Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak today described the three consecutive days to celebrate the success of the Kuala Lumpur 2017 SEA Games (KL2017), National Day 2017 and Aidiladha as opportune for Malaysians “to rise together and move forward.”

He noted that people of different ages and races had turned up at Bukit Jalil Stadium on Wednesday to celebrate Malaysia's victory as the 29th SEA Games champion.

“On Aug 30, 2017, I was at Bukit Jalil Stadium in conjunction with the closing ceremony of the SEA Games. I'm so proud, excited and overwhelmed on seeing that the stadium which can accommodate 100,000 people, was packed to capacity.

"Our gold medal target was 111, the figure we achieved in 2001, but we have gone beyond and surpassed that target with a record 145 out of 404 gold medals (35.9 percent)," he said in his blog.

Salleh further noted that after the closing of the SEA Games, the activities continued with the celebration of National Day.

“When the PM took the stage, the audience greeted him with rousing applause. The applause became stronger when the PM announced a public holiday on September 4. It is the government’s gift to the people in conjunction with the three simultaneous major events – our victory in SEA Games, National Day and Haj celebration.”

Interestingly, Salleh said, he noticed that the majority of those who applauded were young people: “Their gratitude to the PM for rediscovering our superiority or dominance in sports in this region. The PM then responded by saying that Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin was the architect of the victory.”

“It was symbolic of the PM's appreciation, thanking Khairy to extend gratitude to the youngsters who have been with Khairy to create this glory and success for our country,” he said.

Salleh also regarded the effort by the people of diverse races and religions to come since early morning to Dataran Merdeka on National Day to celebrate the historic day as extraordinary.

“From the stage I saw the patriotism of the people, I felt their spirit, their appreciation of the contribution of the nation's independence fighters, I see the people welcoming them with joy and appreciation, I see the 1Malaysia concept flourish among them.

“Today we celebrate Hari Raya Aidiladha. After the solat Raya, we offer sacrifice. That makes it three consecutive days of celebration. This great day is a day for us to rise together and keep moving forward.

“This morning as I ponder over all these, I can really feel the essence of Negaraku Sehati Sejiwa,” he said.

- Bernama