I was born in the year of Merdeka, 1958, when Malaysia became a free nation. That dates me, I suppose. Obviously, I don’t remember anything of the celebrations, but I’ve seen the grainy footage of Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first prime minister, crying “Merdeka!” at Dataran Merdeka (Freedom Square) in Kuala Lumpur. It’s not been smooth sailing for any of us since, but we’ve muddled along, and here we are today.
We’re still free and independent, we’v
is a Malaysian journalist with an interest in history, archaeology, arts and culture. She is based in Kuala Lumpur.
