SHAH ALAM - After a two-year hiatus, the presence of over 100,000 Malaysians at Dataran Merdeka for the National Day celebration this year proved the people's thirst for excitement.
A sea of people filled the iconic landmark as they started gathering as early as 3am to celebrate the 65th National Day, some even staying at nearby hotels to not miss out on the event.
Many were willing to brave the crowds at LRT stations and there were some who had even climbed over the walls to get a better view of the parade.
The aura of the parade which was a yearly event, was different this year. The joyfulness of the event could also be felt through the television screen at home while watching it with family members as early as 9am.
That was the spirit shown by Malaysians throughout the celebration.
However, the cheerfulness during the celebration of the independence day still had some issues.
It is the issue of cleanliness which has always been the main topic every time a large scale event was held and this included the celebration of the National Day.
Piles of trash were left without any sense of guilt. The amount of trash which was gathered at the end of the celebration could not be determined.
Not only that, the plants used for decorations also became a victim of people's excitement.
The lansdcape plants were being stumped on by the people.
It was a shame that the plants which have been taken care of by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) for almost two years were ruined in less than 24 hours.
This meant that we have yet to achieve independence spiritually and physically although we passionately shout "merdeka" (independence) many times.