FIVE MOMENTS THAT BROUGHT MALAYSIANS TOGETHER!

It’s that time of the year again where Malaysians around the world come together to celebrate Merdeka. But it’s not the only time when we unite; in fact, it doesn’t really take much for Malaysians to rally with one another! Here are five moments that united us as one.

#1 THE FIGHT FOR GOLD!
Whether it’s Harimau Malaya vs Singapore at the Suzuki Cup or Lee Chong Wei vs Lin Dan, one thing we can all agree on is that whenever Malaysia makes it to the world stage of sports, you can expect every Malaysian to cheer their hearts out. Remember Rio 2016 when we won the semifinals for the badminton men’s doubles?

#2 CRISPY RENDANG?! HOW DARE YOU!
On an episode of Masterchef UK season 14, contestant Zaleha Olpin cooked a Malaysian favourite, nasi lemak with chicken rendang. Everything looked yummy until judges, Gregg Wallace and John Torode, criticised the dish claiming it wasn’t crispy and Zaleha was eliminated.

Big mistake. Malaysians took to social media to roast Wallace calling him ignorant. Here’s one of our personal favourite tweets

Note to the world: Don’t mess with our food.

#3 FAIZ SUBRI WINNING THE PUSKAS AWARD
Back in 2016, Kedah-born Faiz Subri won the prestigious FIFA Puskas award, making him the first Asian to do so beating out competition like Lionel Messi AND Neymar! His physics-defying freekick was one Malaysian football fans around the world will remember. After receiving the award, the midfielder from Penang FA was ridiculed by some for his speech but Malaysians once again united to defend him! Who cares what people think when you share a stage with Cristiano Ronaldo?

#4 WHEN YUNA GOT ON THE WORLD STAGE
We were first introduced to Yuna in 2006 when she auditioned for the reality TV show One in a Million, advancing to the top 40 round before being eliminated. Since then, she’s been making strides in the music industry, putting Malaysia on the world map. She released the song ‘Crush’ in 2016 featuring Usher and has also garnered attention from Rihanna, calling her ‘topnotch’. Malaysians around the world are proud of you, Yuna!

#5 WHEN IT’S FLOOD SEASON
Malaysians are known to be kind and helpful, especially when it comes to their fellow compatriots. Although having annual floods is something Malaysians would much rather do without, the spirit of unity shines in all of us. Take this bilal in Penang for example who housed 70 non-Muslims during the floods despite criticism.

Give ourselves a pat on the back for being wonderful, Malaysians! Happy Merdeka Day!

Photo by mkjr on Unsplash