Melaka’s Eight Lunar Month deliver a message

Lanterns are being carried from Japerun Banda Hilir onto to an inner road which is alongside a museum before emerging on the busy Jalan Merdeka.

Chinese, Indian, Malay, Portuguese and those I can’t identify, is carrying the lanterns now at Japerun Banda Hilir and they are ready to make the first Mid-Autumn Festival Walk within the State Legislative Assembly Constituency of Banda Hilir.

Days before now, the evening of twenty-five lunar day of the eight lunar month, or 23 Sep 2019, a great number of men and women, old and young, Chinese, Indian, Malay or Portuguese have been crafting impressive lanterns expressive of their communities.

These men and women are members of the Communities Management Councils or in the Malay language, Majlis Pengurusan Komuniti Kampung ( #MPKK ) 

Friendly, kind, helpful, lovely and warm members of the MBMB, Majlis Bandaraya Melaka Bersejarah, members of the SWCorp and members of the public joined this walk not just to preserve heritage, which is Melaka’s main intangible assets but also to rekindle common harmonious hope, a new hope (harapan baru) enabled by a 2-years old government.

Though I am among them now walking on the streets within DUN Banda Hilir or the Banda Hilir Constituency, my imagination has roamed from EcoTree Hotel Sky Deck 360 Lounge to Double Tree’s Infinity Pool including the oval Skydeck of Hatten City.

Why? Is it childish to say that I love their lanterns!

Beauty exists everywhere. Beauty at sea-level and above sea-level has a different feel and thus watching brightly lit lanterns now is a notable part of thanksgiving during Mid-Autumn.

#MelakaBerwibawa and #IniRumahKita hold water, as you can watch Malaysian parading lanterns for a Chinese heritage now, for one example, and Malaysian feasting without chopstick, without fork and spoon, eating Berdulang during Ramadhan, for a second example.

Such examples mentioned, are only two of the countless examples, and The Lantern Walk now, is another example YB Datuk Tey Kok Kiew is now dedicating to his constituents after 1 year, 4 months and 14 days, since GE 14 (Malaysians voted for a new Pakatan Government on 9 May 2018)

YB Datuk Tey Kok Kiew hold the Melaka State Exco for Local Government, Housing and Environment and is the constituency representative for Banda Hilir.

They have deliver a message with lanterns; some may ask, “ What message ” 

Well, summarizing their dedications, sharp and short, they are encoring harmony in heritage, valued added with:

• always thoughtful of the less fortunate. They are continuously active in taking affordable actions for the less fortunate.

Anak Cina bermain tanglung,

Tanglung berarak keliling kampung,

Hidup Kita tak harus sombong,

Agar semua bangsa dapat begabung.

Anak Cina bermain tanglung,

Tanglung berarak keliling kampung,

Hidup kita jangan lah sombong,

Hulurkan tangan tolong menolong.

My job is to transport readers to fabulous and fascinating Melaka and take them back to medieval times, from bustling sites over to deserted sites or even into the secrets of Melaka.

With a task like that, tired and overused words like “pretty” and “fun” just won’t cut it. Here, readers can find the right words to conjure up a three-dimensional scene of places in Melaka and start travelling.