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HAPPY 50TH INDEPENDENCE Malaysia!

50 Reasons Why Malaysians Love Their Independence..

Compiled by Eugene Ng & Vivian Chong From Going Places August 2007 (MAS)

1.We get an extra public holiday

2.It actually means something now when we say “I am willing to die for my country”

3.Merdeka Sale!

4.It feels extra good when we beat England and Japan at badminton

5.We really, really boleh (can do) … and we have our very own Malaysian Book of Records to prove it!

6.The legacies left by the Portuguese, Dutch and English are not remnants of colonisation – we can now call them our own

7.Oooo, fireworks… cantiknya! (so beautiful!)

8.We don’t have to stand at attention to God Save Our Queen

9.And Tuhan Selamatkan Permaisuri Kita doesn’t have quite the same ring to it

10.Because while we may be speaking the Queen’s English and sipping Earl Grey with our pinkie sticking out, give us a teh tarik at the mamak anytime!

11.We are no longer under the oppression of others; we never liked being told what to do in the first place

12.We watch the National Day parade with pride and feel grateful that it’s not us marching under the hot sweltering sun, or getting soaked in the rain

13.Independence restored our dignity, the constitution protects it and we value it

14.We got to host the Commonwealth Games and in the process, show the world how far we have come

15.Cool televison commercials (like the award-winning, Yasmin Ahmad-directed ones for Petronas) that remind us of the meaning of independence

16.There may not be the Petronas Twin Towers or Proton Saga

17.We get to use ‘Malaysian time’ as an excuse for being late

18.No goreng pisang or cekodok (banana fritters) for tea; somehow fish and chips just don’t go with teh tarik

19.We don’t have to fight with someone else; we get to bicker amongst ourselves

20.Just because this is our motherland and we belong here

21.The word ‘curfew’ is now only mentioned by parent to child

22.We can no longer recite the Rukunegara (Five Principles of Nationhood, taught to all Malaysian school children), but as long as we can sing along to Merdeka songs by Sudirman, we feel patriotic

23.We have had to take responsibility to make our own lives better; we can’t blame anyone else for anything that goes wrong

24.Because we asked for it

25.We were the first country to achieve a peaceful independence by holding talks with the British

26.We may be a Third World country but we have First World facilities – the ERL, F1 Race circuit, KLIA, excellent hotels and award-winning malls

27.Merdeka means balik kampung with only half the volume of cars on the highways (the other half are headed towards the shopping malls)

28.It’s a day all the different races of Malaysia can really celebrate as one

29.We have given ourselves the chance to prove what we can do, and we have proven that we are on par, if not better, than those who once ruled us

30.One word: Astro, which translates into extensive live English Premiership coverage – weekends (for the guys) have never been the same

31.We speak, read and write good English and it’s only our second language!

32.In fact, we’re so good, we’ve come up with our own version of the language, called Manglish (a unique mesh of Bahasa Malaysia and English) … so clever!

33.We’ve presided over the 51st session of the United Nation’s General Assembly and a Malaysian is now serving as the Assistant Secretary General for Economic Development in the UN Department and Social Affairs – not bad for a 50-year-old country!

34.We’re going into outer space!

35.Phonetically they sound so much like Bahasa Malaysia, Bata and Milo are much bigger brands here than their country of origin

36.This year’s Merdeka TV commercial by Milo, which features four multi-racial children wearing jerseys with numbers that read ‘1957′ … aww

37.We look to the future with hope that belongs to us and only us

38.Because we’re bangsa Malaysia (Malaysian race) and not just Chinese, Malays or Indians, everyone gets the day off for Eid, Chinese New year and Diwali

39.We get to win gold medals at an ‘international’ sporting event – the Commonwealth Games

40.We stick mini Malaysian flags on our cars, motorcycles or bicycles for a whole month and no one dare say it looks silly

41.Our independence was realised through the collaboration of the different races in Malaysia – the very hallmark of what we proudly call muhibbah (unity)

42.Malaysia Airlines ‘50-hour’ open house ‘Let’s Fly Malaysia’ campaign – airfares starting from RM1!

43.It’s the best excuse of the year to party, get a hangover the next day, and call it patriotism

44.So we can name our kids Merdeka and instantly, they’re special

45.If you’re born on 31 August, you get invited to a special party hosted by the government

46.Even at 50, we’re considered young

47.“Merdeka Day, traffice jam lah!” is a convenient excuse for not wanting to leave the house

48.Independence led to the formation of Malaysia in 1963, making Sabah and Sarawak a part of us; when we travel to East Malaysia, we tell people we’re going ‘overseas’

49.Yet another reason send multiple SMSes to wish “Happy Merdeka”, making everyone (especially the telcos) happy

50.And last but not least, the freedom to have compiled this list