MCA Penang State: Thousands turn up at open house

Thousands turn up at open house

The Star, Monday, September 21, 2011

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Thousands of people turned up for the national-level Malaysia Aidilfitri-Merdeka Open House 2011 despite intermittent showers prior to the event.

Many of them walked almost 2km from where the hundreds of chartered buses were parked to the venue at SMK Guar Perahu in Penanti here.

There was a political feel to the event which began at 11am yesterday as the party flags and streamers of Umno, Barisan Nasional, PAS, PKR and DAP dotted the 4km stretch of Jalan Kubang Semang to the school.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who was touched by the overwhelming turnout, commented on the matter in his speech.

“I was greeted by many flags, some navy blue, some sea blue and many others which felt like as if it was going to be elections tomorrow. Actually, we are gathered here not because of pilihan raya (election) but to celebrate Hari Raya with everyone,” he said.

Najib thanked Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and state exco members for attending the event, saying that despite their political differences, they shared a common goal to further develop the nation.

“We have not isolated Penang because of political differences. We want development to be carried out in a fair and equal manner. This shows that we value the voices of the people,” he said.

Besides being treated to an array of food, the crowd was entertained by local artistes such as Datuk M. Nasir, Datuk David Arumugam, Uji Rashid, Jaclyn Victor and Calvin Lau.

Lee Buck Hoe, 67, from Parit Buntar, who proudly showed photos that he took with several former prime ministers, said he wanted to present a pictorial memento to Najib.