DR MALIKI VISITS, SENDS WELL-WISHES TO PARTICIPANTS AT NDP REHEARSAL

Senior Minister of State for Defence Dr Mohamad Maliki bin Osman visited the participants of National Day Parade (NDP) 2016 at the Sports Hub today.

Ahead of the NDP rehearsal on the evening of 2 Jul, Dr Maliki was at the Sports Hub s OCBC Arena, where he met and interacted with participants from both the Parade and Ceremony segment and the Show segment.

Speaking to the media after his visit, Dr Maliki said that he found the spirit of the participants heartening: "What I saw here is really the spirit of Singapore: people coming together from all walks of life. I understand the youngest is seven years old (and) the oldest is 79 years old. So this is really what Singapore is all about. NDP bonds everyone together."

As the NDP rehearsals took place during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan, Dr Maliki took the chance to offer words of encouragement and appreciation to the 1,200 Muslim participants.

"Despite not drinking (or) eating throughout the day, (they are) rehearsing very hard (and) as much as the other non-Muslim participants."

He added: "I really want to commend the can-do spirit of all the participants. It really reflects what Singaporeans can do together."

Among the participants Dr Maliki met was Mr Mohamad Amiruddin Casperico bin Ali. The 33-year-old Attraction Supervisor at Sentosa Leisure Management is performing with the People s Association (PA) in the Show segment.

As a group leader, he makes sure to set a good example for his group members, especially those who are also fasting: "I tell them that I fast as they are fasting, so we are all doing it together. They give me the encouragement to move forward (and) we motivate one another."

This is the 18th time that Mr Mohamad Amiruddin is participating in the NDP. On why he continues to volunteer, he explained: "What makes me come back year after year is the people (I get to work with). At the same time, the NDP organisers have been moving forward with new things, and I look forward to seeing the creativity and new ideas."

Fellow PA performer and NDP veteran Mary Teo also shared the secret to her repeat participation. "I get to make new friends and also keep myself active. It keeps my mind active too," said the 67-year-old retiree, who is performing in the NDP for the fifth time.

Despite her age, she remains upbeat about the training and performance sessions: "Sometimes I do find the training hard, but after we finish the performance, we are really very happy. Even though we are old, we can still perform for Singapore. We always try our best."

As for first-time performer Vaishali Siva Ganesan, working with like-minded individuals has made her experience enjoyable.

"The one common goal we have is to put on a good show for Singapore," said the 15-year-old, who is marching in the Girls' Brigade contingent in the Parade and Ceremony segment.

The Secondary Three student in Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary School spent much of her June holidays training for NDP. Nonetheless, she believes the time spent has been worth it: "Even though I had to sacrifice my Saturdays to come down to (train), it's fine because at the end of the day, we get to put on a great show."