KUCHING: Solidarity between the people of the Peninsula, Sarawak and Sabah was clearly seen as the crowd of over 10,000 gathered to celebrate Malaysia Day at Stadium Perpaduan in Petra Jaya Monday night.
Despite the haze people began trickling into the stadium as early as 5.30pm to catch the pre-performance put up by local artistes and choirs beginning from 7pm.
Though the event was earlier scheduled to take place at the open space of Padang Merdeka here, this did not prevent the public from filling every available space in the covered stadium to witness Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad deliver a Malaysia Day message, apart from enjoying the entertainment lined up for the night.
The highlight of the evening was a show of events according to the era, which among others featured a red Proton Saga car, the first national car introduced when Mahathir became the fourth prime minister.
The celebration themed Sayangi Malaysiaku: Malaysia Bersih saw a range of cultural performances which showcased the diverse communities of the state.
Also present were the wife of the Yang di-Pertua Negri of Sarawak Toh Puan Ragad Kurdi Taib; wife of the prime minister Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali; Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and her husband, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal; Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo along with Federal, Sarawak and Sabah Cabinet ministers, heads of state and federal government agencies as well as foreign dignitaries also graced the event. — Bernama
