RECAPTURING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SEPT 16

By Sakina Mohamed

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 (Bernama) -- Malaysia was proclaimed on Sept 16, 1963
but that was long time ago and the subsequent generations may have lost the
significance of this date.

Therefore, the government's move to earmark Sept 16 as Malaysia Day and a
public holiday beginning this year could help the generations born thereafter to
appreciate the significance of this day.

Concurrent with this the community-focused organisation Andante Resources
has undertaken the task of ensuring Sept 16 is recognised and celebrated across
the nation.

The organisation will be organising an event called "We R Malaysia" to be
held on Sept 16 and 17, that will see some 100,000 people all over the
country singing the "We R Malaysia" song specially written for the day.


REMEMBER THE DAY

Andante Resources Treasurer Kon Onn Keong says Sept 16, 1963 commemorates
the union of North Borneo (now Sabah), Sarawak and Malaya into a single nation.

"We believed then that although we were all different, if we cast aside our
own individuality and differences, we will become one strong nation.

"The message here is that although we are all different people, if we can
cast aside our own individual preferences and interests for the sake of the
greater good, imagine how much stronger we will be," he adds.

However, Kon points out Sept 16, 1963 happened 47 years ago and for the
younger generation its significance may have been lost.

"That was long time ago. Today there is a new generation who need to
recapture the significance for themselves, so that they may truly understand
what Malaysia Day means, and this is a great way to engage them."


HOW WILL IT BE DONE?

Kon says the celebration will be incorporated into state sponsored
celebrations and held at various institutions, colleges and other suitable
locations.

"But I think many people will still be at their kampungs (hometowns) because
of Hari Raya (Eid Fitri) festivities. But they can still participate from
wherever they are, be it in their homes or hometowns," he says.

Participants will wear the "We R Malaysia" t-shirts, with the song lyrics
imprinted at the back, and they can sing the song from where ever they are in
Malaysia, on Sept 16 and 17.

The song is multilingual, says Kon, with lines in Bahasa Malaysia,
English, Hindi, the Kadazan-Dusun and Iban languages, so that it reflects the
melting pot of races in Peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak.

At the end of the event, participants will pick and exchange a leaf that
says "We R Malaysia, Many But One", he says. The leaves can be pressed leaves
decorated with the message or a paper cutout one, he adds.

"The leaf is a symbol of new life, freshness, so participants can design it
any way they want and write their message inside.

"With the exchange they are saying that they recognise that "I am Malaysia,
but you are Malaysia too, and together we are Malaysia."

Why "Malaysia" and not "Malaysian", which is more grammatically correct?

"Because we want people to know that Malaysia is not only the beautiful
landscape and structure, but it also represents the people that make it what it
is," replied Kon.

Those interested can visit its website at http://wermalaysia.andante.my/.


NATION-BUILDING EXERCISE

Kon says the event is a nation-building exercise that can help promote
1Malaysia as well as foster better understanding among the people in Peninsula,
Sabah and Sarawak.

"From there we can build a platform of such groups for exchange of ideas and
discussions and then we can work meaningfully with the government in identifying
groups who share a nation building perspective," he says.

Adante Resources is no stranger to such feats. It started off in 2000 with a
mother-daughter team, Juliet and Joyce Tan, providing practical learning and
exposure for disadvantaged and marginalized children in the rural areas.

Both of them are currently the adviser and secretary-general of the
organisation.

It conducted its first nation-building event in 2009, called Go for 9!!!
which engaged 99 institutions, companies and organisations from nine sectors to
come together to sing patriotically at 9am on Sept 9, 2009.

This year it embarked on its second nation-building event called
Transformatrix, which involves 10 community projects in rural areas.

"This will be an experience for the new generation to remember, and
hopefully, they'll share the passion and pass the baton to the next generation
when the time comes," says Kon.
-- BERNAMA