Hikers clean up Gasing Hill in spirit of Merdeka unity

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 28 -- In the spirit of Merdeka, a group of over 150 hikers from diverse backgrounds, race, religion and age, gathered recently with 'one objective' to cleanup the Gasing Hill in Petaling Jaya.

Organised for the fifth time by the Happy Hikers, the event was not only aimed at cleaning up the forest floor of the rubbish but also bringing people together, in the spirit of unity among Malaysians, to celebrate the upcoming 62nd National Day on Aug 31.

“The mission is more than just a cleanup effort but also a community service journey that embark on opportunities for citizens of all races and creed to work together towards a common vision. We hope through this cleanup activity, it will not only bring the people closer but spreading the spirit of unity,” said its founder Ganesan Pillay.

Pillay said as everyone aware that nature is the environment that is around us including trees, plants, rivers and oceans, the same goes with the people in the community regardless of race, each and everyone’s roles and contributions are crucial to build Malaysia.

“There is a need to show that working together towards one common goal, whether in safeguarding the nature or preserve the unity, to drive Malaysia forward,” he said.

The event was success with total of 1,000 kilogrammes of rubbish collected, and Ganesan said this indirectly reflected the people’s poor attitude towards environment and nature conservation, adding that such event was good to raise awareness to peace and nature that need everyone's attention.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Rashid Abdul Ajij, 55, said the event was about people from various ethic backgrounds and wide age group coming together to help clean up a small part of the country where all Malaysians love.

“This kind of event will also instill a sense of ownership and love for Malaysia,” he added.

Mohammed Rashid said a team spirit of working hard-in-hand to pick and carry rubbish out of the jungle floor was a good reflection that it was the duty of every Malaysian to preserve unity among the communities to sustain peace and harmony in the country.

-- BERNAMA