Shock! Horror! Nothing for Father’s Day?

Fathers deserve the same recognition as mothers for their daily sacrifices, hard work, dedication and tough ‘dad’ love.

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Did you know that most Malaysian fathers, at least according to a survey conducted by HomeAway, do not receive presents for Father’s Day?

Strange but somehow true that more than 900 people in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore and Taiwan put more effort into Mother’s Day celebrations.

Fathers, guilt-tripped by constant reminders of the pain, anguish and suffering of childbirth, find themselves with little to no choice but to shower mums with gratitude and gifts on their special day, failing which they likely have to endure episodes of close encounters of the “silent treatment” kind.

“Well-trained” dads recognise all too well the telltale signs that the “No, nothing’s wrong” responses from their wives, invariably means something’s terribly wrong and they’re the cause of it.

However fathers deserve the same recognition as mothers despite not having to plod through nine months looking like beached whales, losing all semblance of a hip-to-waist ratio or sporting milk-gorged breasts enough to feed a battalion of babies. Let’s not forget the long bouts of sleep deprivation once the bundles of joy bounce into their lives.

As the saying goes, as much as the big things you do are important, the small, simple things are what your child will remember for the rest of their lives.

So, not wanting our Malaysian fathers to be deprived of the love, appreciation and gratitude they so rightly deserve, here is a selection of songs honouring their daily sacrifices, their hard work, their dedication and their tough “dad” love.

Besides, shouldn’t every day be Father’s Day?

1. Papa by Paul Anka

One of the songs from Anka’s 1974 album, this is about the life of a hard-working, loving father. The Canadian-American singer sings about his hopes that his own children think of him the way he thinks of his father.

2. My Father’s Eyes by Eric Clapton

Inspired by the fact that Clapton never met his father, who died in 1985, “My Father’s Eyes” also refers to Clapton’s son Conor, who tragically died at age four after falling from an apartment window.

“In it I tried to describe the parallel between looking in the eyes of my son, and the eyes of the father that I never met, through the chain of our blood”, said Clapton in his autobiography.

3. Pinggiran Syurga by Wan Imar Izzat

“God, give me the strength to hear the sighs of my mother praying. Since You called my father home, hearts broke as we accepted this fate.”

“Pinggiran Syurga”, was performed by Wan Imar Izzat, the son of the late MP Wan Khairil Anuar Wan Ahmad, former MP for Kuala Kangsar.

The video was released by KRU Music Sdn Bhd on their official YouTube and Facebook accounts a few days before Father’s Day last year.

The video included photos of Wan Imar Izzat’s mother, Mastura Mohd Yazid, in the days following the death of his father in a helicopter crash in Sebuyau, Sarawak, on May 5.

The video ends with Wan Imar Izzat wishing everyone a Happy Father’s Day, telling viewers never to take their fathers for granted. -FMT