Seventeen days of national celebrations from Aug 31 to Sept 16, including four straight days of holiday for those working, and one week school break. No wonder this year’s Hari Merdeka and Hari Malaysia celebrations were the grandest ever and hard to beat.
Malaysians came out in the tens of thousands at wee hours of the morning to claim the best spots for viewing the parade. And what a spectacular parade it was! A magnificent display of our nation’s progress at Dataran Putrajaya.
A well-deserved round of applause to the organising committee and special mention must be made of the instructors behind the excellent co-ordination of the 2000 “human graphics”. Two thumbs up to all the parade participants. They must have put in countless hours of practice, sacrificed time and sleep to ensure a spectacular parade for all to enjoy. Kudos to all of them.
The parade was truly an impressive showcase of how far Malaysia has come since it achieved independence in 1957. Whether at Dataran Putrajaya or at home viewing the live broadcast on TV, Malaysians watched the parade with pride. The thousands of uniformed men and women smartly marching in step, the dancers in their colourful ethnic costumes, the marching bands, bagpipes included, the show of military might and weaponry from the various armed forces, and the breathtaking aerial formation from the fighter jets. What a show! The corporate sector and GLCs were part of the procession as well.
Yes, Malaysia has certainly come a long way since independence.
However, one group was completely left out from the parade at Dataran Putrajaya. Perhaps it’s only seniors like me who noticed it?
Our warga emas was nowhere to be seen in the parade. Yes, they were there but only as bystanders. Oh, pardon me, I forgot there is now a new term for seniors – warga berusia or “the elderly”.
Probably more appropriate given how the golden retirement years have lost much of the glitter.
A letdown for seniors
The exclusion was a huge disappointment for me. Was there a good reason for it? The very generation that had contributed the best years of their lives, that worked hard to help build the fledgling nation from its birth. They were not acknowledged in the Independence Day Parade!
The young men and women of the 1950s and 1960s – the teachers, doctors, engineers, railroad workers, tin miners, rubber tappers, farmers, clerks, shopkeepers. They had put their shoulders to the plough to build the nation. This post-WW2 generation are now in their late 70s and 80s. Their years of contribution to nation-building should never be forgotten.
They had toiled together regardless of race and religion to build a future for their children in the newly independent country. It was a time of true harmony in diversity in the towns and villages. There was no need for slogans to remind them that they were all satu keluarga, satu negara (one family, one nation). Just ask the neneks and datuks.
So how is it that there was no visible participation of senior citizens in the Merdeka Day parade at Dataran Putrajaya?
Was it an honest omission, an oversight? Perhaps the organisers were not aware of the existence of NGOs for senior citizens, such as the National Council of Senior Citizens Organisations Malaysia (NACSCOM), Pusat Aktiviti Warga Emas (PAWE) and University of the Third Age (U3A) Malaysia, to name a few.
These groups could have participated in the parade. Perhaps the organisers felt senior citizens were too frail and weak to participate in a parade that would require long hours of rehearsal?
If the hunky men from the Fire Department units could participate riding on their fire engines, the elderly representatives from the NGOs could have done the same. No need to march or walk.
Children from primary schools were part of the procession, so were cats, dogs and horses. But senior citizens? No sign of them among the 14,000 that took part in the parade.
There were contingents from the various ministries including Defence, Communications, Housing and Sports, all proud to be part of the parade. I could be wrong but I didn’t see any representation from the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry. Yet another exclusion.
It would have been easy enough to have a decorated float carrying some OKU, senior citizens, mothers and children, all smiling their brightest, and waving to the crowds at Dataran Putrajaya.
Likewise, at the gala concert following the official launch of the five-day Pesta Budaya Malaysia by PM Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at Taman Titiwangsa. Well done to the organising team.
It was a monumental undertaking to put together a concert of this magnitude to showcase the rich cultural diversity of Malaysia. Each performance segued seamlessly to the next without a nanosecond pause or technical hitch.
The audience was treated to a scintillating smorgasbord of dance, song and fashion. There was something for everyone to enjoy and applaud. Malaysia, Truly Asia.
Youth culture was not forgotten. More than a dozen teenagers in street fashion came on stage and awed everyone with their hip hop and breakdance moves. Its not exactly Malaysian culture but probably to show that our culture is age-inclusive. Is it, really?
Where were our veteran singers, dancers and musicians? Their heydays may be gone, but they can still perform and entertain. Veteran singers like Datuk Khadijah Ibrahim, Datuk Sheila Majid, Datuk DJ Dave, Datuk Zainal Abidin should have been invited.
It is unfortunate that senior citizens are often lumped into a single broad category of those aged 60 and above. And that could mean up to 100 years old. But there are huge differences between the young-old (60 to 75) and the old-old (90 and above).
It would be most helpful if policy-makers be familiar with the different needs and abilities of each senior age group. We should not view all senior citizens as ‘too old’ to be employed. The young-old in their 60s and 70s are still economically productive, still able to contribute to nation-building. Their vast experience should be tapped.
My point in mentioning these examples is this – if we exclude our seniors in major national events and continue to sideline them, we are perpetuating the negative perception of seniors as too frail, too senile to play an active role in the public sphere. No wonder ageism still exists in our society!
Such archaic views explain why seniors are not taken seriously. Their voice is often not heard, even though their numbers are growing.
Don’t write off the young-old, especially those in their 60s and 70s. They are still economically productive and with their vast working experience, they are a potential source of manpower.
Unity in diversity should include diversity in age. Any national-level celebration, whether in a parade, a TV promo, or a print ad should also feature senior citizens and not only children and young adults. Be inclusive.
We have a fast-growing ageing population that needs to be acknowledged and appreciated in ways other than in aged care.
Let’s not sideline our warga berusia. Involve them. They are part of the Malaysian family too.
Is that too much to ask?
Lily Fu is a gerontologist who advocates for seniors. She is the founder of SeniorsAloud, an online platform for seniors to connect and enjoy social activities for ageing well. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.
