Tuesday, March 1 marked the 83th Army Day celebration nationwide. Aimed at acknowledging the achievements of the army since its establishment in 1933, Headquarters 2nd Malaysian Infantry Brigade, Ipoh commemorated the annual event with a static parade made up of 11 officers and 154 other ranks personnel from component units of the brigade. The parade, commanded by Major Mohd Farid bin Mustafa was held at the headquarters parade ground.
After singing the army martial song, “Gagah Setia”, Lt-Col Azlan bin Muhammad, the inspecting officer, read the formal address by the Malaysian Army Chief, Gen Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi bin Raja Mohamed Noor.
Gen Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi paid tribute to the 25 pioneering recruits who were the first batch of soldiers of the First Battalion Royal Malay Regiment. They completed their basic training on March 1, 1933 at Port Dickson. Since then, the army has expanded to what it is today.
“Currently, we’re staying true to the ‘Army 2 10 Plus 10’ strategic plan to mould a credible force. Next, we are coming up with a continuation plan known as ‘Army for Next Generation’ or ‘Army 4nextG’ which would be realised soon,” he stated.
“Besides that, the formation of the Rocket Artillery Brigade is among the many new initiatives in the pipeline.”
According to Col Azlan, the government is committed to equipping the army with modern assets such as Gempita 8×8, Shield 4×4, light attack helicopter and others.
“I urge everyone to place emphasis on training. Time is never wasted on training. I too hail members of the Army Families Welfare Association (BAKAT) who are the army’s unsung heroes,” said Azlan.
Present at the parade was the Chief of Staff of Headquarters 2nd Malaysian Infantry Brigade, Lt-Col Ahmad @ Ahmad Zaisal bin Abd Rashid along with staff of the brigade headquarters.
The occasion ended with a cake-cutting ceremony at the brigade mess hall. At national level, the annual Army Day celebration was held at the Army Recruit Training Centre, Port Dickson.
Mei Kuan
