On August 31st, 1957, we lowered the Union Jack and took our first breath as an independent nation. On September 16th, 1963, we took our second—when Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore came together to form Malaysia. Though Singapore would later chart its own path, this formation remains one of the most significant moments in Southeast Asian history.
Hari Merdeka marks our political independence. But Hari Malaysia is about something deeper—it is about the choice to unite across land, culture, and sea.
At the heart of Merdeka was a miracle of trust.
The Malays opened their arms and offered a place in what was then Tanah Melayu. The Chinese and Indians, many of whom were still closely tied to their ancestral lands, gave up foreign citizenship to plant roots in a new home.
This was not merely a political agreement—it was a profound act of faith, cooperation, and shared destiny.
Hari Malaysia reminds us that with Sabah and Sarawak, our national soul is complete. From the longhouses of the Bornean interior to the high-rises of urban Kuala Lumpur, from fishing villages to bustling ports, each region contributes its own wisdom, resilience, and beauty to the national fabric.
As a multiracial and multireligious society, we carry within us a rare and powerful potential.
In a world often divided by difference, we have lived experience in embracing it. While homogenous societies may struggle to adapt to pluralism, we are born into it. We pray in different languages, eat at each other’s tables, and celebrate side by side.
This is not a weakness to be managed. It is a strength to be harnessed.
Across our diverse traditions, we find the same call to unity and shared strength.
Hinduism reminds us through the Bhagavad Gita that the same essence pervades the entire universe, binding all beings in one reality. Buddhism, in the Metta Sutta, calls on us to extend a mother’s boundless love to every living being, cultivating compassion as the root of harmony.
Taoism, in the wisdom of Zhuangzi, affirms that Heaven, Earth, and humanity form an inseparable whole, teaching us that we are never apart from the greater oneness of existence. Christianity, in the Psalms, proclaims the joy and beauty of people living together in unity. And Islam, in the Qur’an, reminds us that all humanity is but one community under God.
As the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee sang in Getaran Jiwa, “Andai dipisah lagu dan irama, lemah tiada berjiwa, hampa.” If melody and rhythm are separated, the soul is lost.
We too are like lagu and irama—distinct yet inseparable. Each culture, faith, and community adds its own rhythm to the Malaysian song, and only together do we become whole.
Peace,
anas zubedy
Penang
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