Less than two hours before the stroke of midnight, the spirit of the Independence Day celebration was felt even more when the citizens of Ipoh took the opportunity to participate in the Merdeka Cycling Programme last night.
The road at Persiaran Bandaraya, in front of the Ipoh City Council Building (MBI) was flooded with lights when more than 700 participants of various backgrounds and ages participated.
As early as 7.40pm, the participants gathered with their respective bicycles to make the event a success, especially after two years of no programmes being organised due to the pandemic.
Also participating in the cycling was the chairman of the state’s Youth, Sports, Community and Multimedia Committee, Khairul Shahril Mohamed together with Ipoh Mayor Dato’ Rumaizi Baharin@Md Daud,
The event was also attended by MBI senior officers as well as MBI Council Members.
There were two categories of cycling which were the VIP Category of 5 kilometres (km) and the Open Category (22.9km).
Khairul Shahril inaugurated the Open Category followed by the VIP Category.
The Kayuhan Merdeka programme is a programme implemented by MBI every year and designed by the Perak State Secretariat for the celebration of National Day at the Perak State level.
The objective of the programme is to unite as many people as possible from the state of Perak, who are made up of various races and religions, in one programme to celebrate National Day together.
Meanwhile, MBI in a statement informed that the last time the Independent Cycling Programme was held in Ipoh was in 2018.
“The special thing about this programme is that it is in conjunction with the nation’s 65th independence. The theme of the programme also takes the theme of National Day 2022 which is ‘Malaysian Family Strong Together’.
“The year 2022 will see the Merdeka Kayuhan Programme held for the first time after the pandemic era and after the country transitions into the endemic phase.
“So, this is something very special and exciting especially for all the people of Perak,” said the statement.
Hopefully, this programme will help produce a generation of Ipoh residents who remain healthy, active and fit. It is also hoped to unite all the citizens of the city, consisting of various racial, cultural and religious backgrounds in accordance with the National Day theme this year.
by Rosli Mansor Ahmad Razali
