IPOH: For the past 15 years, it has been a tradition for Jaafar Othman, a former Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) technician, to decorate his house with patriotic ornaments to celebrate National Day.
This year, Jaafar, who is 61 years old and lives in Taman Kerian, Parit Buntar, is using 800 pieces of Jalur Gemilang and used materials such as tires, sponges, boxes and vehicle rims for the purpose.
“I will try to decorate every corner of my house with Jalur Gemilang and other decorative items and ornaments. This has been a tradition for me in the month of August every year.
“Even during the pandemic, I still decorated my house with the Jalur Gemilang because I felt the spirit of celebrating National Day should continue to be shown,” the father of three told Bernama.
Jaafar said random people, from near and far, usually stopped by his house to pose for pictures.
“Since early this month, I have had people from Penang and Kedah come to the house to see the decorated house and that made me very happy,” he said.
When asked about the fading spirit of patriotism among the younger generation, he said that they needed to continue to be exposed to the nation’s history to boost their love for the country.
“Many youngsters stopped by to watch me decorate the house. Some even said they were interested in the concept of the decorated house.
“The least I can do is encourage them to do the same so that one day they can replace old timers like me,” he added. – Bernama