(From left) Shafie, Abang Johari, Dr Siti Hasmah and Dr Mahathir waving the Jalur Gemilang during the opening ceremony of the 56th Malaysia Day celebration at Stadium Perpaduan in Kuching. – Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING: The 56th Malaysia Day celebration held at Stadium Perpaduan, Petra Jaya here this evening was a showcase of patriotism and unity within the diverse demographics of the country.
Themed ‘Sayangi Malaysiaku: Malaysia Bersih’, the national-level celebration was jointly organised by the federal and state governments, attracting more than 7,000 spectators to gather at the stadium to witness the celebration.
Pre-performance events began as early as 7pm before the main event commenced at 8.30pm with the arrival of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and his wife Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Raghad Kurdi Taib.
The event started with a performance reflecting the unique cultural landscape of Sarawak, involving people of different races, religions and background.
After the playing of the state anthem ‘Ibu Pertiwiku’ and a prayer recital, ministers-in-charge Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo delivered their welcoming remarks via videos to the audience, followed by a speech from Chief Minister of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg at the stage.
After that, a specially prepared 2.5D format video regarding the formation of Malaysia was featured during the celebration, where key moments leading to North Borneo (now known as Sabah), and Sarawak joining the Federation of Malaysia in 1963 was highlighted.
The video incorporated artificial intelligence to breathe life into photos taken during the early days of the formation of Malaysia.
The event started with a performance reflecting the unique cultural landscape of Sarawak, involving people of different races, religions and background. – Photo by Chimon Upon
Once the video ended, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was invited to the stage and addressed the audience on the significant of Malaysia Day with Sabah and Sarawak being the founding members.
Participants of a convoy named ‘Kembara Merdeka Jalur Gemilang’ soon entered the stadium, carrying the national flag for the flag-raising ceremony that was officiated by Taib.
Taib and other distinguished guests then hit the drums symbolically, accompanied by a simultaneous laser lights display to launch the celebration.
One of the highlights was the ‘ Shadow Play’ performance, themed ‘United We Stand, Divided We Fall’ that involved 16 dancers to portray a message of peace and unity within the society.
Members of the public seen waving the national flag during the celebration held at Stadium Perpaduan in Kuching.
The celebration was also broadcasted by Radio Television Malaysia for the 32 million people of Malaysia to witness historical event.
Also happening during the Malaysia Day celebration that hosted in the capital of Sarawak was a parade of specially-decorated vehicles going across the city to tell a story about the formation of Malaysia and the different eras and historical events that took place.
Meanwhile, more than 11 ambulances were on standby together with a team of 48, comprising two specialists, two medical officers, eight paramedics, eight Fire and Rescue Department personnel and 28 Civil Defence Force personnel to response to any health cases.
The Malaysia Day celebration was originally planned to be held at Padang Merdeka before being shifted to Stadium Perpaduan here due to the haze blanketing the city for the past month.
Among those in attendance were Dr Mahathir’s wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and her husband Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu, Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik, Abang Johari’s wife Datuk Amar Juma’ani Tuanku Bujang, Chief Minister of Sabah Datuk Seri Panglima Shafie Apdal and his wife Datin Seri Panglima Shuryani Shuaib, federal ministers and other foreign diplomats.