In Celebration of Malaysia’s 66th Merdeka Day
Birthdays are celebrated differently by people everywhere.
But whether you celebrate with a party or an impending existential crisis, the one thing that stays consistent is a birthday cake.
This is no exception for our Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), as they celebrated Malaysia’s 66th Merdeka Day with their Malaysian counterparts.
Maybe this was the cause of the crazy jams through the causeway yesterday?
Keeping Up With Their Annual Tradition
Images of both teams across the causeway were uploaded in a post on ICA’s Facebook page on 31 August 2023.
ICA congratulated their Malaysian counterparts at the Land Checkpoints on celebrating Malaysia’s 66th Merdeka Day.
Members of both countries’ checkpoints were all smiles as ICA presented the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) and Bangunan Sultan Iskandar officers with cakes.
Also photographed was a rectangular cake with Malaysia’s flag, iconic Malaysian landmarks and elegant blue frosting piped along its rim.
These cakes were actually from much beloved local brand, Polar Puffs & Cakes, as they commented below the post:
A Celebratory Exchange
But, of course, this is not a one-sided relationship—unlike my past crushes. *cries in past trauma*
On 9 August 2023, UKK BSI’s Facebook post showed Sultan Iskandar Building’s Deputy Chief of Immigration, Mrs Vimala, handing a cake to Deputy Commander Woodlands Tong Weijie at the Woodlands checkpoint for Singapore’s 58th National Day celebration.
Much like the cake given to the Malaysians, this one had Singapore’s flag, our iconic landmarks, red frosting and gold stars all around to add a little pizazz.
Public Response To These Posts
While you might expect some people to make snarky comments about having your cake and eating it too (like us… oops…), especially with the recent spade of long wait times at the JB checkpoint, most commenters wholesomely congratulated and thanked the immigration authorities.
Many sent their warm greetings and wished the Malaysian teams a happy Merdeka Day.
In case you’re not aware, Merdeka Day is Malaysia’s Independence Day, commemorating independence from the British Empire.
“Merdeka” in Bahasa Melayu means “independent” or “free”, and Malaysia has celebrated this “independence” from the British every 31 August since 1957.
This is not to be confused with Malaysia Day (16 September), which commemorates the formation of Malaysia in 1963, when North Borneo, Sarawak, Singapore and Malaya federated to form Malaysia.
Regardless of the day, it is really wholesome to see our immigration teams appreciating each other with this annual tradition.
I too, wish I could get a polar cake every time I passed the JB immigration—but one can only hope, I suppose.