by Anishametra Saravanan & Athirah Sofea

While many of us spent our Merdeka morning tucked in our cozy beds with our alarms off and blinds shut, a few of our YTL family members were wide awake at 3am and ready for their adventurous day ahead. With 8 days of training spanned across 4 weeks, 33 participants along with 3 coordinators, the YTL Group contingent marched the street of Dataran Merdeka with beaming pride as they dawned their customized YTL uniform for the day. Let’s go behind the scenes and learn more about the Merdeka Day parade through the eyes of a few YTL Merdeka marchers!  

Lee Kok Ping (center) getting ready before the march with the help of fellow marcher Winnie George (left) 

Lee Kok Ping 
Skilled Track Worker at ERL

It was my first time marching for the Merdeka Day parade and I really had no idea what to expect. Despite feeling nervous, I was excited and open to the idea of volunteering to march. It was only when I attended our training sessions, I was assured I was in good company.  

There were many instances throughout our training sessions that showed me the importance of team support and comradery. For instance, whenever someone was dehydrated, many kind souls on our team would offer their water bottles for a sip of water. It’s moments like this that demonstrate the values we uphold as individuals and as a member of society. It shows our appreciation towards the bond we form with people, no matter their race, religion and the color of their skin.  

As we reached the end of the parade, I was mixed with bittersweet feelings; I was glad to have made meaningful connections with so many new faces across YTL Group and I was feeling a little disheartened as I would not see them around as often. However, I’m happy to say that I have many great memories I can cherish forever from this experience.

Emley waving the Jalur Gemilang enthusiastically while holding the YTL placard  

Emley Gaem 

Contract Officer (M&E) at YTL Construction  

It was a prideful feeling to wear the YTL uniform and most importantly, to represent the company. It was my first time participating in a Merdeka march and I never thought I would be the person who would be willing to wake up early for training. But it was such a fun experience, be it rain or shine, I still enjoyed every second of it. I also gained many new friends from joining the march and the bond that we share makes it feel like we are family. It was definitely an experience like no other and will be a good story to share with my kids someday.  

Fadzil (left) standing next to En Meor (right) 

Mohammad Fadzil Bin Harun Al-Rashid  

Draughtsman at YTL Construction 

I submitted my marching application without much thought. I have previous marching experience from my school days but I knew marching for the Merdeka Day parade would be a whole new experience. On the first day of training, I felt a wave of reassurance when I saw peers of my age group in attendance across various contingents.  

We faced a few moments of hardship along the way and honestly, it dulled our spirits momentarily. However, one of the marching coaches, En Meor, encouraged us to brush off the negative remarks and put our best ‘marching’ foot forward. As one of the older participants, I felt an innate need to provide support and motivate our contingent to give our very best. Looking back, I’m very proud of our YTL Group contingent as we persevered and improved our marching skills in such a short span of time.  

The parade ended on a sweet note as I was able to celebrate the day with my kids, especially my second-born who incidentally shares the same birthday as our Independence Day. I’m truly grateful to have had this opportunity to represent my company at the Merdeka Day parade and who knows? I might just volunteer again next year! 

Hafizah (left), the resident selfie master of the YTL marching contingent 

Nur Hafizah Binti Mohd Ibrahim 

Draughting Assistant, Architecture at YTL Construction  

This is my second time joining the Merdeka parade and the crowd has doubled since the last time we had this celebration. I have represented YTL twice and I have had different experiences on both occasions. The crowd was more supportive and I was thrilled and overwhelmed to see Malaysians gather to celebrate this historical day. We have trained for a month and definitely have given our best for the company. Our performance on that day was proof that when we support one another we can achieve more. It feels good to see Malaysians in their Merdeka spirit after two years of not having a physical celebration.  

When asked what was the most memorable moment of the day, one common answer was shared across the board. They felt immense pride to wear the YTL brand on their sleeves. The feeling doubled when they saw our big bosses Tan Sri (Sir) Francis Yeoh, Dato’ Soo Min and Mr. Wing Lee on the grand stand waving at them with broad, happy smiles. At that moment, they felt that all their hard work and hours of training had paid off.  

We could see how enthusiastic they were to share their Merdeka parade story with us. On that note, we wish you Selamat Hari Malaysia, Keluarga YTL! 

Enjoy this little gallery encapsulating the entire Merdeka experience