Watch These Touching Malaysia Day Videos That Bring Out The Best In All Of Us
What do you think is worth protecting in Malaysia?
Published for ALLIANZ, 18 Sep 2019, 04:02 PM
Allianz is celebrating Malaysia Day with a series of touching videos that bridge the gap between all Malaysians
It's no secret that Malaysia is made up of a diverse mix of people from different backgrounds, cultures, languages, and more. It's what makes us so special!
This Malaysia Day, Allianz brought together six outstanding Malaysians and invited them to get to know each other a little better, through a series of fun questions.
We love how the questions start conversations. And while the answers and experiences differ between each individual, there's so much that remains the same!
It just goes to show that perhaps we're not that different after all ;)
Known for always protecting Malaysians, Allianz wanted to find out what Malaysians feel is worth protecting in our country:
1. For these two Malaysians, education played a pivotal role in their lives, and they're both living proof that learning is possible for everyone at any age
Despite leaving school at 14 years old, Miri Adek overcame the obstacles in her life to become a teacher to Orang Asli children at SOLS Academy.
The secondary school-dropout is certainly an inspiration! Miri started from zero, started learning English at the age of 20, and is now a teacher for Orang Asli children who are going through the same struggles she once faced.
On the other side of the spectrum is R. Nadeswaran, an investigative journalist with a career spanning 50 years.
He positively glows when opening up about his proudest moment - graduating from university at the age of 46!
2. Meanwhile, these gentlemen are championing our rich and beautiful cultures and heritage
Raised in three different cultures, CEO of Allianz Malaysia, Zakri Khir continues to impart his deep love for his Malaysian roots to the people around him.
Growing up in a Malay-Chinese household, Zakri remembers how celebrating both Chinese New Year and Hari Raya was always equally as important. According to him, "We have a gift, and the gift is we are basically Malaysians."
Meanwhile Eddin Khoo has dedicated his life to documenting and preserving our traditional arts.
As the founder of PUSAKA, Eddin has worked closely with masters and custodians of traditional arts like the Wayang Kulit, Mak Yong, Manora, Main Puteri, and Dikir Barat.
Nowadays, it seems people are beginning to forget these arts, let's hope more Malaysians follow Eddin on his journey to protecting our unique Malaysian cultures!
Find out how growing up in different cultures helped shape the way Zakri and Eddin now feel about Malaysian heritage:
3. And of course, what is Malaysia without unity?
There's so much more to diversity than just the colour of our skin and the languages we speak.
Haymasuthan Periasamy lost his hearing at the age of three but that hasn't stopped him from pursuing his passion and representing Malaysia on the world stage. In the 2016 International Abilympics (Olympics of Abilities), Hayma won the gold medal for photography, Malaysia's best achievement in the competition!
To Hayma, one of the most important things to preserve is our mother tongue, Bahasa Malaysia, because it is part of our culture. Although we come from different backgrounds, Bahasa Malaysia is the one language that unites us and brings us together.
For retired Brig Jen Dato' Mohd Arshad, who is now the president of The National Patriots Association (Patriot), nothing is more important than helping unite Malaysians in harmony and in one voice.
The NGO was formed by military, police retirees, and civilians with a focus on a united Malaysia.
Dato' Mohd Arshad isn't ashamed to make his voice heard, especially when it comes to topics like racism. He's a firm advocate that Malaysia is for all Malaysians.
It's true what they say, united we stand, divided we fall. Hear the stories of these two national heroes this Malaysia Day:
Finally, these outstanding individuals were posed with one last tough question this Malaysia Day
What in Malaysia is worth protecting and why?
As they started to pour out their hearts...
For Dato' Mohd Arshad, after seeing what has happened in our country over the years, the one thing he feels is most worth protecting this Malaysia Day is racial harmony.
As an Orang Asli herself, Miri's greatest hope is for her indigenous culture to be protected, preserved, and passed on to the next generations.
To Eddin, what needs to be protected above all else is tradition and the sense of community memory, because once these disappear, we will cease to be a community.
For each Malaysian, they had something unique and close to their hearts that they wanted to protect. Watch the full video to hear what they had to say:
Allianz wishes you a Happy Malaysia Day! Whether it's education, unity, culture, or anything else that you treasure in Malaysia, Allianz wants to help you continue protecting and preserving it for the generations to come.
To find out more about Allianz's Malaysia Day campaign, head over to their website today.