KUALA KANGSAR: The need to maintain cleanliness in this royal town was aptly displayed during the procession involving seven elephants and 400 hulubalang (warriors) to mark the declaration of the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) as a national heritage on Saturday.
The task was left to a group of men dressed in baju melayu who, instead of carrying tombak (spears) and colourful flags as others in the procession, opted for scoops and plastic bags instead.
Their task was to make sure no elephant droppings were left behind.
“The event is a beautiful and meaningful one. We should not let it be marred by the droppings,” said Mohd Shukri Mustafa from Kelantan.
Mohd Shukri, who was also employed to help out in the feeding of the seven elephants brought in from Narathiwat in southern Thailand last Wednesday, said the animals were made to skip their breakfast of bananas and shoots, to discourage them from passing motion.
After the parade ended at the MCKK grounds in Jalan Tun Razak, Mohd Shukri said he collected a total of five bags of droppings throughout the 2km procession from Lama Budaya through Jalan Kangsar, Jalan Bendahara and Jalan Tun Razak in the heart of the royal town.
The event drew thousands of spectators.
