PUTRAJAYA, June 15 — Thousands of people of all walks of life attended the Aidilfitri ‘open house’ hosted by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Cabinet ministers at Seri Perdana, the official residence of the prime minister, here.

It is the first Aidilfitri open house hosted by the Pakatan Harapan government led by Dr Mahathir following the Pakatan Harapan stunning victory in the 14th general election on May 9.

Guests started gathering as early as 8.30am at the entrance of Seri Perdana for the open house, which has been scheduled from 10am to 4.30pm today.

People queue to shake hands with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad during the prime minister’s Aidilfitri open house in Putrajaya June 15, 2018. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Breaking with the tradition of the previous government, the open house was held at Laman Sari in the compound of Seri Perdana and the hosts exchanged greetings with the guests within the residence.

The hot weather did not deter the large crowd of people who waited in the long queue with great patience to wish Dr Mahathir and his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, ‘Selamat Aidilfitri’.

The guests applauded cheerfully as Dr Mahathir arrived to greet them. All the ministers took turns to be present to exchange greetings with guests.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Azmin Ali chat during the prime minister’s Aidilfitri open house in Putrajaya June 15, 2018. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

The compound of Seri Perdana was a sea of people who had taken the opportunity of Aidilfitri to express their wishes and thank Dr Mahathir and the ministers for their election victory.

The guests helped themselves to various kinds of food, including satay, rendang, lemang, ketupat, nasi himpit and briyani.

Guests were also given souvenirs as they left the open house.

Buggies were used to ferry the elderly and disabled to the canopies where the food and drinks were served.

People take selfies during the prime minister’s Aidilfitri open house in Putrajaya June 15, 2018. — Picture by Choo Choy May

The police conducted checks on the person and belongings of the guests as they entered the Seri Perdana compound.

Due to the overwhelming response, the entrance gates were opened at 9am, an hour earlier, so that the guests did not have to queue outside but could partake of the food served at the 10 canopies.

As of 11am, more than 10,000 people had attended the open house. About 70,000 people are expected to attend the open house, more than the 50,000 originally anticipated.

Free bus services were provided from three locations, namely Putrajaya Sentral, Masjid Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and Masjid Putra, to Seri Perdana, said the Prime Minister’s Department.

The guests were able to leave their vehicles at the three locations and take the buses to Seri Perdana. — Bernama

Members of the Cabinet attend the prime minister’s Aidilfitri open house in Putrajaya June 15, 2018. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon