KUALA LUMPUR: Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa hopes that the Malaysian Family will celebrate Malaysia Day 2021 full of hope and confidence that the country will win the war against the COVID-19 pandemic that has hit the country since March 2020.

He said although the war has not been fully won, there were signs that the country was beginning to overcome the threat, such as the smooth implementation of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) that has enabled several sectors to be reopened in stages recently.

"This Malaysia Day I hope will bring joy, passion not only to reminisce about how we escaped from occupation but the aspirations of the people then, and how the Malay Peninsula grew bigger to become Malaysia. And also how the people themselves decided on the direction to build the country or that of one bigger Malaysian Family that is more confident to step forward, prosperous and benefiting the people.

"So, InsyaAllah, we want to express an air of confidence, the spirit of the Malaysian Family, togetherness, the spirit of unity, consensus (and) love for the country through the expression of the Malaysian Family through the Malaysia Day celebration," he said in the Agenda Awani television programme on Astro Awani last night titled "Hari Malaysia, Keluarga Malaysia" (Malaysia Day, Malaysian Family).

Besides that, Annuar, who is also the Malaysia Day 2021 Working Committee chairman, said the theme "Malaysia Prihatin" (Malaysia Cares) was still part of the Malaysia Day 2021 celebration to remind the people of the sacrifices made in the process of nation-building.

"For example, under the vaccination programme, the staff, doctors and others have been mobilised to every corner of the country to expedite the vaccination process. Now that the vaccination rate has reached 80 per cent, we can see how life is returning to normal, to a better and happier situation," he said.

Meanwhile, Annuar said that although the country was still under the National Recovery Plan (PPN), which is subject to the standard operating procedure (SOP), yet it did not stop his ministry from planning the Malaysia Day celebration on Sept 16 with the use of the latest technology.

"The use of the latest technology, which we used when we celebrated the National Day recently, with the help of AR technology (Augmented Reality) and also XR (Extended Reality), which are more interactive in nature, we can plan the celebration programme that can be watched by all Malaysians in a very interesting and effective manner.

"In fact, I feel that it will be merrier because the host this time, Sabah, I've been told, has already arranged very meaningful and interesting programmes and this can be watched proudly by all Malaysians," he said.

-- BERNAMA