The national-level 52nd Merdeka celebration today was a brief and moderate affair in view of the Influenza A(H1N1) pandemic and in observance of the Ramadan fasting month.

However, the occasion was not without the fanfare and spirit of independence with the participation of people of all races in line with the 1Malaysia concept.

Carrying the theme ‘1Malaysia: People First, Performance Now’, the event was held at Parliament Square instead of Dataran Merdeka, and was confined to a rally and performances without the usual parade of contingents and the participation of school children.

NONE Nevertheless, Parliament Square, often the venue of welcoming ceremonies for visiting foreign dignitaries, was a scene of varied colours with the participants in their colourful attire as well as the members of the security forces in their respective uniforms.

The rally began soon after the arrival of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah at 8am.

Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his wife, Norainee Abd Rahman, arrived 10 minutes earlier.

The VIPs arriving for the rally were greeted by about 10,000 cheering flag-bearers lining the road for a distance of 1.38km from the roundabout near Bank Negara to Parliament Square.

Seven helicopters of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) flew past overhead, bearing the Jalur Gemilang national flag, the Armed Forces flag, the flags of the Royal Malaysian Army, the Royal Malaysian Navy and the RMAF, the Royal Malaysia Police flag, and the Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) flag, as they spewed smoke trails in red, blue and yellow - the colours of the national flag.

7 shouts of 'Merdeka', '1Malaysia'

As the Negaraku was played, the Jalur Gemilang was raised and a 14-gun salute was fired.

This was followed by the reading of the Rukun Negara (National Ideology) pledge by seven academicians representing all the major races in the country, led by Norazmi Baba.

Also joining in the reading of the pledge were 52 representatives of the academic community, dressed in the attire of the various communities, as well as 500 members of the security forces led by Lt Col Hishamudin Jumat Abas Jumat.

The gathering then gave seven shouts of "Merdeka" as well as "1Malaysia: People First, Performance Now", the shouts reverberating throughout the square and enticing the public to join in as they followed the event from outside the premises of Parliament.

There was also a choir performance of the patriotic song "Malaysia Tanah Airku" by the Association of Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers (Bakti).

Suara Warisan (Koswa) of the Royal Malaysian Navy in Lumut concluded the 40-minute event with a choir performance as 200 people staged a cultural dance.

- Bernama