A 3,000-strong crowd gathered at the Tapah mini stadium to celebrate Malaysia Day on Monday
Tapah folk and some who had travelled from neighbouring districts had gathered at the stadium as early as 7.30am to celebrate the meaningful occasion.
State executive councillor Datuk Saarani Mohamad, who represented Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir at the celebration, said Malaysians should be proud of their country and continue flying the Jalur Gemilang all year long.
“We only have one country, which is Malaysia.
“It does not matter if we have different political or religious understanding, we are all Malaysians and we should not shame the country,” he said.
Saarani said people who had burnt the Jalur Gemilang or wanted to change the flag were not respecting the country and its sovereignty.
“I also urged the younger generation to stop being disrespectful of the country as it could be detrimental to the next generation’s patriotism towards the nation,” he added.
Revellers at the celebration were entertained by a cultural dance performance by SM Nan Hwa.
There was also a display of antique cars while government departments set up exhibition booths at the stadium.
Also present at the event were Tapah MP Datuk M. Saravanan, State Assembly Speaker Datuk S. K. Devamany, exco members, government department heads and local community leaders.
Elsewhere in Tanjung Rambutan, hundreds of villagers from 10 villages gathered at the penghulu’s office to celebrate the occasion.
Penghulu Abdul Razak Mansor said it was the first time that such an event was held collectively at the local community level with the support from the villages there, including Kampung Tanjung Rambutan, Kampung Melayu Batu 8, Kampung Tambun, Kampung Seri Ampang, Kampung Kepayang Fair Park and Kampung Tasek.
“I am glad that many came to support the event and to show their love for the country.
“The celebration shows that we are united and our ties continue to strengthen,” he said.
During the celebration, two villagers, including 10-year-old Hadhiratul Fatini Abdul Razak, performed a poem recital while a choir group from Rukun Tetangga Tanjung Rambutan performed several songs.
