Merdeka Day bash at Bukit Jalil Stadium a set-back for nation-building by 55 years when Malaysian public excluded from the 100,000-seat capacity stadium which is reserved for “BN invites” only


Last night, in response to the Malaysiakini report “Bukit Jalil Merdeka Day bash for invites only”, I penned five tweets, viz:

  1. Scandalous! Outrageous! What Merdeka D bash is this? http://goo.gl/H1IpV Bukit Jalil Merdeka Day bash is invite only- Sara Ghazie(Mkini)

  2. “Got like that one meh?” exclamation will be heard throughout country when Malaysians read “Bukit Jalil Merdeka Day bash is invite only”

  3. No better proof of BN hijacking Merdeka Day celebrations – 1st BN election slogan of “Janji Ditepati” n now 100k Stadium largely BN invites

  4. With MerdekaDay bash BtJalil Stadium hijacked by BN pumped up by rent-MerdekaDay-crowds, all pretence of 1Malaysia inclusive thrown 2winds

  5. What irony 4Najib’s 1Msia signature slogan! “Bukit Jalil Merdeka Day bash is invite only” has set back nation-building in Msia by 55 years!


This morning, the Minister for Information, Communications and Culture, Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim “clarified” that the official Merdeka Day celebration at Bukit Jallil Stadium on Friday is opened to the public, saying:

“The allegation made by certain people that the Merdeka 55 gathering at Bukit Jalil will be only for invitees is not true.

“It is deplorable for certain opposition leader to try to foil what is to be the rakyat’s right to commemorate nation’s 55th birthday.”

Rais need not be so coy as he could name me as the one who had responded to the Malaysiakini report on the Malaysian twitterverse.

If I am wrong or mistaken, I am prepared to retract and apologise as I have no intention to spoil, foil or sabotage the Merdeka Day bash planned by the Barisan Nasional government at Bukit Jalil Stadium, although I strongly disagree with the manner in which the Barisan Nasional is hijacking the 55th Merdeka Day/49th Malaysia Day celebrations, causing even greater division and dissension among Malaysians instead of sparking a transcending sense of Malaysian one-ness rising above race, religion, region or political affiliation in keeping with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia policy on both these national celebrations.

However, as a result of Rais’ comments, I have revisited the Malaysiakini report last night as well as my five tweets to ascertain whether I have inadvertently made any mistakes or whether the Malaysiakini report had erred. But I have found neither.

There is no denial or retraction of the statement attributed to the Information, Communications and Culture Ministry secretary-general Kamaruddin Siaraf that members of the public could only witness the 55th Merdeka Day “bash” from four screens outside the Bukit Jalil stadium.

This has been further confirmed by the seating arrangement released by Kamaruddin yesterday where only VIPs, BN component party members, civil servants, schoolchildren and other specially-picked groups – including two minor BN-friendly political parties, Indian Progressive Front (IPF) and Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress (Kimma) – have been allocated seats in the 100,000-seat capacity stadium.

The Malaysiakini report last night stated that Kamaruddin, when asked why opposition parties were not included in the seating plan, said that “opposition party members could join the rest of the crowd outside the stadium”.

He said dismissively: “They can come on the ‘tiket rakyat (people’s ticket)’ No problem.”

After reviewing the Malaysiakini reports last night and Rais’ comments today, I stand by my five tweets last night that the Merdeka Day bash at Bukit Jalil Stadium is scandalous, outrageous and a set-back for nation-building by 55 years when Malaysian public are excluded from the 100,000-seat capacity stadium which is reserved for “BN invites” only.

Clearly the Najib administration has never heard or understood the statement “The People Are the Boss” in a parliamentary democracy.

How much would the Merdeka Day bash at Bukit Jalil Stadium cost? Would Barisan Nasional pay for the bash from the BN coffers?

As the Malaysian taxpayers will have to pay for the Merdeka Day bash at Bukit Jalil Stadium, how can the Malaysian public be treated as “outsiders”, relegated to outside the stadium to watch from four screens? They might as well stay at home to watch the live telecast instead!

  1. #1 by drngsc on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - 12:15 pm

    Looks like it is only for BN, cronies and the press. Obviously stage managed.
    The emperor is now afraid of the people.

    It will be a shame to see Dataran Merdeka, closed off on 30th August night.
    How far has the country fallen?

