Colour, pomp, splendour

KUALA LUMPUR: The 57th Independence Day celebration was a picture of colour, pomp and splendour as thousands of schoolchildren, armed forces personnel, civil servants and private sector employees displayed their patriotic spirit at Dataran Merdeka here today.
Thousands of Malaysians as well as foreign tourists flocked to witness the celebration, which was graced by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Hajah Haminah.
The royal couple was met on arrival by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his wife Puan Sri Norainee Abdul Rahman.
Cabinet ministers, foreign envoys and invited guests were also present to watch the march past and the two-hours of exhilarating performances.
Political differences were put aside as leaders from opposition parties showed their patriotic spirit with their participation in the celebration.
The crowd, including the participants, had gathered as early as 6.30am to take their places.
The ceremony began at 8.15am with the Negaraku sung to a 14-gun salute fired from an artillery battery.
The King inspected a guard-of-honour comprising 107 officers and personnel from the First Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment from the Sungai Besi Camp, led by Major Ameiza Mohd Ashhari.
It was followed by a pledge read by 57 participants comprising schoolchildren, undergraduates and civil servants.
The reading of the pledge was led by a student from Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah in Putrajaya, Ahmad Amsyar Ahmad Afendi, who then led the crowd in shouting "Merdeka" seven times.
Throughout the ceremony, a Zeppelin bearing the image of the Father of Independence Tunku Abdul Rahman hovered in the air along with four drones.
A high-tech camera installed on the Zeppelin, provided a bird's-eye view of the event broadcast onto a giant screen at Dataran Merdeka where 2,280 choir members and 2,240 other participants were involved in the field performances, with various unique formations of words and logos.
The choir and field performers also sang Warisan and Di Sini Lahirnya Sebuah Cinta, on which this year's national day theme, "Malaysia: Here, Where A Love Was Born" is based.
Earlier, a minute's silence was observed in respect of the victims of the two MAS air tragedies, and in remembrance of those warriors who had sacrificed their lives for the country.
There was also a flypast by five helicopters from the Royal Malaysia Air Force (RMAF) carrying the national flag.
The parade began with a 15-minute video on the large LED screen featuring an animation of Upin and Ipin entitled "Independence Legacy" which carried a message for youths on the importance of strengthening harmony and unity.
A total of 14,248 participants from 9,359 contingents took part in the march past.
The crowd cheered as the parade started, with marching bands, field performances staged by the cavalry ceremonial squadron and a flypast by Sukhoi 30MKM, MIG 29 and FA 18/D Hornet jets.
The armed forces band, led by Lt Aziz Joslim Abdullah took the lead, while RMAF SU-30MKM Sukhoi and Hawk aircraft flew past in a spectacular formation.
This was followed by 57 flag-bearers carrying giant-sized flags and 57 flag-bearers from the National Youth Skills Institute carrying small flags.
Also paraded were various assets such as military vehicles belonging to the country's security forces.