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©The Sun (Used by permission)
by Kimberley Lau

Datuk Dr Jemilah Mahmood, 48 Mercy Malaysia president

Datuk Dr Jemilah Mahmood : Merdeka means a lot to me. It signifies independence, freedom and sovereignty. Being a post-Merdeka child, I know I did not fully appreciate this or understand how valuable Merdeka is until I started to do work in disasters, especially conflict related.

Being able to see how communities, which are affected by war, have no choice, freedom and often little dignity makes me realise that what we have in Malaysia is so important, and we must do our best to preserve it.

Our country’s road to independence was not without sacrifices and being a multiracial nation, we need to respect that everyone has a role, and every man, woman and child has a right to that same independence, freedom and sovereignty which we have achieved.

Merdeka is also about peace and harmony and what we must do to ensure that the balance between development and progress does not jeopardise it.

Merdeka is about gratitude. Not just about feeling grateful but acting responsibly towards others within our nation and towards those who do not know the meaning of Merdeka around the world.

That, to me, is the ultimate expression of how we take our Merdeka seriously – by being good global citizens who are able to feel for those beyond our own race, religion, culture and nationality.

Fadzil Yunus, 61 retired civil servant

Two words describe what I really feel about Merdeka – responsibility and choices. One must learn and find out the real meaning of the word “responsibility”. And one must practise it passionately, all the time.

One must learn firstly, how to be a responsible person, in order to achieve and have a meaningful and effective life.

Being a responsible person means one must learn and make sure that one takes care of one’s self, one’s family and by extension, one’s community.

It is a task that one has to carry out, passionately, with perseverance, diligently, throughout one’s lifetime. One is also given the opportunity to make one’s own choices – as to how one wishes to live, to make a living, to make a future for one’s self.

Here is an opportunity for one to try out different ways to live, to make friends, to choose where one wants to live and how to live the life that one fancies. But in the end, one must take responsibility over the decision and the choices that one makes.

Merdeka is truly a responsibility, and a choice that all citizens must contribute to and share in. A dream perhaps, but worthwhile pursuing, in order to make Merdeka a reality.

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