Patriotic Johoreans celebrate by hosting National Day events

JOHOREANS are showing off their patriotic spirit by organising National Day events as they are now able to congregate and celebrate the occasion.

State health and unity committee chairman Ling Tian Soon (pic) said he had received many invitations to National Day events hosted by villages and Rukun Tetangga (RT) committees since early August.

“This year, we can see many groups, including village committees, RT teams, schools and even companies hosting National Day celebrations.

“It is an overwhelming sight, especially since most of them went through tough times during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This shows that Malaysians are a resilient lot and love their country,” said Ling.

He said the state government encouraged all Johoreans to continue waving the Jalur Gemilang until Malaysia Day.

“I see many shops and homes have put up the Jalur Gemilang to mark the country’s 65 years of independence.

“I hope the show of patriotism will continue and more people will fly the flag,” he said.

Meanwhile, Johor Information Department deputy director Mohammad Iqbal Ibrahim said the state government had launched its Merdeka month event in Kota Tinggi on Aug 14 while the Ambang Merdeka celebration was held at Dataran Iskandar Puteri yesterday.

“The annual National Day parade resumed this year after being postponed for two years.

“Many were excited to witness the parade and people were encouraged to spread more cheer at the event.

“The department is still carrying out online competitions and among them, we have included a TikTok video and online karaoke contests. “There are also individuals and groups hosting National Day events.

“Some are hosting their own Jalur Gemilang decoration competitions while others have their own version of Ambang Merdeka,” he added.

Iqbal said the department encouraged the public to come up with their own initiatives to celebrate National Day and Malaysia Day.

“While we will continue doing our part to ensure that the National Day spirit continues to soar among Johoreans, our main aim is to have such efforts come from the people themselves.

“We are glad to see many groups taking initiative and some have even invited us to be judges in their respective competitions,” he said.