Emotional Poem Recital Touches Audience At 2024 Warriors' Day Celebration

By Norhayati Mohd Akhir

PUTRAJAYA, July 31 (Bernama) -- Reciting a self-written poem, two declaimers, Sergeant Siti Nur Aini Jasni and Inspector Muhammad Faizul Mustafa, deeply conveyed each verse with profound emotion during the pantomime performance at the 2024 Warriors' Day celebration at Dataran Pahlawan Negara here today.

The poem titled "Jenalik Berdarah" recited together by the two personnel from the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), accompanied the pantomime performance of ‘Op Subuh,’ which depicts the skirmish between the national security forces and the group known as ‘Al-Maunah.’

Op Subuh carried out by the MAF and PDRM was a special operation to raid the Al-Maunah stronghold in Sauk, Perak, on July 2, 2000. The group had planned to overthrow the government at that time.

The operation, executed with exceptional skill and credibility by the security personnel, successfully defeated the leader of the Al-Maunah group and led to the surrender of all its members.

The Bukit Jenalik incident also resulted in the deaths of two security personnel involved in the operation: Detective Corporal R. Sanghadevan from the PDRM Special Branch and a commando from the MAF Special Operations Group, Trooper Mathew Medan.

Speaking with Bernama, Siti Nur Aini shared that the poem not only moved the audience emotionally but also profoundly affected her, making it difficult to hold back her tears as she recited it in front of dignitaries, including His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, and Her Majesty the Queen, Raja Zarith Sofiah.

The 39-year-old MAF personnel found it especially emotional when she reached the verse, "laungan ayah... ayah... tidak kedengaran lagi" ("the cries for father... father... are no longer heard"), as it reminded her of the young children who lost their fathers in the tragic incident 24 years ago.

"When I reached this part, I thought of the children who lost their fathers at such a young age. I also related this loss to my own experiences, which made me incredibly emotional.

“This part was definitely the most moving," said Siti Nur Aini, who previously recited a poem titled ‘Bakara’ during the pantomime ‘The Battle of Bakara Market 1993’ for Warriors' Day 2022.

Siti Nur Aini, who has served in MAF for 10 years, noted that her emotional struggle did not end there. The songs "Di Mana Kan Ku Cari Ganti" by the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee and "Kali Terakhir Ku Lihat Wajahmu" by Uji Rashid also deeply affected her and Muhammad Faizul.

“When we were reciting the poem, these two songs were played, which added to the poignancy of the pantomime. I have never been able to recite this poem without crying,” said the mother of two.

Echoing Siti Nur Aini, Muhammad Faizul, 32, noted that they both made an effort to control their emotions to ensure the poem recital went smoothly in front of the guests. The event commemorated the struggles and sacrifices of the national security forces for the country’s prosperity and sovereignty.

Despite not having attended any formal courses in poetry writing or recitation, Muhammad Faizul credited his experience with the Heritage Club at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) for helping him master the art of recitation.

“I received basic theatre training at UTHM through my involvement with the Heritage Club and participation in several state-level theatre festivals. I applied this knowledge during the poem recital after over three weeks of training,” said the PDRM personnel, who was selected as a poem declaimer for the first time at Warriors' Day 2024.

Regarding the creation of "Jenalik Berdarah," Siti Nur Aini and Muhammad Faizul explained that the process took several weeks as they gathered information about the incident to ensure the poem accurately reflected the event.

Warriors' Day, celebrated annually on July 31, honours the struggles and sacrifices of the national security forces, has been organised by the MAF and PDRM since 1968.

The ceremony has been held at Dataran Pahlawan since 2010; prior to that, it took place at the National Monument in Kuala Lumpur.

-- BERNAMA