PETALING JAYA – The excitement of participating in this year’s National Day parade is a unique and cherished experience for many Grab drivers and delivery partners.
For Mohamad Azahar Bakia, a 57-year-old Grab driver from Setapak, the opportunity to represent Grab’s contingent at the 67th National Day parade in Dataran Putrajaya is a dream come true.
Having served as a Grab driver for nearly seven years, Azahar, who is from the persons with disabilities (PwD) group, expressed immense pride and excitement at being included in the celebration.
“I’ve always wanted to be part of the parade, but my condition made it difficult to find a suitable platform,” he said.
“When Grab offered me the chance to participate in my wheelchair, I was thrilled. This is the first time in my 57 years that I get to join the National Day parade. Thank you, Grab.”
His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, and Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, graced the National Day celebration at Dataran Putrajaya today.
It is the first presence by Their Majesties at the country’s National Day celebration since Sultan Ibrahim was sworn in and crowned as the 17th king of Malaysia on January 31 and July 20, respectively.
According to Bernama, their Majesties arrived at 8am and were received on arrival by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi arrived at the venue at 7.45am, while his fellow deputy prime minister, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, arrived seven minutes earlier.
Also present were Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, who is the National Day and Malaysia Day 2024 Celebration Main Committee chairman, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu and Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh were also present.
The event, themed “Malaysia Madani: Jiwa Merdeka”, was also attended by deputy ministers, dignitaries and foreign delegates.
This year’s celebration featured 17,262 participants, 67 contingents, 36 bands, 534 assets from the Malaysian Army and Royal Malaysian Air Force, and 100 service animals.
Siti Fatimah Badrun, 42, another PwD Grab driver from Subang Jaya, shared her joy at being part of the parade.
In previous years, she only had the chance to drive passengers to the celebration venues, but this year, she proudly joined the parade as a participant, representing Grab’s contingent.
“I’m excited to go through the whole process – waking up early, travelling with the other contingents, and preparing for the parade. It’s such a thrill to be on the other side this year,” she said.
Nurasma Omar, 34, a GrabFood delivery partner from Cheras, also felt privileged to be involved in the celebrations.
“It’s a new experience for me – actually being part of the parade rather than just watching it on TV. I enjoyed meeting up with my fellow delivery partners, socialising and sharing stories. This day will be a memorable one.”
This year, more than 50 Grab participants, including management staff, drivers and delivery partners, took part in the National Day Parade. – August 31, 2024