PETALING JAYA – Displays of patriotism come in many forms. The most common one, especially when it comes to Merdeka, is through song.
When it's Merdeka season, Malaysians for the most part have no qualms about belting out patriotic numbers with full fervour in a crowd.
Tiktok user Darrel Noel, who is from Sabah, recently shared a video of MRT passengers singing Tanggal 31 spiritedly in the train.
He said that a group of people suddenly burst into a harmonious rendition of Tanggal 31.
"As a Sabahan who likes to sing, I joined them," he said.
The video that had garnered over 38,000 “likes” as at 8.30pm.
It showed other passengers joining in to sing the song as well.
Similarly, on Merdeka Day, a group of patrons at The Curve in Petaling Jaya got together to sing Setia, Tanah Pusaka, Tanggal 31 and Negaraku to mark Malaysia's 66th independence day.
They were accompanied by buskers Nadim Mohd Zain and Mahfuz Mohd Ariff or Apuk (formerly of Radio Star), led by conductor Cahaya Pena.
The diverse group made up of Malaysians of various ages attracted quite an impressive crowd who also joined in to sing.
The spirit of patriotism was evident even in young children as they happily sang along despite not being familiar with parts of the lyrics.
Cahaya Pena, who is a composer and lyricist by profession, said he was happy to see people coming together to show their love for Malaysia.
"We have been organising this choir since before the pandemic, but we stopped for several years when Covid-19 hit. It is good to be able to do this again.
"This group is made up of patrons at The Curve. We met here many years ago and we have grown to become friends," he said. – The Vibes, September 1, 2023
