SGM’s Final Rehearsal for 55th Merdeka Presentation

My youngest 17-year old son Wai Kei is involved in Soka Gakka Malaysia (马来西亚创价学会, SGM)’s 800-performer presentation (comprising dance and gymnastic performance) in the ‘Himpunan Janji Ditepati’ (or ‘Promises Fulfilled Gathering’, '一诺千金'国庆日集会) at Bukit Jalil National Stadium on the night of this year’s 55^th Merdeka Day on Friday, August 31, 2012.  He has been training very hard during Saturdays and Sundays for the last 2 months and also for a few days this week.

My wife and I decided to go to Bukit Jalil to witness their final rehearsal there on Wednesday, August 29, 2012, without expecting to see Wai Kei in person in view of the humongous groups of participants. We didn’t know the exact commencement time of the rehearsal but we left home early (I purposely took a half day‘s leave from office) at 4.50pm and reached Bukit Jalil at about 5.30pm.

As we entered the stadium, the arena was already packed with participants from all groups/bodies but SGM members were quite distinctive from the colorful track suit uniform they were wearing.  But the audience seats were very empty.  We sat at a certain zone for a while and feeling bad about the glaring heat from the sun, we decided to move over to another zone.  Then we saw some SGM p-i-c’s (persons-in-charge wearing black shirts and pants) and proceeded to sit in the same zone with them.

SGM participants geting ready for the final rehearsal

At about 6.00pm, we left for our dinner at the nearby cafeteria outside the stadium. We took noodle and tea. At 6.30pm, we returned to the stadium and I was alerted by my wife that SGM General Director Mr Koh Sia Feai (许锡辉理事长)was sitting there.

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I promptly approached him to shake hand and offered my congratulation for his recent promotion to his present position in SGM in April this year (he was previously the SGM Vice General Director / General Secretary and editor of Chinese publications at SGM).  He told me that he came here to boost the morale of SGM participants consisting 800 performers and 200 p-i-c’s for the event.

After that, I walked down a few rows with my wife and started taking photos of the SGM participants practicing at the arena.  I was told that Wai Kei was positioned on the opposite side of the arena facing us.

A short while later, Mr Koh came and had a brief chat with me and shared his observations, including the organizer’s last minute change of arrangement that disturbed the performers (no wonder I noticed the line-up formation of the performers was not quite orderly) and that initially there were flags of various component parties of Barisan Nasional being displayed and subsequently taken down properly due to criticism).  I told him that I felt the first song I heard as I entered the stadium entitled “I’m for you” had political connotations.

SGM p-i-c's dancing along with their fellow members in the arena



A spectacular sight of SGM flags flying in the arena



Participants washing hands after eating KFC fried chicken

SGM General Director Koh Sia Feai delivering speech of encouragement to his members

Mr Koh later went down to the arena to deliver a motivational speech to the SGM participants and conveyed the message and regards from SGI President Daisaku Ikeda (国际创价学会会长池田大作) including giving a commemorative gift (i.e. a plastic folder and a bookmark) to every participant.

Plastic folder from SGI



I was so lonely in the audience seat during the rehearsal.



SGM Chief Photographer Mr Lum Heng (林兴) also came and chatted with me for a short while. He also told me the same story of numerous changes of performance arrangement by the organizer.

The actual rehearsal started at about 8.30pm.  Among other things, there were concerts by leading artistes, singing of patriotic songs, a flash mob dance performance by youth groups and Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia concept food stalls and also a Twitter gathering themed "Tweet #Merdeka55 with the Prime Minister".

The program of ‘Perhimpunan Janji Ditepati’ is reported to be as follows:

8.30 mlm : Ketibaan YAB PM dan isteri

YAB PM dan isteri di sertai YAB TPM dan isteri/YB Menteri KPKK dan isteri/Menteri-Menteri Kabinet / KSN / KPPA, Komponen Parti Politik Barisan Nasional, BBK pelbagai kaum dan Generasi Y mengelilingi stadium dalam ‘Jalan Kaki Perpaduan’ (Unity Walk) diiringi lagu Nadi Rakyat dan Janji Ditepati. (PM dan isteri, TPM dan isteri, Menteri KPKK dan isteri, Menteri-menteri Kabinet dan KSN ke pentas arena. Yang lain ke tempat duduk ).

8.45 mlm : Lagu Negaraku (diketuai oleh Zhariff b Afandi ikon Belia OKU)

8.50mlm : Ucapan YB Dato’ Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim ( Pengerusi Sambutan Hari Kemerdekaan ke-55)

9.00 mlm : Persembahan Gen-Y (Gemuruh Suara)

9.05 mlm : Ucapan YAB Datuk Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Hj. Abd. Razak, Perdana Menteri Malaysia

9.35 mlm : Tweet Up Merdeka bersama YAB Perdana Menteri

9.40 mlm : Penganugerahan sijil Pencapaian Cemerlang kepada 10 orang ikon generasi muda

9.50 mlm : PERSEMBAHAN KHAS HIMPUNAN JANJI DITEPATI (30 minit) :-

a. Persembahan Tarian Berirama IM4U &1Malaysia (flash mob) (5 min)

b. Persembahan Soka Gakkai Malaysia (5 min)

c. Persembahan Go Malaysia Go (4 min)

d. Persembahan Dikir 1Malaysia (5 min)

e. Persembahan lagu-lagu patriotik

• Nadi Rakyat (4 min)

• Janji Ditepati (4 min)

10.20mlm : Persembahan Penutup – Jalur Gemilang

                   : Persembahan bunga api

10.30 mlm : YAB PM meninggalkan majlis untuk beramah mesra dengan Gen Y diluar stadium.

10.35 mlm : Persembahan Khalayak / Cabutan Bertuah

12.30 mlm : Bersurai
(Note: I was later told that the time allocated for SGM was extended to spill over the time originally given to another group whose performance was not up to the satisfaction of the organizer and hence scrapped.) 

Of course I was most interested to watch the presentation by SGM youth members. I found the wavering of the blue-yellow-red SGM flags during the performance most astounding and attractive as no other groups or bodies did that.  The SGM flag was the only flag flown in the arena beside the national flag 'jalur gemilang' and I believe this would steal the show of the night to a certain extent.  I’m also sure the audiences would definitely be impressed and curious about the background of this tricolour flag.

It is understood that the vertical tricolour (blue/yellow/red) is called the 'Victory Flag' by Soka Gakkai and blue stands for peace, yellow for honour and red for victory.





A night scene of Bkt Jalil National Stadium

As the adage goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” The photos posted herein should speak for the preview of this final rehearsal ahead of the coming Merdeka gathering.

We stayed until about 9.45pm and left for home before the rehearsal ended.

Wai Kei (front, with hands on waist) during practice at the other night (photo taken by others)

A short video on the ending part of the SGM members' presentation taken by me using my cheap Panasonic Lumix digital camera

The actual SGM's presentation on August 31, 2012 (recorded by others)