IPOH: The excitement surrounding the 2026 National Day and Malaysia Day celebrations (HKHM 2026) will be felt through a variety of special programmes planned following the launch of the 2026 National Month Celebration and Jalur Gemilang Flag-Waving Campaign (MPBKKJG 2026) on Sunday (July 19), says Datuk Aminurrahim Mohamed.
The Communications Ministry senior undersecretary (management), who is also HKHM 2026 main committee working secretary, said the programmes include Kembara Bahasa HKHM 2026 and RIUH Merdeka under the Countdown Programme.
He said new programmes have also been planned to further ignite the spirit of patriotism and encourage Malaysians to share in the meaning of the country's independence.
"We will also continue the Qur'an Hour programme. I will not reveal everything because we want to create a 'wow factor' and keep people anticipating what is to come. We have planned several new elements and have tried to refine them further this year," he said after inspecting preparations and attending the full rehearsal for MPBKKJG 2026 at Dewan Sri Perdana, the Sultan Azlan Shah Institute for Health Training (ILKKM SAS), Tanjung Rambutan, here Saturday (July 18).
Meanwhile, Aminurrahim urged Malaysians to embrace the spirit of National Month by starting to fly the Jalur Gemilang and play patriotic songs.
"...and most importantly, let us all pray for our country so that it continues to be peaceful and prosperous, and remains a place that we can truly enjoy," he said.
He also said this year's programme had received encouraging sponsorship support from the private and corporate sectors, enabling the celebrations to be held on a grand scale as in previous years.
He was informed that 15 companies had come forward as sponsors for the MPBKKJG 2026 programme in Ipoh, including courier company J&T, 7-Eleven, ZUS Coffee and QSR Brands.
"On behalf of the ministry, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the sponsoring companies. Alhamdulillah, I have been informed that at this stage, we have already matched and may even surpass last year's sponsorship," he said.
The MPBKKJG 2026 ceremony, which will be held on Sunday from 10 am and officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, will feature a variety of exciting and patriotic performances.
The highlights include the Patriot Merdeka Run in the morning and the launch of the HKHM2026 theme song, to be performed by a prominent Malaysian male singer in front of an estimated 3,000 guests.
The event can also be watched live on Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), as well as the Facebook Live pages of Merdeka360, the Communications Ministry and the Information Department. - Bernama
