It was a sight to behold and a moment to cherish as thousands of people from all walks of life joined national leaders for the 53rd National Day celebration at the Putra Stadium indoor arena in Bukit Jalil on Aug 31.
The celebration, themed "1Malaysia Transforming the Nation", the first to be held indoors, was marked by colourful performances, a 14-gun salute, reading of pledge and awe-inspiring displays of grit and courage by the country's securityforces.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah arrived at the venue at 8am to the sound of trumpets and thunderous applause from the 10,000 people at the stadium.
Present were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and wife Puan Sri Norainee Abdul Rahman, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and cabinetministers, donning the specially-crafted 1Malaysia batik.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong's arrival marked the start of the 90-minute celebration at the stadium which has been the venue for many prestigious events either sports or entertainment.
The stadium erupted in patriotic fervour as seven shouts of "Merdeka" reverberated around the arena, followed by the shouts of "1Malaysia, Rakyat Didahulukan, Pencapaian Diutamakan" (1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now).
This was followed by a 1Malaysia special performance featuring eight segments including story-telling which incorporated the display of lights, choir performance and creative human formation to convey the 1Malaysia message.
The 1Malaysia segment, among others, showcased pictures of the country's first prime minister, dubbed Father of Independence, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, as well as those of the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong until the current 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and photographs of the country's prime ministers since independence. This was followed by the human formation, assisted by choral speaking performance, and choir, for the 10th Malaysia Plan segment.
The spectators were glued to their seats as 1,640 performers went through their paces, one fascinating segment after another, capturing the essence of the various government initiatives and transformation plans such as the National Key Result Areas and the New Economic Model.
There were also performances by the armed forces, including by members of the anti-terrorism unit and commandos. The closing performance was by students of the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology and teacher's institutes as well as members of cultural groups, singing the 1Malaysia, Joget Malaysia and Jalur Gemilang songs.
FUN TIME
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