IPOH: The patriotic spirit of celebrating National Day 2024 was not only vibrant at major celebration venues across the country but also demonstrated by Malaysians in residential areas and villages.
Residents of Ulu Kinta Public Housing 2 (RPA 2), for instance, are known for their annual National Day activities. This year, over 300 residents got together to decorate their housing area with 2,000 pieces of the Jalur Gemilang.
RPA 2 Residents’ Association chairman Fadzil Ismail, said that this year, there is also a contest for the “most cheerful residence” and a Merdeka parade around the village.
“We always organise National Day celebration at the community level each year, but on a smaller scale. This year, we also have competitions and activities to encourage more residents to participate.
“The activities and competitions we have this year is the ‘1 House 1 Jalur Gemilang’ campaign, a Merdeka parade, a bicycle competition and a patriotic-themed costume contest,“ he said during the Independence Month celebration programme at RPA 2, Ulu Kinta today.
Fadzil said the fund used for the programme is collected from residents and this year the association allocated RM5,000.
Meanwhile, one of the residents, Muhammad Mustakim Zahari, 37, said the programme, held on a gotong-royong basis, not only instilled the spirit of patriotism but also strengthened the bonds among the residents.
“Everyone, from children to the elderly, worked together to hang and decorate the flags. I hope that this spirit of cooperation will persist and become a common practice among the residents,” he said.
Another resident, Muhamad Shameer Mohd Yusoff, 36, hoped that the programme could be carried out again next year and involve a larger participation from the residents.
“Perhaps we could increase the number of competitions or have more activities to get more residents to join,” he said.
