BUTTERWORTH: Thousands gathered for the culmination of the 2025 Malaysia Day celebration at the PICCA@Butterworth Arena Convention Centre here, filling the venue with an atmosphere of colour, harmony and national spirit.
The glittering night marked a historic moment for Penang as it was given the honour of hosting the event for the first time under the theme ‘Malaysia Madani: Rakyat Disantuni’.
The lineup of Federal, Sabah and Sarawak leaders, together with thousands of visitors, began converging at the centre from 6.30pm on Tuesday (Sept 16).
Pre-performances by the Penang State Department of Arts and Culture (JKKN) Arts Group, Malaysian Traditional Orchestra, and the Tabika Perpaduan children kicked off at 7pm.
At 8pm, the event saw the arrival of Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow; Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who is representing Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg; and Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya, who is representing Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
Then came the arrival of Deputy Prime Ministers Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof; followed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who had just returned from the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha, Qatar, with his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Penang Governor Tun Ramli Ngah Talib and his wife, Toh Puan Raja Noora Ashikin Raja Abdullah, who were the guests of honour, arrived at 8.30pm.
The entire centre was then filled with the national anthem, followed by the Penang state anthem, ‘Negeri Kita’, before the recitation of Rukun Negara, which was led by the recipient of the 2016 Fifa Puskas Award, Mohd Faiz Subri, together with 61 participants clad in traditional attire.
The stage was then illuminated with a five-minute performance titled 'Rentak Tradisi Pulau Mutiara' (The Rhythm of Penang's Traditions), which blended three of Penang's most iconic art forms: Joget Joghee, Chinese Opera, and Boria.
The combination of dance, music and acting was performed by the JKKN Arts Group, Kumpulan Kesenian Adikarma from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Guru Shri Arul Manikan Indian dance group, Penang Teo Chew Opera Association and the Boria Budayasari group. – Bernama
