PUTRAJAYA: The morning air was filled with enthusiasm, patriotism and unity as over 1,000 Malaysians gathered for a vibrant fun run and delightful picnic.
At Media Prima Bhd's (MPB) "Malaysia Paling Best Piknik", citizens from all walks of life, including those as far as Perlis, came together to celebrate National Day and Malaysia Day.
Some were dressed in colourful costumes, accompanied by their families, enjoying the various activities available at Taman Botani Putrajaya.
These included colouring, sand art, a bouncy castle, and bubble play, all while savouring nasi lemak and teh tarik.
Key highlights of the event included the Bekpes Hot 5KM Fun Run organised by Hot FM, 1,000 free servings of nasi lemak and teh tarik courtesy of TV9, 1,000 free newspapers distributed by the New Straits Times Press Bhd, and a lucky draw by Wowshop.
MPB Group Chairman Datuk Seri Syed Hussian Aljunid was also in attendance at the event.
Group Marketing Department general manager Junisa Jaafar Sidek said the picnic was the campaign finale of the "Manis Pahit Bersama" campaign.
She expressed her delight at the promising turnout this morning, with over 1,000 attendees joining the event.
She was deeply touched by their resilience in braving the rain to participate in the festivities alongside all the artists.
"This year, we have brought the most popular foods in Malaysia. Previously, we conducted a poll for Malaysians to choose the No. 1 food, and both nasi lemak and teh tarik won.
"Today, we distributed 1,000 packs of nasi lemak and teh tarik. Everyone eagerly lined up for the food after completing the fun run.
"It's a nice celebration for Malaysians, eating Malaysian food," she said.
Among the participants was Ruselawati Abu Hassan, 42, who was clad in a ghillie suit equipped with a toy gun.
The housewife said this was one way for her to show appreciation to the armed forces.
"I came from Puchong to join the fun run. Tomorrow is Malaysia Day, so I want to celebrate and show my appreciation to our army and warriors," she said.
She added that wearing the suit was also one way to "fulfil" her dream of joining the army, as she had been unsuccessful in her interview to become a soldier.
Ruselawati said the event had given her a sense of unity, especially seeing people from all races joining in and having fun.
Umie Syafira Mazli, 24, travelled 12 hours from Perlis yesterday to join in the event.
She said she had heard about the event from Hot FM and was excited to join in and meet its host, Fara Fauzana.
"I started my journey about 6pm yesterday and arrived before dawn. I was excited to see the performance. The journey here was worth it," the student said.
Hemalatha Nagamuthu, 39, said her two children had had a great time at the event, thoroughly enjoying the diverse activities on offer.
The civil servant from Kuala Lumpur said she saw the promotions in the "New Straits Times" and was excited to join in the fun.
"I am a loyal listener of Hot FM and I read newspapers every day.
"If there are more events like this, we can show our support," she said.
The picnic featured performances from artists, including Faizal Tahir, Shi En, Asyraf Nasir, Hasif Upin and Lan Solo.
Also in attendance were artists and personalities shortlisted for the 36th Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian, including Hasif, Khairy Jamaluddin, Fara Fauzana, Johan (real name Mohd Yazid Lim Mohamad Aziz), AG (Muhammad Azmir Selamat), Haiza Hanafi, Muaznazzuddin Mohamed, and Mat Dan (Mohammad Kareef Daniel Abdullah).