Preparations for National Day celebration at Dataran Merdeka almost 95 per cent complete

KUALA LUMPUR: Preparations for the 2022 National Day parade and procession at the main celebration venue at Dataran Merdeka here are almost 95 per cent complete, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa.

Annuar, who is chairman of the Main Committee for 2022 National Day and Malaysia Day Celebration, said judging from the smooth conduct of a rehearsal today, he was satisfied with the preparations undertaken.

"The parade and procession events require a degree of perfection because they need to be coordinated with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's arrival, which needs to be synchronised with the fly-past.

"It is a challenging task and today (all went well), Alhamdulillah. I would like to thank all contingents for showing a good level of preparedness after undergoing a long period of training," he told reporters after watching the rehearsal.

Annuar hoped that this year's celebration would be well received by the people and urged visitors to play an active part in the celebration on Aug 31, especially during the pledge reading, chanting of the 'Keluarga Malaysia Teguh Bersama' slogan and singing of the patriotic theme song at the venue.

"The 'Teguh Bersama' concept should come alive when we attend the procession and parade. I hope the weather will be fine, and we can perform 'solat hajat' to pray for good weather and for all events to proceed smoothly as planned.

"I believe the physical presence of people from the Klang Valley and the hundreds of thousands of Malaysians watching the live telecast will make this year's celebration a grand affair, in line with the country's transition to endemic phase after the events were not held for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic," he added.

Some 50,000 people are expected to converge at Dataran Merdeka from 7 am on Wednesday for the 2022 National Day celebration themed 'Keluarga Malaysia Teguh Bersama'.

Among the highlights of the events is the arrival of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah on a horse-drawn carriage from Menara DBKL.

-- BERNAMA