SANDAKAN: Pulau Keniogan may not have everything its residents hope for, but each year on Aug 31, the small island community makes a point to celebrate what it has.
Lying off Sabah’s east coast, about two hours by boat from Beluran, north-west of Sandakan, the island is home to some 1,200 people, most of them fishermen.
Life here is simple and not without hardship. Clean water remains a challenge, and electricity is available for only about 18 hours a day.
Yet when August comes, the island changes.
For this otherwise quiet community, the National Day is one of the most anticipated occasions of the year, a time when the whole kampung comes alive.
Jalur Gemilang begins to appear throughout the village as residents unite to prepare for the celebrations, temporarily setting aside their unmet needs in favour of what they cherish most: peace, freedom, and a sense of belonging to the country.
Teacher Sarifah Suhanah Sh Yassin said the community was well aware of its shortcomings but chose to remain grateful.
“Although we live far away on an island and lack many things, we are grateful for what we have.
“Even though clean water remains an issue and electricity is not available 24 hours, we can still celebrate Merdeka just like people in the towns,” she said.
For Sarifah, the celebration is also something the community wants its children to inherit.
This year, villagers gathered on the eve of National Day for a patriotic singing competition before waiting together for the stroke of midnight.
The celebrations continued the following morning with a mass aerobics session involving villagers young and old.
Mohamad Saperi Akli, who heads the Mukim Pulau Madani Community, said the official celebration with the Information Department had been held for three consecutive years since 2024. But the island’s tradition of celebrating the day stretches much further back.
Long before the celebration became an official annual programme, villagers had already been coming together to mark the occasion informally since 1999.
For Saperi, its meaning stretches beyond the festivities.
Remembering the sacrifices of earlier generations, he said, made the community even more appreciative of the peace they enjoy today.
“We must remember those who sacrificed to defend the sovereignty of the country. We are very grateful for what we enjoy today, especially the peace we have,” he said.
Retired teacher Banggaya Buteh, 74, said villagers would come together whenever the celebration was held, working side by side regardless of whether it was day or night.
