KUANTAN: The Gabungan Persatuan-Persatuan Tiongha Kuantan (GPPTK) Old Folks Home here turned into a festive site with decorations of Jalur Gemilang filling the compound and the national anthem filling the air.
In the main hall, its 26 inmates, highly spirited and with great enthusiasm, got together to sing patriotic songs such as “Aku Negaraku”, “1 Malaysia” and “’Jalur Gemilang”, with some of them holding pieces of paper containing the lyrics of the songs.
For some of the inmates, it was their first time participating in a celebration to commemorate the country’s National Day, which falls on Aug 31.
The inmates at the GPPTK Old Folks Home are between 60 and 93 years old.
Indera Mahkota MCA Youth chief Quek Tai Seong said the celebration was held in conjunction with Merdeka Month and the movement took the initiative to celebrate the occasion at the Old Folks Home in conjunction with the country celebrating the 60th anniversary of independence.
He said ‘60’ was good number for the Chinese community.
“The 60th anniversary celebration, or ‘Liu Shi’ is very significant for the Chinese...so we thought why not this time we share the celebration with the senior citizens, to also appreciate them.
“They are also very happy because they did not expect to get visits from any quarters, especially at this time (of the year). Usually, we come during Chinese New Year and also on several other Chinese festivals,” he told reporters here, today.
Also present were Indera Mahkota UMNO division chief Datuk Mustaffa Kamal Abdul Hamid, Indera Mahkota MCA division chief Datuk Jack Haw, and other Barisan Nasional leaders from the division.
Quek said they were also keen on making the event at the old folks home an annual do.
“They are old people, some are wheelchair-bound, so it’s hard for them to go out and celebrate National Day. Although the celebration here is on a small scale, we are able to make them happy and get them to also celebrate the occasion,” he added.
Quek said the Indera Mahkota MCA Youth would also distribute about 1,000 Jalur Gemilang to the public in Indera Mahkota, including schools and motorist, to enliven the mood ahead of Merdeka Day. - Bernama