December 03, 2019, 03:05 PM
On Dec. 3, 2019, Singapore celebrated the 60th anniversary of its national symbols.
Flag raising ceremony at National Gallery
The national symbols—the flag, anthem and state crest— were first unveiled at 11:20am on Dec. 3, 1959 at the steps of the City Hall building, which is the current National Gallery.
Thus, to commemorate the 60-year milestone, a flag raising ceremony was held at the same steps on Dec.3.
The ceremony began around 11am.
The flag-raising was accompanied by a new recording of 'Majulah Singapura', performed by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO).
You can watch it here:
People involved in the ceremony
The occasion was jointly organised by the National Heritage Board (NHB), National Gallery and the Singapore Armed Force (SAF) Veterans' League.
A group of SAF regulars from the Veterans' League led the ceremony by marching up the stairs with the national flag.
They were then accompanied by 40 other representatives from different sectors, including Team Singapore athletes, National Police Cadet Corps youth inspectors, students from Yuhua Secondary School, and youth leaders from Youth Corps Singapore.
Leading the SAF Veterans' League was 85-year-old Captain (Ret.) Hong Seng Mak.
Captain (Ret.) Hong Seng Mak after the flag raising ceremony. Photo by Angela Lim.
Speaking to the press after the ceremony, Hong stated:
"The national anthem is our country's symbol so we have to respect it.
I feel proud when I sing it."
When asked what he thought of the updated recording of the national anthem, he simply said:
"To me, it sounds the same. But I still feel proud."
New recording of national anthem
The re-recorded national anthem retains Zubir Said's original lyrics and Phoon Yew Tien's arrangement.
However, there are now more young voices in the choir and minute adjustments to the tempo.
The recording took place on Aug 7, 2019 at the Esplanade Concert Hall and was conducted by Young Artist Award recipient, Joshua Tan Kang Ming.
Besides him, more than 300 other professionals including musicians, singers, engineers, production managers and technicians were involved in the recording.
Top photos by Syahindah Ishak.
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