“Greetings friends and thank you for coming. What a nice place.. this is. We didn’t plan for this.”
“They wanted to disrupt our plans, but God have a better plan for us.”
Epic round of applause.
That was how Damanhuri Abas started his speech at the SDP’s Campaign Kick-Off 2019 where he spoke on National and Malay issues. Close to 2 years ago if you remember, the man responded to an accusation that he uses religion to incite some ‘untoward things’. Yet today, this opposition politician who is driven by religion is standing on that stage.
You can watch more here.
At the end of his speech, Damanhuri recited a Malay pantun that he wrote sometime after joining politics.
tanah liat, asal usul ku
jasad dicorak, Tuhan yg satu
siapa gerangan, anak melayu
khazanah silam, sejarah lalu
pulau ujong, dikenal dahulu
bumi temasek, pantai membiru
kota singa, nama negeri ku
sergam indah, jasa ayah ku
tempat melabuh, pedagang lalu
gagah berani, laksmana melayu
armada cheng ho, pernah berlalu
duduk penjajah, haram bersatu
kini merdeka, warga negara ku
suratan takdir, kita disatu
bangsa cina, india melayu
minda penjajah, jadi seteru
pelbagai kaum, berkah yg satu
kibar bendera, bangga selalu
merah putih, lambang jiwa ku
kita rakyat, engkau dan aku
maruah dibela, bukti cinta ku
sumpah setia, ikrar sepadu
berbeza acuan, tetap bersatu
langit ku junjung, bumi pertiwi ku
[English translation]:
From clay, I’m made,
shaped, by the One
who is he, the Malay lad
untold heritage, history’s past
Tales of old, isle at the end
Temasek’s soil, with azure sea
lion city, my country’s name
awe and majestic, with my father’s hardwork
A port of call, to traders’ past
courageously brave, the Malay warrior
Cheng Ho’s armada, sailed nearby
colonials came, begins the divide
Free again, my countrymen
destiny’s fate, gathers us
we are Chinese, Indian and Malay
colonial’s divide, we detest and fight
Our racial mix, blessed by One
forever proud, flags raised high
red and white, embodies my soul
we are citizens, you and I
Honour protected, for you my love
loyalty promised, unity pledged
our molds differ, remains united
the sky above I raise, on this land of mine