    Have no fear, the yellow shirts will be there, to uphold a new spirit of Merdeka. They have given up Dataran Merdeka on 30th August night. Soon they will be giving up Putrajaya. Let us all meet at Dataran Merdeka on 308, before we meet at Putrajaya after GE 13.

    We must change the tenant at Putrajaya. Raya is over. First to Dataran Merdeka on 30th Aug., then to GE 13, then to Putrajaya. It is nearer then you think.

    Change we must. Change we can. Change we will.

  2. #2 by cseng on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - 12:21 pm

    If you are excluded there, come joint us in Penang, we have all flags ready for that day… ‘chong yuen’, ‘phor thor’ (holy ghost) festival!

  3. #3 by cseng on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - 12:24 pm

    We are inclusive… we include any human and ghost too la. bro… Come la! bro..

  4. #4 by monsterball on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - 12:31 pm

    Merdeka Day bash…first said “invited guests only”…knowing free for all….stadium maybe empty.
    Now got BN leaders to make sure stadium will be filled up……Rias Yatim said…open to all.

  5. #5 by sheriff singh on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - 12:46 pm

    Hey. I received two SMS ‘invitations’ on my phone from ‘KPKK’ whoever they are or represents.

    One is to ‘memeriahkan acara perbarisan dan perarakan sempena Sambutan Ulang Tahun Kemerdekaan ke55 pada 31 Ogos 2012 diDataran Merdeka jam 8.00 pagi’.

    The other is an invitation to ‘hadhir ke Himpunan Merdeka 55: Janji Ditepati Sempena Sambutan Ulang Thn Kemerdekaan ke 55 pd 31 Ogos 2012 di Stadium Nasional Bkt Jalil jam 8mlm’.

    These were received on the 25th and 26th August respectively.

    I thought Dato Seri put my name on his invitation lists but it looks like I may be among the thousands who will be given the run around.

    Maybe I might attend the parade in the morning and the gathering in the evening, maybe not. I am loyal to the country but I don’t want to be made a fool of by the ‘devils’. I can show my loyalty in other ways on that day. Thank you.

  6. #6 by sheriff singh on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - 1:04 pm

    This will be how the Najib Grinch Stole Merdeka Day from the people.

  7. #7 by sheriff singh on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - 1:30 pm

    ‘As the Malaysian taxpayers will have to pay for the Merdeka Day bash at Bukit Jalil Stadium…’.

    Parliament will be reconvening soon for the Budget session. You can all ask a lot of difficult questions then. Study every line of next year’s budget very closely and question, question, question.

  8. #8 by sheriff singh on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - 1:34 pm

    ‘Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim “clarified” that the official Merdeka Day celebration at Bukit Jallil Stadium on Friday is opened to the public….’.

    Right on cue and as expected, the predictable Minister Rais changed his mood and mode and tune once again. Flip Flop Flip Flop. Flip Flop.

  9. #9 by dagen wanna "ABU" on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - 1:37 pm

    Oh WTF, lets party anyway. Our own party!

  10. #10 by yhsiew on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - 1:39 pm

    BN is an elites club which has lost touch with ordinary Malaysians on the street. They only come to you when they want your vote.

  11. #11 by monsterball on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - 4:16 pm

    The Devil is quite like a rat……realizing the Angel is watching.
    The Devil’s son practicing to perform his Merdeka Day bash.
    Another Angel is watching up from above…disgusted.

  12. #12 by Winston on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - 4:17 pm

    So, Merdeka celebrations are by invitation only.
    Then the electorate of Malaysia will only give their votes to those who are invited by the voters.
    Show the devils to the door.

  13. #13 by monsterball on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - 4:17 pm

    is QUIET not quite…terrible english.

  14. #14 by monsterball on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - 4:24 pm

    At last Mahathir admits he is a Devil
    Angels Vs Demons….Dan Brown has exposed.
    Perhaps Mamak watched the movie again…and subconsciously realized he is a Devil.
    Usually a person can see who he is…when time is ticking off..towards the river of no return.

  15. #15 by son of perpaduan on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - 5:02 pm

    All Malaysian will celebrate Merdeka by heart only without joining the BN scum.

  16. #16 by boh-liao on Wednesday, 29 August 2012 - 1:17 am

    If it were true, not surprising mah, just like UmnoB n cronies always got INVITED 2 tender 4 dis or dat lor, JANJI DITEPATI mah

You must be logged in to post a comment.