KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 — Malaysians turned up in droves to attend the Malaysia Madani Aidilfitri open house at the Raia Hotel in Alor Setar, Kedah this morning, according to various news reports.
The event was organised by the state Pakatan Harapan coalition and coordinated by the Prime Minister’s Department and marks the first in a series of Raya open houses that will be held in six states across the peninsula.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived at the hotel at 10am dressed in a peach-coloured baju Melayu and black songkok, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri @anwaribrahim beramah mesra dengan orang ramai di Majlis Rumah Terbuka #MalaysiaMADANI di Hotel Raia, Alor Setar, Kedah. Turut hadir Timbalan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri @DrZahidHamidi. pic.twitter.com/TGEH8kuSb5
— BERNAMA (@bernamadotcom) April 29, 2023
Other federal ministers from various political parties in the “unity government” were also seen mingling with the public, shaking hands and smiling broadly.
Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor was also reported present, dressed in a maroon baju Melayu and floral sampin.
News portal Malaysiakini reported the PAS leader chatting with Anwar and other federal Cabinet members and even posing for pictures, including with Communication and Multimedia Minister Fahmi Fadzil who tweeted their photograph and captioned it: “Selamat Hari Raya. Maaf zahir dan batin” with an emoji of two hands clasped together.
In an earlier Twitter post this morning, Fahmi said that the organisers had prepared buses to ferry those who wanted to attend the event.
Those with vehicles could park at four locations and board the shuttle bus to the hotel.
“The four locations are Stadium Sultan Abdul Halim, Stadium Darul Aman, Tapak Pasar Malam, Taman Mahsuri Jitra and Tapak parkir Kolej Tentera Udara, Kepala Batas,” he tweeted.
Kedah Ruler Sultan Sallehuddin Badlishah also graced the Malaysia Madani open house, arriving at about 11am, various news outlets reported.
Other dignitaries reported present included Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifudin Nasution Ismail and his deputy Datuk Seri Shamsul Anuar Nasarah.
In a Twitter post, Saifudin Nasution described the turnout for the open house as overwhelming, with visitors arriving an hour early.
“Let us take the spirit of Aidilfitri to reflect our togetherness, strengthen friendship and celebrate it with joy and gratitude.
“Therefore, I call all the Kedah people who are nearby to attend the open house which will go on until 2pm,” he wrote in his Twitter post.
Other government officials reported present were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof; Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming; Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek; Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa; Domestic Trade and Living Cost Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub; Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan; Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri; and Deputy Finance Minister Steven Sim.
According to various news reports, visitors were offered a vast buffet spread of local dishes both savoury and sweet.
