The human graphic display is one of the many regular features of the parade, together with the mass presentation by members of Soka Gakkai Malaysia and the Selangor Department of Education, dressed in the colours of the national flag, forming different displays in the ground, as well as of an multi-racial percussion (and sometimes instrumental) component.
At the Independence Square in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building or since 1985 in various Malaysian state capitals and in Putrajaya since 2003, a stage is set for the guests and government and military personnel and officials in attendance.
The Royal Standard is then unfurled using the 'quick release knot' technique from the top of a flagpole, signifying the presence of the King at the event.
The Guard of Honor Company, now at attention, renders a Royal Salute to the Sovereigns (in light of the King's responsibilities as Supreme Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces), the unit Colours of the GOH battalion (Sovereign's and Regimental) are dipped and the National Anthem, Negaraku, is played by the military band.
After the flag raising, the Rukunegara (National Principles) is first read by the emcee and in recent years, the Maka kami part of the pledge onward is then recited with the left hand at the shoulder level.
Young dancers dressed as the various races and ethnic groups of the country dance about, with that year's theme song as one of the numbers.
The SGM members and education students perform delicate and well prepared formations on the parade grounds, while the human graphic display shows intricate writings on the stand made by pompoms and coloured flags among others.
Military and police contingents from the Malaysian Armed Forces and the Royal Malaysian Police, youth uniformed groups, Army, Air Force and Navy special operations commandos, Armed Forces and Police counter-terrorist units, bomb squads, pilots of the Royal Malaysian Air Force and the Royal Malaysian Navy's Naval Air Group, military reservists, personnel of the RELA Corps, Maritime Enforcement Agency, Civil Defence Force, Fire and Rescue Department and the Prisons Department, civilian organisations veterans organizations and local government delegations (including the Kuala Lumpur City Hall), federal ministries and business entities march past the parade stage in front of the Sovereigns and guests on the stage.
Also part of the parade is the mobile column showing the different vehicles of the Malaysian Armed Forces, the Royal Malaysian Police, the Civil Defence Forces, Fire and Rescue Agency, Prisons Agency and Kuala Lumpur City Hall plus representatives of the federal ministries and the private sector.