Sabahans Excited And Eagerly Awaiting Tomorrow's Malaysia Day Celebrations

KOTA KINABALU, Sept 15 (Bernama) -- The people of Sabah, especially those living in Kota Kinabalu, are excited, impatient and at the same time eagerly looking forward to the 2024 Malaysia Day celebrations which will be held at Padang Merdeka here, tomorrow night.

The last time Sabah hosted the Malaysia Day Celebration was in 2021, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were limitations as residents were prevented from going out together to show unity as Malaysians.

However, this time around they do not want to miss the opportunity to go out en masse to celebrate the occassion together.

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Abdul Rahman Sarii, 34, a rental van driver said the Malaysia Day celebration is an opportunity for him to take his two children, aged eight and 13, to see cultural performances, traditional dances, and concerts that symbolize the unity of Malaysians.

“I feel very excited because this year's celebration is close to my house in Sembulan (Kota Kinabalu). I can't wait to see the cultural performances and songs from all the states in Malaysia and I want the children to know the true Malaysian culture,” Abdul Rahman from the Bajau ethnic group told Bernama.

He added that the celebration provides an opportunity for the people to understand the various cultural performances of the Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak tomorrow night and stand together strongly as one country.

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Nur Intan Laman, 27, a primary school teacher said she hoped that more young people would attend the celebration so that each of them would understand the importance of the history of the formation of Malaysia and the meaning of our unification as Malaysians. 

“Malaysia Day is not just a public holiday for me. It is a symbol of our unification as one country, we all have to understand this and we will see that symbol of unification tomorrow night. I hope my students will also come with me tomorrow,” said the teacher from the Dusun ethnic group. 

Nur Intan is also looking forward to the speech of leaders, especially Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, on the night of the celebration, which is hoped to bring a message of unity and progress. 

Siti Zahara Gumalang, 30, a small trader said Malaysia Day reminded her of the hardship of the previous generation, especially the previous leaders, to build a country called Malaysia that enables its people to live in peace and harmony.

“Being there tomorrow is a way for us to appreciate the services of the generation before us. Unity is very important, especially in today's modern age. We can't forget all that, it's not easy because from nothing, we in Sabah and Malaysia can continue to progress,” explained Siti from the Rungus ethnic.

She said unity is not politics, instead it is full of human values ​​in everyday life that need to be instilled well, especially to be passed on to the next generation.

Meanwhile, Lembaga Kebudayaan Sabah teacher, Wahyudi Saiem said 150 dancers would be involved in a dance performance for the 2024 Malaysia Day celebration tomorrow night.

Wahyudi said it will involve two segments of performance that will feature the uniqueness of cultural diversity in Malaysia, and welcomed visitors and MADANI Family, as well as the public to come and watch the performances. 

 “We, the teaching staff, are very proud of our students, as a result of their efforts and hard work, they presented energetic performances at the rehearsals held before, even though the 10-day training period allocated was very short,” he said. 

 He said the dance performance was a collaboration from the National Department of Culture and Arts Sabah, the Cultural Board, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and cultural associations of schools around Kota Kinabalu.

A visit to Padang Merdeka by a Bernama crew saw most of the main structure for the celebrations completed while the finishing touches and tests were being carried out on the sound and lighting systems.

-- BERNAMA