TUMPAT: The Siamese community of Kampung Jubakar Darat, like all Malaysians, are raring to usher in the National Day celebrations this Friday.
The community here, from the younger generation to the elderly, have been tirelessly making the necessary preparations to celebrate the big day.
One of them is former carpenter Assy Chou Niak, 84, who is raring to celebrate National Day.
“Celebrating the National Day is very meaningful occasion to me.
“Being a Malaysian, we should be happy and grateful that our country remains peaceful and in harmomy,”he said when met at the village.
Another villager, E Chin s/o Keniau, 43, said he and his family would normally decorate their restaurant with the Jalur Gemilang to show their patriotic spirit.
“Every year, we will never miss an opportunity to decorate our humble restaurant with the Malaysian flags. We want to show that while the Malaysian Siamese community is a minority, we are just as patriotic as the others in celebrating the National Day.
“Apart from decorating our shop, we are also joining the National Day programmes organised by the local authority,” he said.
During the interview, E Chin was accompanied by several friends who came to his shop to help decorate the restaurant.
Kampung Jubakar Darat is home to more than 1,000 members of the Malaysian - Siamese community. They community also has a sizeable presence in other villages such as Kampung Simpangan and Kampung Bendang Pak Yong.