TEARY-EYED & GRATEFUL TO GOD, MALAYSIANS FLOCK TO MAHATHIR’S PUTRAJAYA BY THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS TO CELEBRATE ‘MERDEKA’ – AND DELIVERANCE AT LAST FROM NAJIB’S CRUEL UMNO-BN REGIME

PUTRAJAYA — In a show of patriotic spirit, an estimated 100,000 people have gathered at Dataran Putrajaya here this morning to catch the National Day parade in conjunction with the country’s 61st independence anniversary.

Held in the federal administrative capital here for the first time in 13 years to mark the first government under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, the festive occasion also marks the return of Putrajaya’s architect, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who is also back as prime minister a second time.

The massive crowd was tightly packed along both sides of the 3km-long Persiaran Perdana, the main avenue leading from the Ministry of Finance to the Attorney-General Chambers and an air of anticipation is palpable.

The celebration organiser, the Prime Minister’s Office, expects the turnout to increase further later, to 300,000.

Some small children sat on their father’s shoulders for a better view of the parade while other parents lifted their young children to clamber onto nearby billboard platforms.

The crowd of Malaysians of all colours and creed was as colourful as their attire worn today.

Young women clad in Jalur Gemilang tudungs stood next to others clad in shirts and pants with the national flag as the motif. A few parade-goers could even be seen using stilts to get a better view of things.

Among the attendees is entrepreneur Mohd Khalid Mohd Azman, 27, from Sekinchan, Selangor.

He said this year’s celebrations are not only to mark the nation’s independence but to celebrate a renewed Malaysian spirit.

“This year is special as it marks a new chapter in our country’s history. We are much more confident of ourselves and are excited to see what the future brings for once,” he said.

Members of the Malaysian Armed Forces march during the National Day parade at Dataran Putrajaya August 31, 2018. — Picture by Azneal Ishak

The celebration kicked off this morning at 8am with the hoisting of the “Jalur Gemilang”, the singing of the national anthem followed by a 14-gun-salute, the recitation of the Rukun Negara and ended with seven shouts of “Merdeka” by the master of ceremonies.

This year, the theme of the parade is “Sayangi Malaysiaku”, with an emphasis of nationhood, public order, national security and a united people component.

For this year, the government decided to display Malaysia’s military capabilities in the form of its assets and its servicemen and servicewomen.

Some 12,295 personnel from various government agencies, government-linked companies, civil associations, as well as the Armed Forces, participated in the parade.

The crowd was also impressed by the display of military aerial acrobatics as they flew over Putrajaya’s sky, their mouths open in a wide “O” of wow and wonder.

“It’s quite rare to see such a display of our air assets. Seems like they have pulled all the stops to put on a great show for the people,” one attendee, 43-year-old sales manager K. Thiruselvan said of the PH government.

Royal Malaysian Air Force aircraft take to skies during the National Day parade at Dataran Putrajaya August 31, 2018. — Picture by Azneal Ishak

MALAY MAIL

Malaysians unite to celebrate historic National Day in a new Malaysia

PUTRAJAYA: National Day 2018 is driving home the message of patriotism and the importance of unity for the well-being of the nation as enthusiastic Malaysians thronged Putrajaya and millions more watched live broadcast of the celebration.

This year, it culminated with a parade in Putrajaya, featuring four similar components with the theme “Sayangi Malaysiaku” (Love My Malaysia), namely patriotism, public order, national security and unity of the people.

Upon the arrival of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V at Dataran Putrajaya, the ceremony began with the singing of Negaraku, followed by the recitation of the Rukun Negara pledge.

The Putrajaya air space was filled with the sounds of five helicopters comprising two EC 725 AP and a Sikorsky S61A-4 Nuri belonging to the Royal Malaysian Air Force, an Augusta 109 belonging to the Royal Malaysian Army, and a Super Lynx from the Royal Malaysian Navy as a guard of honour to Seri Paduka.

A 14-gun royal salute, symbolic of the 14 states in Malaysia, was executed by the 41st Ceremonial Battery of the Royal Artillery Regiment, and accompanied by the hoisting of the Jalur Gemilang as the singing of the Negaraku filled the air.

Also present to witness the National Day 2018 parade were Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Cabinet ministers, including Communications and  Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo and foreign representatives.

This year’s celebration is a historic milestone because of its significance in celebrating a new Pakatan Harapan-led Federal Government and the return of Dr Mahathir to the helm at the age of 93.

The choice of Putrajaya as the location of the National Day 2018 celebration, after 13 years since it last hosted the celebration, is also special as Dr Mahathir was the person who mooted the development of the area, previously known as Prang Besar, as the country’s administrative centre in 1995.

The last time the National Day parade took place in Putrajaya was in 2005.

An estimated 300,000 people thronged Dataran Putrajaya as early as 5am to enliven the atmosphere, bringing along their Jalur Gemilang to witness the National Day parade.

The recital of the Rukun Negara pledge involving 50 students, including two who were disabled, was led by  Muhammad Aiman Shafiq Mohd Shah Noor Yong from the Royal Military College, Kuala Lumpur’s Sungai Besi Camp.

Shouts of “Merdeka” rang out seven times, also led by Muhammad Aiman Shafiq, at Dataran Putrajaya.

A special performance, “Sayangi Malaysiaku”, showcasing various community performances through the participation of 600 youth from the arts group, also attracted the attention of the crowd.

Leading the parade was the 60-member contingent carrying the 80ft by 40ft gigantic flag.

This was followed by the 660 carriers of the Jalur Gemilang and 1,340 carriers of the state flags as well as multi-coloured flags.

Throughout the event, the atmosphere was enlivened by the rhythm of tunes from the integrated uniformed band of 524 members. – BERNAMA

MALAY MAIL / BERNAMA