KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was all sentimental as he witnessed the vast development of a nation that his father had initiated with past leaders five decades ago.
Fifty years ago, his father Tun Abdul Razak Datuk Hussein, alongside Sabah leaders Tun Fuad Stephens and Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun, were involved in the formation of Malaysia.
Fastforward to the present, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, in his speech, stressed that it has been fated that Najib would join thousands of Sabahans to celebrate the nation’s golden jubilee.
And what made it more significant was for Najib to launch a commemorative gold coin to mark Malaysia’s 50th birthday last night.
The coin was handed over to Najib by the Bank Negara Malaysia deputy gavernor Datuk Muhammad Ibrahim, who was ushered by the top five Unduk Ngadau winners.
This coin, with ’50 Tahun Sabah Merdeka’ encrypted on it, is released by Bank Negara Malaysia to commemorate the nation’s golden jubilee celebration.
The wet weather did not deter people from thronging the Prince Philips Park in Tanjung Aru, as many, equipped with colourful umbrellas, began coming as early as 1pm.
Najib and wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, who came on a special aircraft, touched down at the Terminal Two Airport in Tanjung Aru at 12.35pm, after attending a similar event in Kuching, Sarawak; while Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and wife Puan Sri Noorainee Abdul Rahman arrived about two hours later.
The two national leaders made their way to the park around 7.30pm to officially launch the Tanjung Aru Eco Development or TAED in short, an uplifting project to beautify the Prince Philip Park and restore the beach’s significance as a family recreation site.
Thousands of Jalur Gemilang were hoisted to greet both Najib and Muhyiddin as they joined some 50,000 crowd while making their way to the main stage around 8.30pm to celebrate Malaysia’s 50th birthday in style.
With a touch of patriotism, the attendees, who included Najib and Muhyiddin accompanied by their spouses, and Musa and wife Datin Seri Faridah Tussin, were entertained by 1,500 performers who brought the crowd down memory lane.
Their lively and colourful performances brought the people to revisit historical moments from the year 1963 to the present, including the security forces’ struggle to protect the nation’s sovereignty in Lahad Datu and Semporna.
A choral speaking by the Kota Kinabalu High School thanked the government for the many incentives that helped to lighten the people’s burden.
Acclaimed national artistes – Stacy, 1 Nation MC, Jimmy Palikat, Fauziah Gambus, Jacklyn Victor, Sheila Hamzah, Hafiz, Faizal Tahir and Azlan Typewritter entertained the crowd with their hits.
The event was held to allow the public to be part of the historical event and to learn the history as well as the significance of Sabah in the formation of Malaysia.
A firework performance that lasted for a few minutes, marked the closing ceremony.