By Zaki Salleh
Photo: Ipoh Echo & MBI
IPOH: The area around the Ipoh City Hall turned into a sea of people as more than 30,000 visitors came to witness the 67th National Day celebration at the state level in Perak.
The event, held in front of the Ipoh City Hall on Jalan Panglima Bukit Gantang Wahab, was vibrant and colorful.
By early dawn, the crowds had already filled the area to celebrate this meaningful day as the main roads were closed to vehicles.
Sultan Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, arrived at 8:15 AM to the warm welcome of the people, accompanied by the Queen of Perak, Tuanku Zara Salim, and their children, Raja Kecil Besar Perak, Raja Datuk Seri Azlan Muzaffar Shah, and Raja Nazira Safya.
Also present were Raja Muda Perak, Raja Jaafar Raja Muda Musa, and Raja Dihilir Perak, Raja Iskandar Dzurkarnain Idris Shah.
They were accompanied by Menteri Besar Perak, Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad, his wife, Datin Seri Aezer Zubin, and the state government executive council members.
Sultan Nazrin then inspected the Honorary Guard parade by the Royal Engineers Regiment.
The excitement of the celebration was marked by the procession of contingents including marching units, bands, military assets, and other government agencies.
An estimated 6,000 participants from 71 parade contingents took part in this event.
The parade featured military and security forces, various government agencies, statutory bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private sector groups, adding color to the celebration.
The Ipoh City Council (MBI) contingent once again made a name for itself by winning Best Costume and Second Place in the Local Authority, Statutory Body, Private Sector, and NGO category.
Their appearance, themed ‘Malaysia Madani: Jiwa Merdeka’ with creatively used Jalur Gemilang colors, impressed the judges.
The costume was designed by Puan Faridah binti Abdul Aziz from MBI’s Corporate Planning Department.
The MBI contingent took home a cash prize of RM3,000 (second place in the best marching category) and RM5,000 (best costume), along with a certificate presented by Sultan Nazrin.
