Patriotic fervour: Marchers proudly bearing the Jalur Gemilang during the rehearsal at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur. — SAMUEL ONG/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Preparations for the 2022 National Day parade and procession at the main celebration venue at Dataran Merdeka here are almost 95% complete, says Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa.
Annuar, who is chairman of the Main Committee for 2022 National Day and Malaysia Day Celebration, said judging from the smooth conduct of a rehearsal yesterday morning, he was satisfied with the preparations.
“The parade and procession events require a degree of perfection because they need to be coordinated with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s arrival, which needs to be synchronised with the fly-past.
“It is a challenging task and today (all went well), Alhamdulillah. I would like to thank all contingents for showing a good level of preparedness after undergoing a long period of training,” he told reporters after watching the rehearsal.
Annuar hoped that this year’s celebration would be well received by the people and urged visitors to play an active part in the celebration on Aug 31, especially during the pledge reading, chanting of the “Keluarga Malaysia Teguh Bersama” slogan and singing of the patriotic theme song at the venue.
“The Teguh Bersama concept should come alive when we attend the procession and parade.
“I hope the weather will be fine, and we can perform solat hajat (intercessory prayers) to pray for good weather and for all events to proceed smoothly as planned.
Nation’s defenders: An Army convoy moving through the streets to take part in the rehearsal in Kuala Lumpur. — SS Kanesan/ The Star
“I believe the physical presence of people from the Klang Valley and the hundreds of thousands of Malaysians watching the live telecast will make this year’s celebration a grand affair, in line with the country’s transition to the endemic phase after the events were not held for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” he added.
Some 50,000 people are expected to converge at Dataran Merdeka from 7am on Wednesday for the 2022 National Day celebration, with the highlights of the day including the arrival of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah on a horse-drawn carriage from Menara DBKL. — Bernama
