Humble sarong unites Malaysians

KUALA LUMPUR – Thousands of Malaysians celebrated the roots of their multi-ethnic identity in style by dressing up in the most basic item that can be found in any local household – the sarong.

In the spirit of Malaysia Day, non-governmental organisation Locco used the sarong as a way to bring together Malaysians of different ages and cultural backgrounds through a flash mob titled Keretapi Sarong 2023 (KS2023) on Saturday.

Since 2012, the Keretapi Sarong event has seen thousands of participants taking public transport while wearing a sarong or batik outfit, or stickers that symbolise Malaysia’s multiracial and cultural heritage.

Participants of the flash mob began gathering at Bandar Utama MRT station in Selangor as early as 6am on Saturday before activities started at 7am.

Aside from Bandar Utama, other gathering points included train stations such as Putrajaya Sentral, Subang Jaya, Ampang, Gombak, Kajang and KL Sentral, before participants collectively headed to Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur.

This time around, aside from the sarong, participants were also seen donning the traditional attire of ethnic groups such as the Iban, Kadazan and Peranakan Chinese, also known as Baba Nonya.

The atmosphere was enlivened with iconic songs that ignite the spirit of patriotism, along with colourful decorations and traditional dance performances that had participants and bystanders tapping their feet or singing along.

The most eye-catching performance at Bandar Utama MRT station was the energetic dikir barat, a style of Malay choral singing.

While some participants were already familiar with the concept behind Keretapi Sarong, others were having their maiden dose of fun.

Ms Izzati Yunus, 28, said her morning began early as she was looking forward to ironing her sarong and baju kurung.

“I heard about Keretapi Sarong last year and I made plans with a friend to join it this year,” she said when interviewed at Bandar Utama station in Petaling Jaya.

At that station alone, at least 2,000 KS2023 participants and crew were present, said a Rapid Rail officer on duty there.

After about two hours of festivities, participants made their way to the heart of KL, where thousands more mingled, sang, danced and ate local food from the food trucks there.

According to an estimate from the organiser, more than 10,000 people turned up at Dataran Merdeka, the main location of the event.

Programme director Shamsul Bahrin Zainuzzaman told the crowd that another flash mob would be held in October.

“This time, only for the ladies. We will be doing ‘Flashmob Lenggang Kebaya’. We will announce the date later, but it is happening next month!” he said.

Aside from Klang Valley, similar events also took place simultaneously in major cities such as Johor Bahru (along Sungai Segget), Ipoh (train station) and Kuala Terengganu (Terengganu Cultural Village), as well as at London’s Battersea Power Station. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK