IT'S a chilly, nippy morning here in Kilburn Park, London. Having just completed my subuh prayers at 4am, I'm sitting on my prayer mat in the semi darkness of my bedroom as I thank Allah SWT for enabling me to still be able to recall memories of past Hari Merdeka so vividly, despite my ripe age of 74.
The thought of travelling back in time, reliving all those distant memories succeeded in thwarting the temptation to slide back under my duvet and resume my much-needed slumber.
It must have been the hours spent on my handphone poring over the deluge of Merdeka Day greetings received from friends and families — both from Malaysia and here in England — earlier in the day that's keeping my eyes from shutting.
Slowly, but surely, my mind began a leisurely wander down to Batu Laut, Selangor. Located in Kuala Langat district, it had little to boast back then except for its pristine, unspoilt, loose-sand beaches.
A small, non-descript sleepy coastal village straddling Morib and Tanjong Sepat, my late father was stationed there as a guru pelawat (group visiting teacher), in charge of the schools in Kuala Langat and Sepang districts.
But it was the event which took place on the morning of Feb 19, 1956, which has etched itself into the recesses of my memories and to this day, occupies a place close to my heart. More so every time our country's Merdeka Day is commemorated.
A DRIVE TO REMEMBER
I was only 9 years old and couldn't have fully comprehended or shared the same level of excitement about the occasion as my late father. But, it was the first time that the word Merdeka had been seriously introduced into my thought process.
The night before, my younger brother, Kamel Ariffin, and I were told to go to bed early. "We're travelling to Melaka tomorrow morning so everyone must get up early," uttered my late father, his voice kind but firm. But there was no denying the excitement that laced his tone.
It wasn't surprising. Together with his friends during his student days at Sultan Idris Training College in Tanjung Malim, Perak — the hotbed of Malay nationalism — my late father was somewhat of a firebrand in the struggle for the country's independence. I could appreciate where his excitement came from.
Early the next morning, while still half asleep, my brother and I found ourselves seated in our father's banana-green MG saloon, with him calmly at the wheel.
I recall it being a very lonely drive for there were very few cars in the early hours of the day. Leaving behind Tanjong Sepat, Bagan Lalang, Sungai Pelek and old Sepang town, we eventually crossed into the Negri Sembilan border, which took us to Port Dickson via Tanah Merah and Lukut.
Driving through the coastal road via Pengkalan Kempas, we soon arrived at the small border town of Lubok China in Melaka's Alor Gajah district. It was from there that the traffic started to build up. I knew that all the cars and every known means of transport on the road that moment were making a beeline for Bandar Hilir in Melaka.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
Fully awake by now, my brother and I eagerly sat up to soak up the picturesque view outside the car window, marvelling at the throng of people noisily jostling forward as they made their slow procession towards the common green in Bandar Hilir.
After what seemed like forever, we finally arrived at the venue where the event was to take place. Before realising it, we were sucked into the electrifying atmosphere created by the sea of humans, which was estimated to be around 100,000 people.
Thunderous shouts of Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka! reverberated in the air, as my brother, my father and I squeezed ourselves in between the excited crowd and joined them in the euphoric cries.
Craning our necks, we could see members of the successful Merdeka delegation headed by the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj and other dignitaries seated on the specially-built dais.
I remember that it was also during this momentous occasion that Tunku Abdul Rahman made the announcement of when the date of Malaya's independence would be. His words were met with raucous shouts of Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka! from the exultant crowd.
The following year, sometime in early 1957, my family moved to Kajang, Selangor, where I ended up spending most of my growing up years. Having been a part of that historic day in Bandar Hilir just the year before, my brother and I got the opportunity to witness history in the making again.
Bundled in the car by our late father, my younger brother and I made the early morning journey — this time from our home in Kajang, traversing the old Cheras road headed for the newly built Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. I remember joyous scenes along the way; of people waving flags and happy smiles on their faces.
Tunku's historic proclamation of Malaya's independence continues to ring in my ears to this day. And what a glorious day it was. One that I'll never forget for as long as I live.