KOTA KINABALU, Sept 17 — Padang Merdeka once again witnessed the spirit of independence, with over 40,000 people of all ages, races and religions turning up to express their love for their beloved country in conjunction with the Malaysia Day 2024 celebration yesterday.

Themed "Malaysia Madani: Jiwa Merdeka”, the excitement of the people to celebrate the 61st anniversary of the formation of Malaysia was clearly visible when they began converging on the historic location, where the declaration of Malaysia was made on September 16, 1963, as early as at 5pm.

Although there was a downpour when the ceremony began at 8.30pm, the spectators never budged an inch as they stayed on at Padang Merdeka to witness the grand Malaysia Day celebration.

Earlier, the spectators were entertained with performances while waiting for the guests to arrive and for the start of the main event, which was broadcast live on television and social media.

The ceremony was attended by the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Sabah Tun Juhar Mahiruddin and his wife Toh Puan Norlidah R.M Jasni, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail together with Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg.

Also present were the two Deputy Prime Ministers, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, as well as the Cabinet and state ministers.

The ceremony was also attended by Malaysia Day 2024 Celebration Main Committee chairman Fahmi Fadzil, who is also the Communications Minister, and co-chairman Datuk Christina Liew, who is also the Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, as well as Federal and state government department heads.

The ceremony began after the arrival of Juhar and his wife, followed by the rendition of the national anthem Negaraku, the Sabah state anthem Sabah Tanahairku and the song Sabah Maju Jaya as well as a dance performance which showcased Malaysia’s traditional and cultural diversity filled with the message on unity.

The ceremony continued with a welcome speech from Hajiji and a speech by the prime minister.

At the ceremony, Anwar, Hajiji and Abang Johari also signed the Malaysia Day 2024 Special Book, with all three leaders then cutting the Malaysia Day cake before the spectators were treated to a special video on the history of the formation of Malaysia.

The event then continued with the Jalur Gemilang Tour Convoy procession to hand over the Jalur Gemilang and the reading of the Rukun Negara pledge.

A special dance performance showcasing the spirit of unity and harmony among the diverse communities in Malaysia was then presented by dancers from the Sabah Cultural Board, the Sabah National Department for Culture and Arts (JKNN), non-governmental organisations and school cultural associations around Kota Kinabalu to add colour to the Malaysia Day 2024 celebration.

Spectators were also entertained by a series of performances by popular local artistes before the ceremony concluded with spectacular fireworks. — Bernama