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NDP 2021: A parade to lift spirits

2021-08-21 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-新加坡原网页

SINGAPORE - The show had been postponed from Aug 9 following a resurgence of Covid-19 in the community, but Singapore proved on Saturday (Aug 21) that when the National Day Parade (NDP) goes on, it can be both grand and heart-warming.

While the live performances on the floating platform in Marina Bay were scaled down from pre-pandemic levels, the show's virtual dance routines, video clips and animated films tugged at the heartstrings.

The pre-parade activities kicked off at about 6pm in front of an audience of about 1,000 invited guests. These everyday heroes included bus drivers, supermarket cashiers, and hawkers.

One of those in the stands was former hotelier Wilson Sim, 48, who is now a safe distancing ambassador.

He said: "Especially now, when people are having a difficult time, they may feel very negative about the future. We need to bring them confidence for what lies ahead."

Performers from the Singapore Armed Forces' Music and Drama Company took the stage first with a medley of popular tunes including Singapore Town, Together and Semoga Bahagia.

Their performance was followed by singer-songwriter Sezairi Sezali singing Breathing City, one of three original songs written for this year's parade.

The 34-year-old emerged on stage via a hydraulic platform that had pictures of his mother, who he has not been able to see often amid the pandemic, as well as of his cat, Champagne, which died while he was writing the song.

He told the media prior to the show: "It's been really hard because things keep changing all the time. But everyone's still very level (and) extra kind to one another... and that's something I really appreciate."

Mandopop duo The Freshman took the stage next and performed Call Me (Not Maybe), an upbeat tune about Singaporeans uniting regardless of their ethnicities or backgrounds.

In between the music performances, MPs took their seats. Cabinet ministers, former president Tony Tan, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong arrived in succession soon after.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong waves after arriving at the parade on Aug 21, 2021. ST PHOTO: BENJAMIN SEETOR

The Red Lions then dazzled the crowd with free-fall jumps in their signature red-and-white parachutes.

This was followed by an aerial display involving five F-15SG fighter jets and two Apache helicopters - the aircraft soared above the platform to the delight of the audience.

Three of the fighter jets approached the show centre in a formation resembling the letter V.

The Red Lions dazzled the crowd with free-fall jumps in their signature red-and-white parachutes. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO

An AH-64D helicopter during an aerial display at the parade on Aug 21, 2021. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

One of the jets circled Marina Bay Sands before performing a vertical climb to symbolise progress and prosperity for the nation.

Some 600 participants were involved in the parade. These included four guard-of-honour contingents, the SAF Colours Party, five SAF and Home Team contingents and a combined SAF and Singapore Police Force (SPF) band.

Another 200 participants from nine youth uniformed groups and 12 social and economic organisations joined in virtually via pre-recorded segments.

When President Halimah Yacob arrived, the National Anthem was played in sync with the state flag fly-past.

This was followed by the firing of a 21-gun salute as Madam Halimah inspected the parade.

President Halimah Yacob inspecting the guard-of-honour contingents during the National Day Parade on Aug 21, 2021. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO

The firing of a 21-gun salute during the parade on Aug 21, 2021. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

The parade segment concluded with a performance by the combined SAF and SPF band and a video commemorating the history of The Float？@？Marina Bay, which is expected to make way for NS Square.

Fireworks then lit up the night, marking the start of the show segment.

One highlight of the evening was a 14-minute animated film by local studio Robot Playground Media, which showed the plight of six Singaporeans of different generations who overcame challenges.

A still from the animated film by local studio Robot Playground Media screened at the National Day Parade on Aug 21, 2021. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

One of them, Madam Tan Geok Hak, 92, a survivor of the 1961 Bukit Ho Swee fire, was in the audience for the first time.

"I was very touched when they asked me to be part of the parade. I never expected so many journalists to speak to me about my experience in the Bukit Ho Swee fire," she said.

The inferno on May 25, 1961, remains one of the biggest fires that Singapore has seen. It burned from 3.30pm till after 8pm, killing four and destroying a kampung where some 16,000 people, including Madam Tan's family, lived.

Madam Tan's children were safe with their grandfather in the Kampong Bugis area, having been taken there by their nanny.

Others featured in the film included the late social worker Daisy Vaithilingam, who set up Singapore's first fostering scheme for children and co-founded what became the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore.

"For her, joy came from dealing with people," said her nephew Glenn Knight, a 76-year-old lawyer, who described his aunt as a second mother to him and his cousins.