Standing tall: People from all walks of life gathering at the Sultan Azlan Shah Roundabout to celebrate the commencement of the National Month and Kibar Jalur Gemilang 2023. — Bernama
IPOH: Malaysians have been called to nurture patriotism among themselves to help bond society, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He also stated that in order to create a great nation, unity among all races, religions and backgrounds must be strengthened.
“Malaysians should take the opportunity to celebrate the national month and fly the Jalur Gemilang to boost their love for the country.
“The blessing of independence should be appreciated, where we can live comfortably, harmoniously and prosperously while practising tolerance in establishing relations between races.
“Like the saying ‘Bersatu kita teguh, bercerai kita roboh’ (United we stand, divided we fall), it is enough to describe how much we need to be united.
“Be it by individuals or organisations, let’s fly the Jalur Gemilang,” Anwar said in his opening speech at the launch of the National Month and Kibar Jalur Gemilang 2023 at Sultan Azlan Shah Roundabout in Meru Raya yesterday.
The text of his speech was read by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who launched the event on his behalf.
At the same event, Fadillah also flagged off the Kembara Merdeka and Jalur Gemilang 2023 convoy, which will tour the country in conjunction with the Merdeka month celebration.
Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil, who also attended the event, said Malaysians should be flying the Malaysian flag proudly, whether at their respective houses or on their vehicles, business premises or government buildings.
He said the Jalur Gemilang will travel more than 3,000km to all corners of the country with the 2023 Kembara Merdeka Jalur Gemilang Convoy, where it will make its final stop at Dataran Putrajaya on Aug 31.
Fahmi, who is chairman of the National Day and Malaysia Day 2023 celebrations main committee, said the convoy will take the Jalur Gemilang across the country through the 132 “Handover of the Jalur Gemilang” checkpoints, 66 of which are in Peninsular Malaysia and another 66 in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan.
Fahmi, in his speech, said participants of the convoy will be joined by professionals such as architects, engineers and doctors, in addition to NGO Kelab Permotoran BMW K16 Malaysia.
The public is also welcome to celebrate the arrival of the convoy in each district.
He said interesting events have been planned in each location to boost the celebration and love for the country, such as the “Expresi Malaysiaku” programme, performances, the distribution of departmental publications, and others.
The public can get more information about the programme by visiting the official portal at http://merdeka360.my or through Merdeka360’s official social media pages on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok.
