In the spirit of Hari Kemerdekaan, Malaysia Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) held a virtual celebration of the 64th anniversary of the country’s independence with the theme Penghayatan Kemerdekaan on 30 August 2021.

Organised by Kelab Sukan, Rekreasi dan Kebajikan MRT Corp (Kelab MRT) in collaboration with the Strategic Human Resource Division via the Zoom application, the highlight of the celebration was a sharing session by six employees on what independence meant to them. The session was moderated by MRT Corp Chief Executive Officer Datuk Mohd Zarif Hashim.

The six were Senior Inspector of Work, Underground (UG) Tunnels Putrajaya (PY) Line En Mohamad Najib Omar; Project Manager 1, Assets and Facilities Mr Arminder Singh; Assistant Manager, PY Line En Noor Aiman Samsudin; Senior Inspector of Work II, UG Tunnel PY Line Mr Bhaskaran A/L Karunagaran; Junior Engineer, Elevated, PY Line Mr Charles Lau and Senior Manager, Contract Management Pn Halijah Hamin.

Coming from different age groups, and backgrounds, they shared how they appreciated the country’s independence in their own ways. They also related their personal experiences of celebrating Merdeka.

While they each have lived within a different decade and experienced different era of multiculturalism in Malaysia, they can all relate to the fact that the independence gained by the forefathers have given each and every one of them the freedom to choose and chart their own lives.

Following the sharing session, Datuk Mohd Zarif then reminded everyone of the lessons that one can learn from history, and called upon everyone to improve ones’ self as learning is a lifelong process that would allow one to innovate and be better.

The session was followed by the announcement of winners for several Merdeka-themed competitions for MRT Corp staff and family members.

The first announcement was for the winners of the Merdeka-themed ‘Colouring Contest for Kids 2021’ organised for the children of MRT Corp staff ages 5 – 15, which was held from 10 August 2021 till 25 August 2021. Three categories were held for the different age groups.

A talent competition named “MRT Got Talent” was held for the staff members and their family members from 5 August 2021 – 27 August 2021, where contestants were required to submit a video of their talent and creativity to commemorate “Bulan Kemerdekaan”. A total of 21 video submissions were received for categories such as staff solo and group as well as open below 12 years old and open mix or group.

The MRT Biggest Loser 2.0 competition, an eight-week weight loss challenge held between 28 June 2021 till 23 August 2021 was organised for the second time, to motivate the employees towards making better lifestyle choices. The competition saw great results, with the male and female winners losing a total of 17.3% and 10.5 % of their original body weight respectively during the span of contest.

A flair of fun was added to the event with a Best-Dressed Competition, where staff members submitted a photo of themselves in their Merdeka-themed traditional costume ensemble at the start of the competition. Ten best dressed winners were selected by a panel of moderators from Kelab MRT.

The session ended with a sing along by everyone to the song “Tanggal 31” by the late Datuk Sudirman Haji Arshad.

With the spirit of Menang Bersama, MRT Corp employees will continue to strive towards contributing to the nation through the completion of the projects within time, cost and safely.