One Step Forward

As we're celebrating our 50th Independence Day, I find myself rifling through the archived papers recently reprinted by the press telling us how life went on exactly fifty years ago - with the words MERDEKA emblazoned loud and proud on the front page. Thankfully in the relatively cool balcony off my bedroom - unlike the poor perspiring schoolkids slogging away with their patriotic banners, colourful fans and other whatcamacallits during the sweltering parade earlier this morning. Hope they at least managed to find some shelter and loads of Milo afterward.

And pray to God they don't get the suicidal idea of playing hooligan riding madcap across the streets at midnight in their ten-speed bikes yelling patriotic slogans while waving flags - just waiting for a runaway express bus veering dangerously in the dark to run right over them.

Yeah, we get a bit cynical working in the hospital. But I believe I'd rather they show their love for the country by staying home, working hard at whatever field they choose and receiving accolades for themselves and their country.

Rather than play at junior mat rempit with their bicycles.

Just hope the illustrious pioneers written about in the archived papers would be pleased with what we have achieved so far. Of course there are setbacks aplenty especially with increasing racial distinctions and overzealous religious conservatism but hopefully we'll be able to work things out - with or without the reluctant help of some of our more narrow-minded politicians.


Wanna take a ride back into the past?
Folks weren't so cynical back then in those halcyon days, that's for sure. Fifty years back, everyone regardless of age, race and creed greeted the exciting dawn of the new nation with much hope and fervour, the joyous culmination of several years of peaceful lobbying for independence from the colonial powers.

Though the Union Jack had come down for the last time on the Malayan Peninsula, that certainly didn't mean that we were resolutely turning our backs on everything British. Ovaltine, Magnolia and Wall's Sausages seemed to be breakfast staples for the schoolkids while the older folks waited for night-time, dressing up for dinners out with joget bands listening to reworked jazz hits by the P. Ramlee.

Scandalous movies such as the Unholy Wife ( free for blonde ladies and those able to guess the delectable statistics of the main actress ) and the iconic Dendam Pontianak played at the packed cinemas of that time. Those who chose the latter clamored for a view of the incomparable Maria Menado, the reputed most beautiful woman of her time.

Elegant ladies in skimpy kebayas and ginormous teased beehives tottered by in skyscraping heels while their beaus, dressed up to the nines in rented tuxedos and Brylcreem-slicked curls, escorted them to their waiting trishaws ( or Fiats for the well-heeled ).

Richer folks flew the then Malayan Airways across the new nation while the less well-to-do had to make do with the chugging trains - either the Southern Cross or the Golden Arrow. If not there were always ships travelling from our ports to exotic cities such as Rangoon, Tientsin and Yokohama.

Folks weren't too worried about racial politics yet. Far too new a nation and certainly much too naive a people back then. After all, they had much more pressing problems to think about such as tropical diseases, tiger attacks and the ever-encroaching Red presence. Despite the size of the nation, there still seemed to be some communality as weddings, appointments and even relatively minor bicycle thefts were reported.

Life was simpler back then. Is it any wonder with the increasing complexities of life these days that we all look back with bittersweet nostalgia?