PUTRAJAYA: The engines of various machines belonging to government departments and the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) ‘roared’ at Dataran Putrajaya here today in conjunction with the 2023 National Day parade rehearsals.
There was excitement in the crowd who began gathering at Dataran Putrajaya at 8 a.m. when the contingent from the Civil Defence Force (APM), comprising 294 members and nine assets, including the Bedford fire fighting trucks and Ford Thames ambulances, made the march past.
This was then followed by the contingent from the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), making the crowd more excited to see the various assets that trailed along during the march past.
Among the assets paraded by the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department were vehicles it used in the 1960s and a line-up of modern machinery which included water tankers and firefighting equipment.
Also in the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department’s contingent are six tracker dogs which were used in the search and rescue efforts for victims of disasters at home and abroad such as the landslide in Batang Kali, Selangor, last year, and the earthquake in Turkiye last February.
Meanwhile, among the PDRM assets participating in today’s parade are its patrol cars and motorcycles, water cannons used by the Federal Reserve Unit and vehicles belonging to the Special Action Unit used for hostage situations.
Earlier the public was treated to a precise skydive at a height of 4,000 metres by six members of the VAT 69 Commando who landed right in front of the VIP stage
As usual, the ATM contingent, which is the largest contingent in the 2023 National Day parade, did not disappoint the public with its line-up ing up of its most advanced military assets.
More than 100 military assets belonging to the three ATM branches, namely the Army, the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) were displayed during the parade today and they included trailers carrying missiles and cannons, as well as the Gempita and Adnan armoured vehicles.
The final show at today’s rehearsal was a demonstration by RMAF of its assets like the Sukhoi SU-30 fighter jet engines and Hornet F/A 18D jets which roared the skies in Putrajaya.
With the theme ‘Malaysia Madani: Tekad Perpaduan, Penuhi Harapan’ (Determination in Unity, Fulfilling Hope), as many as 10 contingent components would be participating in the parade.
With the theme of CIVIL Malaysia: Determination of Unity, Fulfilling Hope, 10 contingent components, comprising Nationhood, Unity of Malaysian MADANI, Economy, Banking, Telecommunications, Creative Industry, Community, National Sports; Welfare and National Security, will participate in the parade.
There will be another rehearsal tomorrow before the full rehearsal on August 29. - Bernama
