By David Dass

Copyright malaysiakini

COMMENT | For many Malaysians, Sept 16 arrived not with a bang, but with the quiet sigh of a welcome day off. It felt like any other public holiday. There was a certain happiness, of course, that comes from memories of the past. But as the flags flutter, a more complex and ambivalent feeling settled in. What, exactly, are we celebrating? We want to experience the joy of being an independent nation. We want to celebrate the happiness of being one people united under a single flag. But our feelings are mixed. The sky is downcast. The weather is uncertain. There is no question about it. That day in history was significant. This was the day in 1963 when the Federation of Malaya was joined by Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore to create a new nation: Malaysia. It was a milestone in our evolution, a moment when our country grew in size, population, and stature overnight. We became a more…