PUTRAJAYA: The return of “Abang Bomba” and “Akak Bomba” proved to be a major hit with the crowd, drawing some of the loudest reactions.
Cheers and screams rang out as the firefighters flexed their muscles atop enforcement vehicles while waving and smiling at spectators lining the route.
Their women counterparts, the “Akak Bomba”, were equally popular, winning over the crowd with waves, smiles and poses.
Some personnel even went to greet spectators directly, prompting even louder cheers and applause from those gathered.
Other uniformed services were not to be outdone, with personnel members from the Malaysian Armed Forces, police and Road Transport Department also attracting attention.
It was all part of the parade for the celebrations, this year with the theme “Malaysia Madani: Shared Prosperity”.
Participants posed, waved and smiled at the crowd, with many spectators capturing the lively moments on their phones as the parade moved past.
A total of 10,819 participants took part in the parade, comprising 76 contingents, 22 marching bands, and 11 decorated floats from various government agencies, security forces, uniformed bodies, government-linked companies, school students, institutions of higher learning, as well as representatives of civil society organisations.
Contingents from various ministries, agencies and popular private companies also brought their own colourful floats with each showcasing unique designs.
The floats showcased Malaysia’s natural and tourism heritage, featuring realistic recreations of rainforests, and even a full-sized sculpture of the hornbill, the national bird, perched among vines.
The floats also depicted a number of Malaysia’s famous natural tourists hotspots such as Mount Kinabalu, which was shown through a mini recreation of the mountain peak on the float.
Visit Malaysia 2026 mascots, Malayan sun bear Wira and Manja, waved to spectators from one of the larger floats, adding to the festive atmosphere and highlighting the tourism campaign.
The iconic Milo trucks also made an appearance, drawing loud cheers from spectators along the parade route.
