M’sian flag helped forge 60-year friendship

Unity in motion: Participants carrying the Jalur Gemilang during the parade at Dataran Merdeka.

KUALA LUMPUR: They came from opposite sides of the country but the Malaysian flag helped to forge a 60-year friendship between former Navy Chief Petty Officer Oliver Cuthbert Samuel, 84, and Lt Commander (Rtd) Mohd Sharif Kalam, 82.

Their friendship began when the two men spent three days together with the late yeoman Awang Salleh rehearsing for the historic moment when they hoisted the nation’s flag for the first time on Aug 31, 1957.