KUALA NERANG: Some 3,000 Kedahans celebrated Malaysia's 57th Merdeka Day and held a special prayer ceremony at midnight at SK Kuala Nerang.
The event was relatively low key compared to celebrations in previous years in view of the MH17 tragedy.
It started at 10pm with the arrival of the Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir followed by nasyid and qasidah by nasyid group Hijjaz and Raihan and a declamation as well as a religious ceramah by Ustaz Tantawi Yusof.
The climax of the event was the parade and the handing over of Jalur Gemilang to Mukhriz on stage.
In his speech, Mukhriz said the country's constitution should be imbibed at all times not just during Merdeka Day and the spirit of patriotism should beat proudly in every Malaysian's heart.
"Of late, a lot of questions have been raised about loyalty and things that are already entrenched in the constitution. The spirit of patriotism has eroded among citizens and there are many who put Malaysia down.
"This group of people can no longer tell the difference between patriotism and the basic principles and foundation of the country or the role of political parties," he said.
Mukhriz added that Malaysians should take note of countries that had gone downhill due to power struggles and economic strife resulting in anarchy and their citizens arguing among themselves.
“These countries used to be great but have now been sidelined as a result. Citizens that were once prosperous now struggle. We should take note of all this and it should teach us an invaluable lesson," he said.