Yang di-Pertuan Agong attends the trooping of the colours ceremony

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Hajah Haminah attended the trooping of the colours ceremony at the Dataran Merdeka, here, today.

The ceremonial pledge of allegiance of the Armed Forces (ATM) to the King as the Supreme Commander of the ATM was held in conjunction with the birthday of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Also present at the ceremony were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and wife Puan Seri Noorainee Abdul Rahman, and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

The arrival of the royal couple at the Dataran Merdeka at 9am was greeted with the rendition of the national anthem and a 21-gun salute.

The Agong then took the stage to receive a special salute from the guard of honour comprising officers and members of the three branches of the armed forces.

At the same time, five ATM helicopters, namely, three Nuri, one Agusta and a Fennec, each bearing the Malaysian, ATM, Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and Army performed a flypast overhead.

Subsequently, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong inspected a guard-of-honour mounted by 22 officers and 540 personnel of other ranks headed by the first batalion Royal Malay Regiment commanding officer Lieutenant-Colonel Mohd Rosli Abu Bakar.

After the inspection, the combination of ATM Central Bands under the leadership of Lieutenant-Colonel Muhammad Nor Azizan Yahya opened up with patriotic songs.

Thereafter, the trooping of the colour of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong followed in full military ceremony in slow and quick march tempo, followed by three shouts of 'Daulat Tuanku' by the guard of honour.

The ceremony was ended with the recital of prayers by Colonel Nawawi Daud from the ATM Religious Corps.

Tuanku Abdul Halim once again received a salute from the guard of honour and a flypast by the five ATM aircraft before leaving to the rendition of Negaraku once again.

Also present were Cabinet ministers, senior officers from all three branches of the ATM, foreign diplomats, defence attaches of several high commissions and embassies and members of the public.