A Good Merdeka story

KOTA KINABALU: Clad in a specially designed Jalur Gemilang dress, Amy Amanda Francis Boniface was obviously in the mood for celebration.

“This dress was designed by a friend’s mother … I like it, it has a story of its own,” said the 11-year-old St Francis Convent Primary School pupil yesterday, as she and three of her schoolmates proudly showed off the attires that made heads turn.

Amy was among thousands of people who came to show their patriotism during the Independence Day celebration at the Kinabalu Sports Complex in Likas yesterday morning.

“I woke up as early as 5am today; I did not want to be late, our school participated in the National Day parade,” she said.

Amy said that seeing Head of State Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman up close made her day.

“It is a good feeling to be able to join in the celebration; I hope it can be celebrated on a bigger scale in future,” she said, giggling.

Another 11-year-old pupil, Khairul Anwar from Sekolah Kebangsaan Chung Hwa Likas, said: “The younger generation must learn from the nation’s leaders. We have been taught about the sacrifices of our past heroes, about how they brought independence for us all.”

Khairul said he would cherish his participation at the National Day parade this year.

“This will be a good memory, at least I can tell people in future that I was at the National Day parade,” said the beaming boy.

Sabah Navy Regional Two assistant chief warfare officer, Sub-Lieutenant Ahmad Fitri Alias, who also attended the event, believed that freeing the mind and soul was a true reflection of independence.

“Failure to free our mind and soul would defeat the whole meaning of physical independence. We have freed ourselves from all clutches, so the most important thing to do now is to maintain independence so we can live peacefully,” he said philosophically.

Quirine Jipinis, 44, from Penampang, echoed Ahmad’s words, saying that the younger generation should understand and learn our history.

“We can now stand tall because our forefathers fought for our independence. We must remember the history, learn from our past mistakes to progress,” he said.

“As we reflect on the past, we must be ready to carve a new history and be part of it so that our future generation will give us the same respect as what we give to our past heroes.

“Let us all work together and make Malaysia a respected nation, which is the envy of not just our friends but also enemies. It is hoped the young will be able to bring change,” he said.

Source: The Borneo Post