Family of four travels from Ipoh to join National Day celebrations in Putrajaya

PUTRAJAYA - A family of four was willing to travel 170 kilometres (km) from Ipoh, Perak to Putrajaya just to experience first-hand the 2023 National Day celebrations here.

Angelia Oswald,15, when interviewed by Bernama at 6.15am at Dataran Putrajaya, said she and her three family members left Ipoh at midnight and arrived in Putrajaya at 4am today.

"We felt that we have not experienced the National Day celebrations before, having only watched it on television. My older sister mooted the idea to travel to Putrajaya to witness it first-hand, and we all were excited to be able to watch the aerial display (during the National Day parade)," said the student of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tarcisian Convent.

Many visitors began gathering at Dataran Putrajaya as early as 1 am and there were those who were willing to 'camp' in the area and sleep on sidewalks just so that they could catch the celebrations, held for the fifth time here.

Three friends were also excited to watch this year's parade and decided to camp in front of the Post Office at Dataran Putrajaya in order to get the best vantage point to watch the colourful proceedings today.

Hakimi Tuan Muda, 26, said he and his two friends from Puncak Alam, Selangor drove to Dataran Putrajaya, arriving at about 1am, after welcoming the country's 66th year of independence at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur.

"When we arrived (Dataran Putrajaya), it was already full of people. We decided to get some sleep, and felt very safe to do so as there were many policemen patrolling the area," he said.

Hakimi, who is a backhoe operator, said he was motivated to attend the celebrations in Putrajaya after watching videos and photographs shared by the media and the public on social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook.

Another visitor, Mohd Akmal Mohd Noor, 27, said he came to Putrajaya not to just watch the parade of uniformed groups but more because he wanted to instil a love for the country in his three-year-old daughter.

"Although she is small, I noticed how happy and enthusiastic she was. She only slept for an hour because she was so excited to come here to join the celebrations.

"Through this parade, I will be able to show her the uniformed bodies we have in the country," said Mohd Akmal, who came from Shah Alam with his wife and in-laws.

Meanwhile, a Bernama survey found an increase in the number of commuters at 4.30 am using the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) to Putrajaya.

Private sector employee Edward Lee from Cyberjaya brought his two children, aged seven and nine, to witness the celebrations.

"For the first time, I want them to have the experience of watching the celebration and seeing the various cultural performances of the various Malaysian communities," said Lee, who took the Rapid KL shuttle bus with his wife and children from Putrajaya Sentral.

Another visitor, Marsan Tijan, 47, from Port Dickson in Negeri Sembilan said he had been at Dataran Putrajaya since early this morning and slept at the location in order to catch the parade.

He said his youngest son Mohd Aiman ​​Zakwan, six, had wanted to watch the parade involving military assets such as tanks and fighter jets.

"We were all excited and were not deterred even when it started to rain at 4 am. We wanted to sit in a strategic place to catch the show, so we opened up our umbrellas and waited," he added.

The National Day 2023 celebration, the first under the Unity Government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, is themed ‘Malaysia Madani: Tekad Perpaduan, Penuhi Harapan’. - BERNAMA