That is an Indonesian word for freedom or independent. The freedom they have longed for after years of long suffering under the ruling of Portuguese, Dutch, British and Japanese. And when I say long suffering, I mean LONG suffering. According to the country's history, the colonialism period started when the Portuguese arrived at 1511 and our independence day was on Aug 17, 1945, so that was 434 years of endurance!
The word is not only used in Indonesia alone. It is also spoken in Malaysia, one of the closest neighboring countries. In Malay language, this term has acquired the meaning of free slave. Just the right word to describe the situation, don't you agree?
The word itself is derived from Sanskrit, meaning rich, prosperous and powerful. Some may wonder why Sanskrit; isn't that the classical language of India. What was the relationship between the Indonesian and the Indian? Well... thanks to historians and paleontologists who have unearthed ancient stones and copper inscriptions, we now know that the first immigrant was from Gujarat, a state in India. See the connection now?
Here is how the word is pronounced:
merdeka
And today, Aug 17, 2011 marked the 66th birthday of my beloved country.
I salute you, beloved!
Sekali Merdeka Tetap Merdeka! (or in English: Freedom once and for all!)
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