Malaysian community celebrates National Day

The Malaysian embassy, in co-operation with the Malaysian community in Al Khor, observed the National Day and Hari Malaysia Celebration on Thursday.The Malaysia community, according to an official statement from the embassy, gathered at the event that featured the diversity of the Malaysian people while highlighting various ethnicities and backgrounds.Dressed in traditional attire, Malaysians upheld the spirit of patriotism. At the beginning of the event they sang their national anthem and recited the Rukun Negara, which is the national principle of Malaysia.Al Khor was chosen as the location of the celebration as many Malaysians reside in the area, the statement said. As of July 2023, there are approximately 5,206 Malaysians residing in Qatar."Malaysia is a melting pot of a diverse range of cultures, religion and languages. The uniqueness, richness and diversity has become the cornerstone for the success of the country. These features were showcased through the cultural activities performed by children at the event. The cultural performances were also part of efforts to instill the Malaysian cultural identity among the younger Malaysian residents,” the statement said.In addition, Malaysian children recited pantun on inculcating affection, love and patriotism towards Malaysia. Pantun is a form of Malay verse used to express intricate ideas and emotions. It’s the most widespread oral poetic form in Southeast Asia and has been used in many parts of the region for at least 500 years. Pantun has a clear a-b-a-b rhyme scheme. The four-line variety is the most common.The Tarian Perpaduanor unity dance was performed by children to showcase the Malaysian spirit of unity. The performance was inspired by dances from various races in Malaysia such as Malay, Chinese, Indian, ethnics from Sabah and Sarawak which subsequently formed a new dance routine with a Malaysian identity.Malaysians also sang their favourite Malaysian song depicting their love for the country. Another dance performance was the Tarian Bunga Rampai (Rampai Flower Dance), a folk dance.Malaysian ambassador Zamshari Shaharan expressed his appreciation to the Malaysian community which had worked together with the embassy to ensure the success of the event. He said the event is also an opportunity to celebrate the Malaysian community which had indirectly contributed to Malaysia through upholding the good image and reputation of Malaysians in Qatar.