Nostalgic Moments - At The National Monument of Malaysia

National Monument of Malaysia (own photo 1968)

For today’s photo, I’ve picked one taken in 1968, when I was about 5 years old.

We’re standing in front of Malaysia’s National Monument, one of my favourite landmarks in the city.

I can’t remember why we were there; we may have been showing friends from overseas the sights, and I don’t know who took the photo.

Obviously, the focal point of the photograph was the monument; for what it’s worth, that’s me on the left, standing in front of my mum, then my 2nd sister, family friend with my 3rd sister, and another family friend.

All through my years there, I never tired of seeing the monument.

The monument site overlooks Kuala Lumpur’s popular recreational park, the Lake Gardens, so the monument can be seen from the gardens, which I always liked.

There was one thing I always found hard work though – in the photo, where we’re standing is all white (can’t remember what it’s made of), so when the sun’s shining, as is the case most days, it can be blinding.

Back to the monument…

Standing at about 49 feet high, the bronze statue was the brainchild of Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman; he’d been inspired by the Iwo Jima Memorial at Arlington when he’d visited America in 1960.

He then met with the sculptor of that memorial, Felix de Weldon, who agreed to design Malaysia’s monument.

Officially opened on the 8th of February 1966, the National Monument commemorates the thousands – civilians and soldiers – who died defending the country against the Japanese occupation during the Second World War, and during the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960) against the communists.

Felix de Weldon was conferred with the title ‘Tan Sri’, which is the Malaysian equivalent of a knighthood.

The sculpture depicts 5 soldiers with 2 defeated communists dead at their feet.

The granite base is decorated with the Malaysian Coat of Arms and the dedication in English and Jawi script (local Arabic script) reads:

‘Dedicated to the heroic fighters in the cause of peace and freedom.
May the blessing of Allah be upon them.’

On the 27th of August 1975, the monument was severely damaged following an explosion set off by communist guerrillas.

It was restored to its original condition, and the renovated statues unveiled on the 11th of May 1977.

After the attack, the complex was declared a protected area between sunset and dawn.

And each day at dawn, a soldier raises the national flag and lowers it at dusk.

As a child, looking up at the larger-than-life soldiers, I always felt wonder and heartfelt inspiration but there was also some elusive thing mixed in with those feelings, which, at the time, I didn’t know how to describe.

But, as an adult, I know what that ‘elusive thing’ is – poignancy for those who’d lost their lives fighting for our freedom.

I’ll end with a clearer photograph of the monument…

National Monument of Malaysia - Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas / CC-BY-SA-3.0