KUALA LUMPUR: The unboxing of a giant Jalur Gemilang to celebrate National Day at the Tower Terrace, Kuala Lumpur (KL) Tower today captivated international tourists, many of whom were seeing Malaysia’s flag for the first time.
Seng Hla, a 31-year-old public relations officer based in Washington DC, who attended the event, shared that he had never seen the Malaysian flag before, despite having often heard about the country’s uniqueness from friends and relatives.
“The opportunity to visit this country with my family since yesterday has been a blessing because I could see the Malaysian flag up close.
“Your national flag is almost similar to ours (the United States flag) because it features white, red and blue colours in addition to the star shape, which is a new thing for outsiders like me,” he told reporters when met at the KL Tower today.
An information technology specialist based in Saudi Arabia, Shaju Velivalath, 55, from Kerala, India, recounted seeing numerous Malaysian flags flying along the road during his journey from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to his hotel in the federal capital with his family yesterday.
“But then, I had no idea what events would unfold. After witnessing this unboxing event, I now understand that the flag-raising coincides with Malaysia’s National Day. It seems that our visit here (to the KL Tower) was not in vain,” he said, adding that he had been planning his trip to Malaysia for three months.
The unboxing event kicked off at 10 am, with over 200 staff involved in lifting and unfurling the Jalur Gemilang, which weighs 70 kilogrammes and measures 17.37 metres in width and 34.74 metres in length.
Meanwhile, KL Tower managing director Datuk Abdul Hamid Shaikh said the Jalur Gemilang would be mounted on the tower’s antenna on Aug 27 and 28.
“The initiative to hoist the giant Jalur Gemilang began last year, but it was more of an experimental effort back then because we were figuring out various technical aspects, such as anticipating wind direction and determining the appropriate weight of the flag that could be flown.
“This year, we are better prepared and hope this can become an annual event to boost the National Day spirit,” he told a press conference after the unboxing event.
KL Tower chief executive officer Nazri Saad added that the flag, which will be hoisted at a height of about 400 metres, can be seen from as far as 10 kilometres away.
