IT was raining cats and dogs early this morning at about 4am. This must have given the organisers of the 18th Remembrance Day at the Cenotaph in Esplanade, George Town, some anxious moments as their event was due to start three and a half hours away.
Fortunately, the rain eased up. By 7am, there was just an overcast sky.
And what a pleasant surprise it was when it turned out to be a breezy and cool morning during the traditional laying of wreaths at the base of the cenotaph about two hours later.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who was the guest of honour, described the event as a solemn but meaningful ceremony.
“I appreciate, value and thank all of you for your attendance to remember and honour our fallen heroes,” said Chow in his speech to 300-odd attendees, some coming from as far as Britain and Australia.
“We have had World War I and World War II which were international military conflicts; locally we had an Insurgency known as The Malayan Emergency which lasted from 1948 to 1960.
“All these conflicts hampered our nation’s progress as well as cost losses to human life and many had to suffer.
“We are peace-loving people and I hope that there will never be another military conflict.
“In those military conflicts, our Veterans have played a prominent part, and many have lost their lives or were physically or mentally maimed.
“Civilians too were not spared from this catastrophe. Our minimum moral value should be, to be grateful and appreciate their services and thank them for the peace and freedom we all enjoy today.
“Let’s not take this freedom for granted as it was obtained by the courage, sacrifices, blood, sweat and tears of these heroes.”
Chow added that one of the state’s vision of Penang2030 was to empower people to strengthen civic participation by boosting participation of seniors in community life.
He said he believed the Persatuan Veteran Keselamatan Pulau Pinang could play an active role in helping the state achieve the vision.
Among the many distinguished people were British High Commissioner to Malaysia Charles Hay and his wife Pascale Sutherland, Nepal ambassador to Malaysia Udaya Raj Pandey and his wife Kalpana Rizal, Canada High Commissioner to Malaysia Julia G. Bentley, First Secretary of the Fiji Islands High Commission to Malaysia Jojiana Cokanasiga, New Zealand representative Colonel Helen Cooper, Deputy Commander of Integrated Area Defence System (Butterworth) Brig-Gen Thong Ven Leong, Penang Veterans’ Association president Major (Rtd) R. Sivarajan and 95-year James Jeremiah, the only remaining Veteran survivor of the World War II from the Eurasian ‘E’ Company of the Allied Forces.
There were also representatives from various organisations.
Hay, who a week ago had attended Remembrance Sunday at the National Monument in Kuala Lumpur, said this year marks the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the start of the Second World War.
“That war hit this region very hard. Here in Malaysia, you will find 7,000 headstones in 35 separate locations from that conflict,” Hay said in his speech.
“Those who lie beneath them were from the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, Nepal, Malaysia and elsewhere.
“They fought shoulder to shoulder and now lie side by side. Many of them remain unidentified and also unaccounted for. Of course, a number of civilians also lost their lives.
“Since 1919, Remembrance Day services have included a two-minute silence. One minute for the fallen and one for those who returned.
“Remembering those who have served is extremely important, so I am delighted to see many veterans here today.”
Hay also recounted that his great grandfather survived four years on the Western Front during the First World War with little physical injury, but he returned a changed man.
He said his great grandfather was prone to violent seizures and died tragically young as a result of these invisible injuries that affected his mental health.
Hay added that his own regiment, the Gordon Highlanders, suffered harshly in Malaysia.
He recalled many died defending the south of the Malayan Peninsula against the Japanese and then around 1,000 were captured on the fall of Singapore in 1942. Of those 1,000, he said 600 survived the war. The remainder died of disease, starvation and maltreatment during their three years as prisoners of war.
Major Sivarajan said not only servicemen and Veterans but also society must honour the fallen heroes.
He touched a bit on the history of the wars in his speech, saying a total of 1,345 Malayan troops and policemen lost their lives defending freedom, King and country during the Malayan Emergency when a Communist Insurgency broke out in 1948 and lasted till 1960.
He said the Britain, together with Australia, New Zealand, Southern Rhodesia, Fiji and the Nepalese Gurkhas came to Malaya’s assistance and they lost 519 troops.
“The tombstones of some of the fallen heroes in our country are concrete evidence of their sacrifices for a better world of freedom for us,” Major Sivarajan said in his speech.
“This freedom is what gives us an equal opportunity in life and the pursuit of happiness. It gives us the right to think, believe, speak and worship and generally act as desired as long as it is not against the Law of the Land.
“This freedom will not be there if we had lost the war as we will be subject to the will of the victor. It acts as a reminder, Lest We Forget, and hope their sacrifices are not interred with their bones.”
It was also a touching moment when Jeremiah, 95, joined the dignitaries to lay a wreath.
“I am now 95 and I don’t know whether I able to come again next year. I have lived through the Japanese Occupation and the Indonesian Confrontation. Those who went through them will value freedom more,” Jeremiah, who does not drink, smoke or gamble, said after the ceremony.
“Young people today are very lucky. They have their own heroes, they hero worship celebrities nowadays. We have different heroes in our own era.”
The ceremony started with the sentinels from 19th Squadron of Royal Australian Air Force, Butterworth, taking their place at the cenotaph before the ‘Negara Ku’ and the state anthem, ‘Untuk Negeri Kita’ were played.
The organisers then played the song, ‘Fallen Heroes’, sung by Michael Kidd, a Penang Veterans’ Association member. The bugler then sounded ‘The Last Post’, followed two minutes of silence and the Rouse.
To make it even more memorable was the dedication of songs to the fallen heroes by Sri Dasmesh Pipe Band. The all-Sikh band from Kuala Lumpur, which won the World Pipe Band competition in Scotland last August, played ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Flower of Scotland’.
After the laying of wreaths by Chow, dignitaries, organisations and individuals, the attendees were treated to a nice breakfast beside the beautiful promenade.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Alvie Cheng
Video by Adleena Rahayu Ahmad Radzi