PUTRAJAYA: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia and Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, graced the 69th National Day celebrations at Dataran Putrajaya.
Cheers from the crowd greeted Their Majesties when they arrived at the main stage in their vehicle at 8am.
This marked the third year that Their Majesties have witnessed the grand spectacle, following Sultan Ibrahim’s oath-taking and installation as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Jan 31 and July 20, 2024, respectively.
The King and Queen were welcomed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail upon their arrival at the stage. Members of the Cabinet were also present.
The resonant call of the trumpet echoed across Dataran Putrajaya before the Main Honour Guard band played the national anthem, Negaraku.
This was followed by a fly-past of five helicopters carrying the Malaysian flag and the flags of the Malaysian Armed Forces, Army, Royal Malaysian Navy and Royal Malaysian Air Force, immediately after Their Majesties took their places at the Royal Stage.
Sultan Ibrahim also inspected the parade and received the Royal Salute from the Main Honour Guard, performed by the 41st Battery of the Ceremonial Royal Artillery Regiment, comprising three officers and 57 other personnel from Sungai Buloh Camp.
At the same time, parade participants opposite the VVIP stage carried out a human graphic performance displaying yellow-coloured placards showing the words “Daulat Tuanku”, adding to the patriotic atmosphere.
Sultan Ibrahim gave a salute during the flag-raising ceremony. At the same time, military helicopters bearing the Jalur Gemilang flew over the main stage. The event concluded with the playing of Negaraku.
Their Majesties then departed Dataran Putrajaya.
Shortly afterwards, Anwar walked over to greet the human graphic performers.
He exchanged a few words with some of them before walking through the venue.
Along the way, he stopped several times to chat with members of the public, particularly children, with some receiving warm embraces from the Prime Minister.
The interactions drew cheers from the crowd as Anwar made his way through the packed celebration area.
Anwar thanked the participants for their efforts and praised their performance.
“Thank God, good show. Thank you very much. Great, great show,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who also attended the event, described this year’s National Day celebrations as exceptional, saying they were even better than previous years.
He attributed the improvement to the growing patriotic spirit among Malaysians, which was evident throughout the celebrations.
