From the parade to the VIP stage for Syed Saddiq

PUTRAJAYA: For Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, this year’s National Day is a nostalgic occasion.

Ten years ago, he was part of the parade as a 16-year-old student of the Royal Military College (RMC).

Yesterday, he stood on the VIP stage as the Youth and Sports Minister alongside Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and other dignitaries.

“This is not my first time participating in the National Day celebrations, as I was part of the parade in 2008 when I was studying in RMC.

“Being on the VIP stage for the first time was memorable and nostalgic.

“I prefer to be on the ground though,” Syed Saddiq told reporters on the sidelines of the celebrations here.

The 25-year-old was clearly a popular figure, as many members of the public pushed their way towards him to take wefies or just to catch a glimpse of Malaysia’s youngest minister.

Other members of the Cabinet, many of them also in their first term as ministers, were also present to witness the National Day parade.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo, whose ministry organised the celebration, expressed his pride over the coordination of the event.

“We can see unity among all the Malaysians who are here celebrating this special day,” he said.

“Many of us remember how difficult it was to achieve independence.

“Putrajaya has been an excellent host to this celebration and hopefully, we can organise an even better one next year,” said Gobind.

Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the National Day celebrations transcended barriers between the people and that all Malaysians were united as one.

“It’s something quite extraordinary in the new Malaysia,” he said.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the parade was symbolic of a new Malaysia as a nation that could stand tall and proud.

Meanwhile, according to Bernama, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said the spontaneity of the crowd reflected the lively and emotional nature of the celebration, where people rose to shout “Sayangi Malaysiaku” – the theme of this year’s celebration – each time the slogan was mentioned by the master of ceremony.

He said the response proved that the people were with the government in celebrating the true meaning of freedom.