51st Merdeka: Proud of his name despite the ribbing

(Lagi cerita pasal merdeka)

NST

PASIR MAS: Mohd Merdeka Che Soh has always had to put up with the ribbing from friends because of his unique name. It had started in primary school and continued through his secondary school years.

Mohd Merdeka, who will be as old as the nation tomorrow, said his friends would always insist on calling him "Merdeka" instead of "Mat", which was what he was popularly known as among the people in his village.

"I know from the way they called me 'Merdeka' that they were poking fun at me. After calling my name, they would smile and laugh.

"I would normally just ignore them and walk away," he said when met at his house in Kampung Jias, near Kasa here recently.
The teacher at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tendong said it got so bad, he begged his father to change his name.


Mohd Merdeka Che Soh is all for unique names

"My father, a padi farmer, kept telling me that one day I would be proud of my name. I also spoke to a teacher and he advised me to be patient," Mohd Merdeka said.

Mercifully, the jokes stopped when he entered Universiti Sains Malaysia.

"Friends did not joke about my name but they were curious to know why my parents gave me such a name. I explained the reasons to them and they understood."

The father of six said he finally realised the truth of what his father had told him when he was at the university.

"During my time at the university, I learned that the name was actually a great name and only a few people had it. Since then, I have never thought of changing it," said Mohd Merdeka.

Despite being tormented by his friends when he was younger, Mohd Merdeka is all for unique names.

"For instance, a name like Syawal will remind us of Hari Raya."

On his plans for the Merdeka celebration, he said he would be attending the state-level celebrations.

"Although I will not be celebrating Merdeka Day with the nation in Kuala Lumpur, I will be celebrating my birthday with my family and friends."