THE Merdeka Day celebrations tomorrow promises to be reverent with ceremonies being scaled down as a tribute to those on board the ill fated Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
About 10,000 participants turned up for the national day parade full-dress rehearsal at Dataran Merdeka yesterday.
Those who have attended the parades and rehearsals annually agreed that there has never been such a sense of solidarity among the participants before.
The spirit of togetherness was also apparent as there were many first-timers at the parade.
Dr Ashween Kaur said doctors in Hospital Kuala Lumpur jumped at the chance to volunteer as medics even if it meant sacrificing a day off.
“We have such hectic schedules and are on call most of the time.
“For junior doctors, days off are also few and far between but we lost so many people this year on both MH17 and MH370.
“There is no better time to show our support,” she added