PETRA JAYA: The haze which has badly affected the Sarawak capital failed to deter more than 10,000 people from flooding the Stadium Perpaduan here tonight for the national-level Malaysia Day celebration.
The crowd, wearing face masks to protect themselves from the effects of the haze, began showing up as early as 5pm, braving the unhealthy air, which was recorded at 226 - classified as ‘very unhealthy’ - on the Air Pollution Index (API) at 5pm.
The venue for the Malaysia Day celebration was initially scheduled to be held at the Padang Merdeka, but was later shifted to the indoor stadium following concerns over the air quality.
The Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak, Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud, accompanied by his wife Toh Puan Ragad Kurdi Taib, arrived at 8.30pm.
Earlier, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, together with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail were greeted by Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Abang Openg upon their arrival.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and other state and federal ministers were also present.
This year’s celebration carries the theme Sayangi Malaysiaku: Malaysia Bersih, and features a host of dazzling performances.
A ‘shadow play’ performance, titled ‘United We Stand, Divided We Fall’, was the crowd favourite, with its unique and intricate presentation, which delivered a message of unity.
Around 500 people also delivered a special performance titled The Journey, which took the audience on a retelling of Malaysian life and key events in history.