-East Asian region, in particular the origins of the sarong, and the different ways in which it could be worn.

Keretapi Sarong made its debut in 2012, and has since been incorporated in the Malaysia Day celebrations in the Klang Valley.

“The culture of wearing kain sarong is an important aspect of Malaysian history that should not be forgotten, ” said Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik.

“The culture of wearing sarong is shared by many cultures in Malaysia, including Orang Asli, Malays, Indians, Chinese, Sabahans and Sarawakians.

“Unfortunately, it is a culture that is prone to becoming forgotten with time.

“Thus, Motac has tried to revive the culture of wearing sarong for three years in a row.

“This is to continue the living cultural heritage of our ancestors, as well as to get Malaysians to remember that the sarong is a shared cultural heritage of Malaysia, ” he said when met at the event here yesterday.

On the success of 2019’s Keretapi Sarong, Muhammad Bakhtiar said it was “bigger than last year’s”.

“I was excited to see the support from many who came this morning to make Keretapi Sarong a success.

“I saw happiness and unity among the participants, ” he added.

Muhammad Bakhtiar also joined the flash mob that sang traditional Malay songs as it travelled using the MRT from Kajang to Pasar Seni, following which the group took buses to the Masjid Jamek LRT.

Joining them at Masjid Jamek were four other flash mobs from Gombak, Ampang, Subang Jaya and Bandar Utama.

From Masjid Jamek, the participants walked to Dataran Merdeka, where various performances were held.