Merdeka Day Parade Celebration At Kuala Terengganu

August 31, 2005 might be one of the memorable day in my life history ever recorded into my brain cells.

As one of the representative for the corporate company (well-renowned state own company group) participating in the Merdeka Day Parade Celebration which has been held at Kuala Terengganu where the parade take-off from the Sultan Nashiruddin Shah Stadium and ended at Astaka Awam Pantai Batu Buruk.

The event started early in the morning at 7.oo am with the Opening Speech by our own Menteri Besar of Terengganu, Datuk Seri Hj. Idris Jusoh and eventually with 3 times shouting of "Merdeka!!". Our team which consist of 40 members were eager & anxious waiting for our turn to take-off and being number 104th group out of 159 teams means an hour standing "standstill" in the stadium field.

While waiting for our turn to parade out of the stadium, I looked at another teams who were in full set of uniform / complete attire as compared to our team only wearing t-shirt yellow in color bearing our company logo that seems barely to been seen and noticed, a golf cap bearing one of the subsidiary group logo, a dark blue pants slack (mostly borrowed from the Auxilliary Police, even one of the members was wearing black jeans instead!) and the most funny and out of the blue would be definitely the white hand gloves! What the heck!!

Our team as seing from an another camera perspective.
* The identity of our group company cannot be revealed

However, as we were all already there...just do what we have to do even it was such a an embarassing moment of the day with an adequate marching practise and training...it seems very awkward to match other teams even for the schools team representative!!

We marched out at almost 8.00 am from the stadium to Pantai Batu Burok along the Jalan Sultan Omar to Jalan Kamaruddin. It was almost 3.5km in journey with an enourmous spectators along the way. So many crowds attending to watch the parade. This was an another blushing moment for us as people were watching with an openned-mouth or "jaw-dropping" as likely they were looking to a bunch of clowns escaped from the circus!

I even heard voices from unidentified sources from the crowds whispering, "Ni hok syarikat mende pulok pakai gining nih...hok bajet kecik kali doh gamoknya.." Huh! Well, I just ignored them...just marched foward as nothing bothering me.

A crowds witnessed the parade at Pantai Batu Burok

While at the Sultan Omar roundabout, one of the RELA member guy just fainted and collapsed..luckily the paramedic team (Civil Defense Department) was there during that moment and he had being sent to Hospital Besar Kuala Terengganu which he eventually died...as the news circulated he died due to heart attacked.

Besides marching in disorderly fashion (our team only has been allocated for practise only 4 days with 2 hours per day insteads of 2 months as compared to other teams), our team leader had given us a very confusing command which barely to be heard at the back...and that lead our teams responded just exactly like a bunch of untrainned "clowns" . Some of us just randomly stopped and scracthing their heads like they were having that "parasites" sucking their bloods nerves on the head...

Our Menteri Besar of Terengganu looks "clueless"...

The most embarrassing momment would be definetly during passing the main stage where the Sultan Mizan of Terengganu together with the Menteri Besar and others EXCOs (even the our own group company non-executive chairman was there and as one of the EXCOs member) and State Assemblymen watching us helplessly and clueless. By marching passing them without giving any proper respect gesture as practised earlier, we just marching foward in clumsiness...

The Sultan Mizan was inspecting the Royal Malaysian Army Force.

Our teams successfully completed the parade by 10.00 am with 90% disaster comparable to Hurricane Katrina devastated the area in New Orleans, Louisiana recently. Just one died despite of it and a few fainted and collapsed as the heat arisen.

Petronas squad won as the best non-uniform (corporate) contigent.

* Our company group non-executive chairman has made a comment to our team advisor pertaining his unpleasant / dissatisfaction over our showmanship. Perhaps after he findout the root causes why we had'nt enough preparation and the budget allocation might justify the consequences. Just hopefully the next parade in next year would be much better and sweet memorable not just for the group but the participants as well with full of pride.

**This was the first time parade ever we have taking part so far.