979-bottle Jalur Gemilang in Kuantan wows passersby

KUANTAN - Walking down Jalan Tun Razak in Bandar Indera Mahkota here, one cannot avoid seeing the unique Jalur Gemilang at the entrance of the Kuantan Medical Centre (KMC), which is made from plastic bottles.

KMC operations manager Ahmad Effendy Chik said the Jalur Gemilang, measuring 20 feet long and five feet wide, was made from 979 used bottles and took two days to complete starting Aug 17.

"However, we needed more than two months to collect the used bottles donated by doctors, hospital staff and patients. Initially, the number of bottles received was so small, and we were worried that our idea of making a flag composed of used bottles would not materialise.

"So, we became more aggressive in promoting the idea, including making posters to push the novel idea until, in the end, we received more than enough bottles. Some dialysis patients also bring used bottles every time they undergo treatment three times a week,” he told Bernama today.

Ahmad Effendy said the unique Jalur Gemilang sprang up when they were in discussion to do something different to spice up the National Month celebration, as hanging ready-made flags and painting murals was commonplace.

The process started with removing brand stickers when cleaning the bottles before they were cut to size and painted in blue, red and white with holes punched to assemble them in the shape of the Malaysian flag.

"The most fun was in colouring and arranging because not only the staff but patients who had finished undergoing treatment or attending an appointment also got involved. Some even bring potluck food to share during that period.

"Hospital staff after their duty shift were also eager to participate because this was the first such activity,” he said, adding that the ‘workshop’ lasted from 10am to 6.30pm.

In keeping with the concept of recycling, Ahmad Effendy said they utilised used moon and star replicas, ropes and pipes to complete the project, reducing the cost of buying paint to a minimum.

"Since we are all non-professionals, there was a bit of difficulty in assembling the Jalur Gemilang for the first time. Some red and white stripes fell out of order, distorting the flag,” he said, adding that the ‘flag’ will be displayed until Malaysia Day on Sept 16.

Assistant nurse S. Sharmila, 48, swelled with pride every time she passed the main route because she too had chipped in towards the production of the Jalur Gemilang together with her dialysis patients.

She said that even though they met every week, they had never indulged in such craft before, making the production of this year’s Jalur Gemilang a new experience in bonding as well. - BERNAMA