Malaysians Of All Ages Participate In 51st Merdeka Celebration

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 31 (Bernama) -- The 51st Merdeka Day parade at the Dataran Merdeka here was not only participated by Malaysians of all races and religions but also included the various age groups.

The national-level celebration today included, for the first time, 150 pre-school pupils in the parade and mammoth procession comprising 16,433 participants including police pensioners.

With the theme 'Unity, the Thrust of Success', the parade began to assemble immediately upon the arrival of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah.

Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, together with his wife Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah, arrived in a white Proton Pesona electric car driven by Abdullah himself.

His deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor arrived in a red Proton Savvy driven by Najib.

The parade and procession began with the national anthem 'Negaraku' being played as a Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) helicopter flew past carrying the 'Jalur Gemilang' and the Malaysian Armed Forces' flag and emitting red, blue and yellow-coloured smoke, the colours of the Malaysian flag.

Tuanku Mizan then inspected the Guard of Honour mounted by four officers and 103 men from the First Royal Malay Regiment.

The ceremony then proceeded with the raising of the Jalur Gemilang as the national anthem 'Negaraku' was sung and the artillery fired 14 rounds.

This was later followed by the singing of patriotic songs 'Jalur Gemilang', 'Cemerlang, Gemilang, Terbilang', and the theme song for the celebration "Perpaduan Teras Kejayaan", sung by a 2,000-member choir group from the teaching colleges.

Seven secondary school students, representing the various ethnic groups in the country, led by Mohd Hafizul Akhmal Azeman, then read the "Rukunegara" which was followed by shouts of 'Merdeka' reverberating seven times.

The Dataran Merdeka then transformed into a sea of colours as 2,880 students staged a field performance carrying the theme 'Unity, the Thrust of Success' which included a drill formation and martial arts presentation, and aerobics, which were interspersed with human graphics performed by students of several schools in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.

The parade began with a procession carrying a mammoth Jalur Gemilang and the flags of the various states by trainees of the National Service Training Programme, including a contingent of 30 national figures from the various fields.

They included national astronaut Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, national badminton coach Datuk Misbun Sidek, social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye and environmental activist Karam Singh Walia riding in national cars.

The almost two-hour event which ended at 10.10am was also witnessed by thousands of Malaysians who flocked to the Dataran Merdeka as early as 6.30am, as well as millions of others who watched the proceedings live over television.