IPOH: Perak Ruler Sultan Nazrin Shah attended the Perak Warriors’ Day celebration at Dataran Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan here on Thursday, (July 31).
Also in attendance were Raja Muda Perak Raja Jaafar Raja Muda Musa and Raja Di Hilir Perak Raja Iskandar Dzurkarnain Sultan Idris Shah.
His Royal Highness' arrival at 9am was welcomed by Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad, Western Armada Rear Admiral (Laksaman Muda) Datuk Pahlawan Abdul Halim Shaari (representing the Commander of the Western Armada), Perak police chief Datuk Noor Hisam Noordin and 2nd Infantry Brigade Brigadier-General Mohamad Rosli Abu Bakar, (Panglima Brigade).
The ceremony started with the singing of the Perak anthem, followed by the inspection of a guard-of-honour by Sultan Nazrin which consisted of three police officers and 102 members of other ranks.
The guard-of-honour was led by Supt Mohd Aster Mohamad, assisted by Deputy Supt Ahmad Auzan Mohd Noor. The flag bearer (pegawai pembawa panji- panji) was Insp Mohd Nor Syahid Shaharum.
A total of 408 participants made up the ceremonial detachment, comprising officers and members of various security forces, along with Malaysian Armed Forces veterans and retired Royal Malaysia Police personnel.
The KD Pelandok brass band, consisting of 45 members led by Lieutenant Muhamad Ali Rajaie Nor Mohamed of the Royal Malaysian Navy, was a musical accompaniment for the ceremony.
Once the guard-of-honour ceremony was over, the Last Post was played and the Malaysian flag was then lowered.
The ceremony then continued with the recitation of a prayer by Insp Adib Azimat and followed by the recitation of a poem entitled 'Blood of the Warriors on the Land of Freedom, jointly recited by Lieutenant Hadzeri Julai of the 503rd Regiment of the Territorial Army and Corporal Nurul Syuhada Azmi from the Perak police headquarters.
Once finished, the "Rouse" was played and the Malaysian flag was raised again, followed by the Perak anthem sung before the guard-of-honour left the parade, marking the end of the ceremony.
Sultan Nazrin attended a reception at the Banquet Hall before leaving.
Warriors Day is annually celebrated nationwide on July 31 to honour the heroes who have sacrificed and served the country in the name of freedom.
It is also held to honour their contributions in defending Malaysia’s peace and sovereignty.
Looking back at history, July 31, 1960, marks the official end of the Emergency (Darurat) in Malaya.
Since then, July 31 has been declared Warriors’ Day in Malaysia.
