PUTRAJAYA, Aug 31 – Malaysia Prihatin (caring, considerate) is this year’s theme for the country’s 64th Merdeka or National Day celebration.
In urging Malaysians to be considerate of one another, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaacob in his Merdeka Day speech said this was one quality he felt that each Malaysian should have within him or her.
“When we are considerate, we empathise with the suffering of another person. When we are considerate, we take care of the safety and health of our community. When we are considerate, we will be united in spirit to fight the country’s enemy.
“Hence, I appeal to all to fully understand the theme and inculcate a spirit of caring. I am confident that with our considerate ways, Malaysia will be able to beat the chain of Covid-19 and continue to see peace and prosperity,” he said in a posting on his official Facebook page.
Amid the gloom of the Covid-19, Malaysia saw a modest celebration of its 64th year of independence with various programmes held at the Dewan Pahlawan Negara here, Malaysian National News Agency, BERNAMA reported.
Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and his wife, Datin Seri Muhaini Zainal Abidin, attended the celebration virtually as the prime minister has been in quarantine since Monday after having had close contact with a Covid-19 patient.
Today’s celebration started at 8am with three members of the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) raising the Jalur Gemilang, accompanied by the national anthem.
This was followed by the reading of the Rukun Negara and then the shouts of “Merdeka” by representatives from the various front line agencies and departments, led by Luqman AlHakim Mohd Tamyes from the Education Ministry.