What does it mean to be Malaysian?
2017 marks our nation's 60th year of independence and while, we might be a fairly young country compared to others, it is, nonetheless, a great milestone for us Malaysians.
And to add to that, this year as the host of SEA Games 2017, we also rise to the top and achieve record achievements for Malaysia.
That leads us to this question, "What it means to be Malaysian?" and "What makes you proud to be Malaysian?". Instead of giving you our answers (which might not be as inspiring), we went on to ask six outstanding ladies of Malaysia to answer it for us.
And here's what they have to say:
Being a Malaysian means I grow up enjoying the best ethnic diversity has to offer, and through it, we embrace each other's cultures and we learn much about empathy acceptance.
On another note, I always thought that we Malaysians have sharpened taste buds. I guess being trained to try various cuisines that are vastly different from one another somewhat opens up our palate.
We truly are enjoying the best of many worlds here.
The beautiful thing about our country is that we are a melting pot of cultures and whatever comes our way, we are still able to live in harmony.
Just being to be able to speak Bahasa Malaysia makes me very proud to be a Malaysian.
And also the fact that I am a Merdeka Baby and I guess that makes me a little more nationalistic and patriotic about the country!
Being a Malaysian to me is being mixed race in a multiracial country that is united as one.
I am proud to be able to celebrate the different cultures of our ethnicities.
Being Malaysian means I come from a country that has so much to offer and so much more room to grow.
We're like a tree that hasn't fully blossomed to its full potential and that makes me excited and proud to see it grow.
Being Malaysian to me means living in harmony by acknowledging and accepting the differences we have as a multiracial nation and at times, have a good laugh at it.
And I think as Malaysians, we are very proud to be multilingual and are able to speak at least two different languages, not to mention the various dialects in each.
I love our shared values, our shared cultures and how we stand united to love one another despite our many differences.
Being Malaysian is like having Teh Tarik, Iced Barley and Sirap Bandung that are so different, yet they all blend perfectly in a Mamak.
Happy 60th Merdeka Day and let us stand proudly today as Malaysians!
